Divorced and Remarried? Should You Divorce Your Current Spouse? (Part 2)

If you've been divorced and remarried, should you divorce your current spouse? Some are teaching this. But what does Scripture actually say? In today's Little Lesson, I continue to look at Jesus' statement about divorce and remarriage in light of the whole Bible.

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[ShermekaG]

God word never changes. We can divorce, but must remain single or reconcile. Until death do you part Sometimes, it's not the understanding we have trouble with, but it's the believing what the word of God said.

[kathodeever]

1. knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
II Peter 1:20‭-‬21 NKJV


2. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
I Timothy 6:3‭-‬5 NKJV


3. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ ; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Mark 10:5‭-‬12 NKJV

4.Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
I Corinthians 7:10‭-‬11 NKJV

5.A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.
I Corinthians 7:39 NKJV

6.For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
Romans 7:2‭-‬3 NKJV

7.Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4 NKJV

8.And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. “For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence, ” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.” You have wearied the Lord with your words; Yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him? ” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the Lord, And He delights in them, ” Or, “Where is the God of justice?”
Malachi 2:13‭-‬17 NKJV

[pegc]

I can't believe how many Youtubers are telling remarried Christians (or those married to divorced spouses) to divorce their current spouse because their marriage is adulterous.😢 Many of these people don't seem like they are unhappy with their current marriages; they feel for sure that they are living in adultery. This makes no sense to me, as they are ignoring the vows they made in their current marriages. We serve a loving God and if remarried couples confess the sin, God forgives. There is NO PERPETUAL adultery, especially since He has sent new spouses into the lives of so many divorced Christians.

[lovefaith]

To repent from the act of REMARRIAGE ADULTERY doesn't mean to get a DIVORCE, you can't fix one sin with another sin. Malachi 2:16 (...."Indeed, the LORD God of Israel says that he hates divorce....") YOU CANT "UNDO" YOUR SINS, Getting divorced wouldn't undo the fact that you remarried.
GETTING A DIVORCE TO REPENT ON A REMARRIAGE IS AN ATTEMPT TO DO MORE THAN JUST CONFESS (1John 1:9-10) AS INSTRUCTED, BUT NOW YOU ARE TRYING TO ATONE FOR YOUR SIN, and you can only ATONE for your sins by BLOOD WHICH IS WHAT CHRIST DID FOR YOU 2000 YEARS AGO AND THIS MUST BE YOUR FAITH.

Hebrews 2:17
"For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people."

Romans 3:
21. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Hebrews 10:38 The just shall live by faith in all Christ already did, not by obedience to the law but led by the Gospel of Christ a holiness that is only from Christ, to shrink back from this is to have & feel pride, confidence and safety in their own righteousness.
(1 John 1:9-10) When you repent,
REPENT DEFINITION:
Feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.
confess as instructed of the act of ADULTERY, just as with all of your other repented shortcomings and trust the covering blood of Jesus over your IMPERFECTIONS, Gods grace is sufficient for all manner of sin, God is faithful & just to cleanse you of ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. This sin was paid for on the cross before you commited it.

To sin no more is to NOT GET REMARRIED AGAIN. But remain in your present marriage covenant forgiven & blessed. Romans 4:7.“Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered."

You cant make the comparison that a thief must return what he steals in order to repent because that's not the instructions,
Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, (not must return what he stole) but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

So as I said don't get remarried again.

[kenwigginsii]

I’m currently married to my 2nd wife. I committed audultery against my 1st wife. My 2nd wife was married, and her husband committed adultery. She divorced him. My ex-wife filed for divorce from me. She was divorced and I was divorced. Her ex-husband died. I have been married to my 2nd wife for 9 1/2 years. I’m sharing my situation, not just for advice, but to be open about my situation. Lord God is the Judge, not man.

[thomasjefferson]

Seems as though the only time someone uses the word "legalist" is when their own actions have gone against the teachings of Christ.

[gwendolynwehage]

We do have the account of Hosea and Gomer in which God commands Hosea to go and get his wife who was with another man. She broke her husband's heart and yet God told Hosea to go and get her back.

[mensajesparaelremanente]

"And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife leave her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband  divorce is wife” 
(I Corinthians 7:10, 11).

 In verse 11 he implies that separation may at times occur. Some feel this refers to the exception Jesus gave. In any case, Paul is clear that if there is separation, there is to be no remarriage while one's partner is living, but reconciliation if possible.

Paul records the same understanding that death and death only severs the marriage bond. Any other relationship during this marriage is adultery.
 "The woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man"            (Romans 7:2, 3).
I ask only that you please search out this matter to see if perhaps this viewpoint could be correct. If I've been wrong in my assertions, no real harm will be done. On the other hand if what I have concluded is the Historic Biblical view for 2000 years of Church History unquestioned till the 16th Century is correct many people are deceived and will suffer the torments of hell as a result of believing false teaching, and false grace.

Remember that the Pharisee’s were the party of  divorce/remarriage
And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall divorce his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall divorce her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery (Mark 10: 10-12).
Why is this issue so important? If people's Eternal destinies are linked to the legitimacy/illegitimacy  of  Divorce/Remarriage in the Church, , an issue 100 years ago that would not need to addressed. Can we sit idly by when our friends and loved ones are duped into believing  that they can be in a remarriage and make into the Kingdom of Heaven, contrary to what the Lord Jesus  the Early Church Fathers taught? 
Dean Michael Gorman,  professor of New Testament and Early  Christianity has concluded that: "In the early church, many voices addressed the subjects of marriage,  divorce, and remarriage, but their message, on the whole, was quite unified. Christian marriage, they said, is an indissoluble bond. 
Divorce, with the implicit right of remarriage, was not an option for Christian couples (though Origen admits some toleration existed), but permanent separation was. Remarriage after separation was considered punishable adultery or bigamy—sometimes more so for women than men. "
John Coblentz writes:
        "The early church leaders understood Jesus to teach that remarriage was adultery. Jerome (5th Century), for example, wrote, "A husband may be an adulterer or a sodomite, he may be stained with every crime and may 
have been left by his wife because of his sins; yet he is still her husband, and, so long as he lives, she may not marry another." "The idea of remarriage is a rather new invention of the Humanist Erasmus. Prior to Erasmus (1500's) this would have been a moot issue. from Have You Not Read Matthew 19:4 By Casey Whitaker"Most of the modern church has become sadly silent on the issue of divorce and remarriage. Biblical precepts are ignored in favor of cheap grace. Families are destroyed and children carry the scars of divorce into adulthood. In the name of understanding and tolerance, modern churches accept remarried ministers, elders, and deacons. The organization that once prided itself on being salt and light now has a higher statistical divorce rate than the unbelieving world it seeks to influence. Who now will speak to the lifelong covenant of marriage?" …Because I love and care for God and His people so deeply, I cannot ignore what Jesus plainly said and what the early church taught and practiced for 1500 years after Christ. The majority of Christian churches in the first half of the 20th century knew this “old teaching” (not “new teaching”) but rarely applied it. I am not ashamed of the Word of God. I am glad to know this teaching.  David Wicox writes: "Of all the early recognized Church Fathers who ever wrote, all who were written about, concerning every discussion and every debate, in thousands of surviving documents, over hundreds of years, there is not a single dissenting authoritative voice on the essential core  doctrines of marriage, divorce and remarriage. Each taught the same doctrine, each held the same opinion and each enforced the same morals standards" That is, no Divorce/Remarriage- What Did Jesus Say? Matthew records Jesus as saying, "Whosoever shall divorce his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery" (Matthew 5:32). And again, "Whosoever shall  divorce his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is divorced doth commit adultery" (Matthew 19:9). Mark and Luke : "Whosoever shall divorce his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall  divorce her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery" (Mark 10:11, 12). "Whosoever  divorces his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is divorced from her husband committeth adultery" (Luke 16:18). Notice that in Mark the prohibition against divorce and remarriage is given to the woman as well as to the man. Paul forbade departing from a marriage partner, forbade remarriage, and encouraged reconciliation if separation did occur.  What is significant about this point is that this writing may well have been the earliest New Testament writing on the subject. The date for the earliest Gospels (Matthew and Mark) is commonly set in the middle or late 50s (or early 60s); 

Paul wrote I Corinthians around 55 A.D. But whether Paul was the first to record Jesus' teaching on marriage or second or third, he obviously knew Jesus' teaching well.
"And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife leave her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband  divorce is wife”  (I Corinthians 7:10, 11). In verse 11 he implies that separation may at times occur. Some feel this refers to the exception Jesus gave. In any case, Paul is clear that if there is separation, there is to be no remarriage while one's partner is living, but reconciliation if possible. Paul records the same understanding that death and death only severs the marriage bond. Any other relationship during this marriage is adultery. "The woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man"            (Romans 7:2, 3). The Church has taught that marriage is permanent while the first spouse is alive- for 2000 years of History. Only in the 2nd half of the 20th century was remarriage permitted. Jesus' teaching shows that man's laws are at times at variance with God's laws. What man does to divide a marriage does not sever the bond in God's sight. What man calls remarriage, in God's eyes is adultery if the true partner is still living.
The early church leaders understood Jesus to teach that remarriage was adultery. Jerome, for example, wrote, "A husband may be an adulterer or a sodomite, he may be stained with every crime and may have been left by his wife because of his sins; yet he is still her husband, and, so long as he lives, she may not marry another." 
The greatest sin in the marriage discussion is actually caused by the false teachers who are leading millions into darkness and apostasy and straight into HELL.  Let me explain. When a pastor counsels a person away from permanency-marriage and pontificates that their marriage can be put asunder, for what he decides is a so called legitimate reason, and approves remarriage he is leading that person into apostasy. 
Any act of sexual intercourse for a married person with someone other than their living spouse is adultery. Divorce in other words for a married couple is impossible. By advising toward divorce with remarriage the false teacher is leading his hearers into apostasy, the falling away from the truth and straight into HELL. The Scriptures declare that the latter day apostasy will be marked by marriage divorcers (covenant breakers, trucebreakers): “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers [given to marital divorce, my comment] II Tim. 3:3).”

[Troneous]

Are these Legalists who love the idea of fellow brothers and sisters being tormented in "eternal" hellfire for past mistakes or ignorance discouraging you? don't be discouraged. Go to Christ, not carnal and merciless man.

Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

[marlenebaptiste]

Even Paul said what Jesus said.    1 Corinthians 7:10-11    And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

[dhx]

David Servant is right. If being in a 2nd marriage with a living first spouse would render one ineligible for salvation, that point would have been explicit in Scripture. You would clearly read the command to such spouses to get a divorce to avoid eternal damnation. It is unreasonable to believe the Scriptures would be silent on this point if it were true.

[randynethery]

Scripture clearly teaches anyone who divorces and remarries while their covenant spouse is still living (with the exception of fornication) is an adulterer or adulteress (Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10-15; 1 Corinthians 7:39).

Additionally, scripture clearly teaches in order to receive God's mercy one must repent or they won't inherit the kingdom of Heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Luke 13:3).

God saves anyone who genuinely repents. Repentance has two elements: Confessing AND forsaking our sins.

Proverbs 28:13, says: "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses AND forsakes them will have mercy."

Remaining in an adulterous remarriage is not repentance.

The liar has to repent and stop lying; the thief has to repent and stop stealing; the homosexuals have to repent and stop committing homosexual acts; and the adulterers and adulteresses (including those in adulterous remarriages) must repent and stop committing adultery.

Sharing the scriptural truth about divorce and remarriage infuriates people who are supposed to be followers of Christ. Jesus's words regarding this issue anger his alleged followers like no other topic. Perhaps, it's time to obey Jesus Christ, and to begin believing He means what He says.

Most importantly, ALL sins are unforgivable without repentance...including remaining in adulterous remarriages. According to the clear, easy to understand words of scripture: Jesus most definitely sends unrepentant adulterers and adulteresses into the lake of fire.

[clydeholiday]

There's no exceptions except for death divorce remarriage our spouses alive equals hell playing

[theraptureisnearbelieveinj]

The Bible is pretty clear about divorce & remarriage. It’s only been since the 1970’s that divorce was made no-fault and the divorce rate skyrocketed. It wasn’t that way historically for thousands of years. I’m very grateful to have had my eyes opened on this subject! My 2nd husband and I are now going through a divorce to fulfill what God wants for us, and not what we want for ourselves. We will remain friends, but I should of never married him in the first place. Mind you, we both had VERY good reasons to divorce our former spouses. Keep studying the Word, and He will show you His truth. God bless.

[rcjr]

Hey Bro Servant , great teaching..
The reason the a husband could not go back and remarry the first is because;
The laws in that day allowed a husband with young children to leave his family until the kids were old enough to work a farm and then come back to the previous marriage, within a 5-7 year window, and reclaim his wife EVEN if she'd married another, and everything they accumulated..
This caused men to reject a divorced woman, forcing her to no other option but prostitution, in an era that was 99% agricultural. So God put the " abomination " label on it..Which it was..
Just food for thought .. check it out for yourself and let me know what you find. Thanks..

[timothymoore]

So question I was never married and then got married to someone who was divorced because she claimed that her husband was a adulterer we married and divorced but her first husband is still living if she is bound by her first husband and goes back to him and I can go back to her because of that fact am I stuck to live my life alone if I can't go back to my ex wife I'm very confused????

[thomasjefferson]

When did Jesus at all endorse mosiac law? "From the beginning it was not so." He endorses God's law, not that of Moses.

[jackieanderson]

What about the people you who divorce their narcissistic spouse? Are they condemned forever? This doesn’t sound right.

[veroconstant]

It's not the demons of hell that send people to hell but the bible preachers .... May God have mercy on you

[jordan]

What everyone should be asking:
“Has God joined the remarriage together?”, thus “what God has joined together let no man separate”.