- “Divorced… Now What?”
- What Defines You?
- Divorce And Remarriage – “Adultery Defined”
- Divorce And Remarriage – “The Evils Of Forbidding Marriage”
- Divorce And Remarriage – “Biblical Summary On Divorce & Remarriage”
- Divorce And Remarriage – “The Bible Expressly Says A Divorced Man Does Not Sin If He Marries”
- Divorce And Remarriage – Personal Thoughts
- Amazing Grace And Divorce/Remarriage Part Two
- Amazing Grace And Divorce/Remarriage Part One
Paul, speaking to the Christians at Corinth, specifically mentioned the sin of adultery as one of the sins which had been forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ
(I Corinthians 6:9-11).
How could we then conclude that adultery is not a pardonable offense? As if what Paul said is not enough we also have the case of David and his adultery with Bathsheba in addition to murder. (2 Samuel 11 & 12) When David acknowledged his sin and showed repentance Nathan said to him, “The Lord has put away your sin.”
(2 Sam. 12:13).
In the face of these specific Bible examples, how do men conclude that one who commits adultery today in putting away a wife and marrying another has a non-cleansable sin? Some make a mistake by changing what the actual sin is. Instead of accepting the text of Matthew 19:9 that adultery is committed in the two acts of putting away and marrying another, they say that “adultery” is a sex act and therefore it is
committed later in the sexual activity of the subsequent marriage and therefore
is a continuing sin not repented of. That is a gigantic mistake. Jesus was very specific about it that when a man puts away his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, he “commits adultery.”
This change originated historically with the Roman Catholic Council of Trent in the 16th century. They ruled that marriage is a “sacrament” and therefore unbreakable. Thus the divorced person is still married to the first spouse in the eyes of God and the next marriage is “an adulterous relationship.” That contradicts the Bible text.
It is important to understand that man’s theories and opinions cannot over rule the word of God. The facts are as the Bible states them. The adultery occurs as Jesus said it does when a man is disloyal in putting away his innocent wife and going to another. At Mark 10:11 the Lord said that man who does that “commits adultery against her.” So He was talking about a sin committed against the wife put away, not a sin committed WITH the next wife.
So can the adultery be stopped? This is not the same to as ask “Can the adultery be undone?” No, it cannot be undone any more than any other sin. But any sin can be repented of and forgiven and not repeated in the future. The only answer to it is repentance and a change of behavior and forgiveness by the grace of God for the Christian. When God said “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and lawless deed I will remember no more,” and then His word gives examples where this particular sin was forgiven in that way, there is no reason to have anymore questions or doubts about the matter. Adultery is a forgivable sin. If one who was divorced has now
become one who is committed to one mate for life and is penitent about his former sins, that person has come from the wrong way to God’s way. Such a person can rest assured that God will keep His promise to forgive. Yes, there will be people in hell that God loves. But there will not be anyone in hell whom God has forgiven. For those outside Christ, who come to Jesus by faith and repent of sins, and are immersed into Christ, (born of water and the Spirit, John 3:3-5), they are forgiven of every sin… even divorcing and move forward from that point on, growing in grace and the Holy Spirit.
“Amen walls!”