What Does The Bible Says About Remarriage After Divorce
There is only one condition given in the bible for Remarriage after divorce.
Matthew 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
The only option available is, you with remarry the person you have put away, or you remain unmarried for life.
That seals the answer for those who are asking what does God say about divorce, thinking they can separate from their partners, and marry any other person they want.
This makes everyone understands that God expects us to be married to only one person till death comes.
Top #14 What Does The Bible Say About Divorce And Remarriage
by Dwight Anderson | May 12, 2021 | Blog, Top Questions People Ask |
After over 65 years of ministry, we have developed the top 27 questions people ask us so we would like to share these questions each week for our weekly blog and share the answers as a resource for you all to use in your ministry, churches, and family.
Top ? #14 What Does the Bible Say About Divorce and Remarriage?
Answer: God ordained marriage to be a permanent relationship between a man and a woman, however, there are certain conditions in which God permitted divorce. If the divorce meets those conditions then the individuals are free to remarry.
God created the institution of marriage at the time He made the first man and woman. He declared that they should be one flesh and thus implied that the union would last as long as both individuals were alive. Sin, however, tarnished every human relationship and the ideal of a lifelong marriage became much more difficult to realize. Nevertheless, the Christian needs to understand and accept that Gods plan for marriage is for one man and one woman to live together in a loving, lifelong relationship which reflects the love that Christ has for the Church .
Jesus identified that the provisions for divorce in the Old Testament were given because of Israels hard-heartedness . He states that the only legitimate reason for divorce is in the case of adultery. He identifies that an individual who divorces and remarries for any other reason is guilty of adultery.
Jesus Specifically Allowed Divorce For Infidelity
Matthew 19:9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
Note that Jesus does not say this is the only reason for divorce. We find other reasons for divorce in Scripture. For a quick 7-minute video explanation by Rev. Dr. David Instone-Brewer of Cambridge, see this.
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C God Allows An Exception To The General Rulewhen One’s Spouse Has Been Guilty Of Fornication
This exception is clearly stated in Matthew 19:9 .
“Whosoever shall put away his wife, except forfornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery”.
The question originally asked Jesus concerned the groundsor cause for which a man may divorce his wife . In v9Jesus clearly says there is no acceptable cause except if onescompanion has been guilty of fornication.
Unlike the Mosaic Law, which Jesus admits tolerated divorceand remarriage for other causes, Jesus’ teaching allows oneand only one cause.
Note that the only one who is granted the right to divorce andremarry without being guilty of sin is the one who has beensinned against by his/her companion who committed fornication.
What is fornication?
Definitions: “illicit sexual intercourse in general” “every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse” . Fornication includes any form of sexualintercourse with anyone other than ones scriptural spouse,regardless of whether that person be of the opposite sex or ofthe same sex. Note passages that explain the meaning:
1 Corinthians 7:2-5 – To avoid fornication, oneis to satisfy the sexual desire with and only with “his ownwife” or “her own husband.” Our own marriagecompanion is the only one who has power over our body. If wesatisfy this desire with anyone else, the passage says it wouldbe fornication, whether it be with someone we are not married to,someone else’s husband or wife, or someone else ofthe same sex . .
Can I Divorce My Unbelieving Spouse
Paul answers another question about unbelieving spouses:
12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean but now are they holy. 15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace .
So the advice here is to stay with the unbelieving spouse if they are willing to live in peace, but if not, they are free to let the unbeliever go. But after that, does it say they can remarry? No, it doesnât. All it means is that they are ânot under bondageâ to the marriage. They donât need to stay in a relationship with a person whoâs disrupting their peace, and quite possibly, their spiritual growth.
More about divorce:
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will only in the Lord .
And Paul repeats it in Romans:
While it seems there is no hope for remarriage after divorce, there are two other exceptions for men.
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I Remarried After Divorce Should I Divorce Or Separate From My New Spouse Should I Go Back To My First Spouse
To the married I give this commandnot I but the Lordthat the wife should not separate from her husband , and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
However, Paul was writing about the case where a couple has separated but have not divorced and remarried. The additional sin of another divorce and the emotional pain caused to the current spouse and others involved would violate other Bible principles. In most cases, the first marriage could not be restored. When these factors are considered, intentionally breaking up a second marriage seems like an unworkable and unwise choice.
Gods Children Live Forever
But what is most interesting is what Jesus said about divorce.
Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a mans brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
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Divorce & Remarriagecan A Christian Do It Is God Ok With It What Does The Bible Say About Divorce And Remarriage
- Summary: Does God permit divorce? How about remarriage after divorcing? What about cases of marital infidelity? Or a believing Christian divorced by an unbelieving spouse? Christian leaders and church pastors hold a variety of views concerning Christian divorce and remarriage. My intent in this Bible study is to offer some Scriptural answers. We’ll look at what the Bible says about marriage, divorce, and remarriage after divorce?
Divorce and remarriage have been much-debated issues for literally thousands of years. This Bible study cannot resolve every issue or cover every situation. My hope is to discover those clear and definite guidelines on this subject that are laid down in the Scriptures.
Any discussion on marriage, divorce, and remarriage should focus on: What does God say about divorce and remarriage in the Bible? Let’s begin with Gods initial pronouncements on itself:
- Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
- Genesis 2:24 , KJV Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
- Genesis 1:28a and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number fill the earth and subdue it.
This biblical account records Gods intentions for marriage as He established it in the beginning . Additional Scriptures reveal a fuller picture of Gods outlook on marriage, as well as on divorce and remarriage.
Repentance Is Better Than Rebellion
Learn from the example in the Corinthian church. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, and such were some of you, referring to those who used to be in illegal remarriagesadulterers they werebut they repented. Jesus even mentions a blessing on these people:
Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospels,30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this timeâhouses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutionsâand in the age to come, eternal life
Why would a person leave their wife? One reason would be if they discovered they were in an illegal remarriage. If you love Jesus, you will obey him .
Jesus continues to say:
13 Enter by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it .
Jesus said it would be difficult on the road to eternal life. Meaning: most people wont repent of adultery and forsake their unlawful remarriages for Christs sake simply because its too hard to bear. I would argue that the Lake of Fire is much harder to bear.
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Remarriage With One Condition
When a man and woman are married, the two are united as one flesh . These two individuals are bound to each other as long as the other is alive. When one spouse dies, the other is released from the law that binds them. They are then free to marry anyone they wish, on one condition. The Scripture says whoever they marry must be a Christian.
A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she isand I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
Why Did God Allows Divorce
In spite of all what the bible has said about separation in marriage that we have seen, the question is, why did God still allow divorce.
We have established the fact that God hates separation, and that it is never his will for man.
Jesus pointed out something to the Jews of his time about this issue.
Matthew 19:898 He said to them, Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
God allows it because of the hardness of their hearts.
That means divorce is a permissible will of God for certain reasons, and not his perfect will.
Bible experiences have taught us that it is not in the best interest of man to opt for Gods permissible will.
Examples in the bible:
All of these brought regrets, pains, and great suffering upon those who were involved.
Lot begged to escape to Zoar instead of the mountain, when God rained fire on Sodom. Genesis 19:18-21.Israel asked for a king. 1 Samuel 8:4-6.Abraham fathered Ishmael. Genesis 16:3-15.Israel never destroyed all inhabitants of Canaan. Judges 1:27-36.
The two conditions attached to this permissible will of God, under which divorce can take place are
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E The Bible Expressly Mentions People Outsidethe Church Who Were Held Guilty Of Violating God’s Marriage Laws
We have seen that God’s laws against sexual immorality arebased on His marriage law. But that same law is the basis ofJesus’ teaching against divorce and remarriage. Hence, themarriage law, the laws regulating sexual conduct, and the divorcelaw all apply to exactly the same people. In particular, divorceand remarriage Jesus said wasadultery, a particular form of sexual misconduct.
Hence, if we can find passages saying aliens outside Christare subject to God’s laws on sexual conduct, then it must bebecause they are subject to God’s laws on marriage. It willfollow that they are subject to His laws on divorce andremarriage, since all stand or fall together.
Note these passages:
1 Corinthians 5:9,10
There are fornicators in the world .Hence, people outside the church are subject to God’s laws onsexual conduct.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
The Corinthians had been fornicators, adulterers, etc., beforethey were washed and justified by Christ. God held these peopleaccountable for obeying His sexual laws even when they had beenoutside the church. This includes adultery, and divorce andremarriage constitutes adultery.
Colossians 3:5-10
Those who come into Christ should put off the conduct of the”old man” – i.e., the way they lived before they becameChristians. This old life included fornication , hence, God’ssexual laws do apply to those outside Christ.
1 Timothy 1:9-11
1 Timothy 5:8
Why Do People Remarry
Surprisingly, even though there are a lot of marriages that end in divorce, 80% of them would still consider marrying again. Some say that midlife crisis divorce and remarriage play a huge role in the decision to remarry as 67% of people who remarry are in the age of 55-64 years old.
Youd be curious to know that some of the most popular reasons why people choose to remarry include companionship and security, feeling of being complete and to satisfy emotional needs.
While some also seek to build a complete family, to have stability or just because they have fallen in love and wanted to try marriage again.
As we grow older, we no longer crave for romantic relationships, rather, we want to have a solid companion to be with us as we grow old, and thats why youd notice the peak of remarriage at the age of 55-64 years old.
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What Does The Bible Say About Divorce & Remarriage
If your opinion about anything contradicts Gods Word, guess which one is wrong? Rick Warren
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
What does the Bible say about marriage? Marriage is created by God as lifelong institution between a man and a woman, rooted in creation, with a significance that shows in its comparison to Christs relationship with the church . Today marriage is often defined by the emerging trends, understandings, feelings, and opinions of the culture rather than the transcendent, immutable, and eternal truth found described by the God who created it. This change in understanding and practice has led to an overwhelming amount of marriages ending in divorce and resulting in remarriage. Although many sociological, psychological, economic, emotional, and man-centered rationales may be created to explain and justify the practice of divorce and remarriage, the Christian perspective and practice must be rooted in a balanced and holistic application of biblical theology.
What the Bible say about remarriage after the death of a spouse? God clearly permits remarriage after the death of a spouse and actually encourages remarriage for younger widows . The only qualification for the remarriage of a widow is that the new spouse must be a Christian .
What about my happiness? How can I be happy if I am divorced and never remarried?
How can I resist lust if I am divorced and not remarried?
SCRIPTURES ON DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
Our Conclusion On Divorce And Remarriage In The Bible:
In the Bible, we learn that God forbids divorce and remarriage because marriage is a covenant. Because of the covenantal nature of marriage, we see that a second marriage is possible only if one of the spouses dies. We also learn that some marriages are invalid in the eyes of the Church, in such cases, the spouses would also be free to marry someone else. Unless those grounds are met, a second marriage will be considered sinful in the Catholic faith.
Lastly, if you’re looking for some other verses that tackle the topic of remarriage and to see what does the Bible say about dating check out Genesis 2, Ephesians 5, and Deuteronomy 24.
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