Is Remarriage after Divorce, Adultery?

[LC627]

As long as she remains unmarried...you are getting hung up here...call it separation then. Whatever. Stick to the text. The bible only forbids remarriage to the wife who has a living husband.

He is no longer the husband if a divorce occurred.

 

[Episkopos]

He is no longer the husband if a divorce occurred.

So then no divorce...by your definition. Separation.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

I believe it is to show that there is a difference in the role of a man and a wife in marriage. A man covers his wife....and a woman needs covering. At one time a woman could not have children and be without a husband. She would have died. So a man covers the woman by taking her into his household. A great man was seen as being able to have many wives...

Even in many countries in Africa...there is still this tendency.

But what of a woman with many husbands???? Is that anywhere in the bible or seen in any ancient society? It would be an aberration. (not saying it's not physically possible)

So then the woman is created for the man in marriage. Not the man for the woman. The man is responsible to cover his wife. If he rejects her..then HE is responsible for her adulteries (since otherwise she would die)

So then as long as he looked after his wives...and not cast them out...he was seen as righteous.

Why did that allowance for men to have more than one wife not continue in Christianity?

 

[Episkopos]

Why did that allowance for men to have more than one wife continue in Christianity?

Did you mean to say.."not continue"....???

 

[Dave L]

In today's Church it is deemed alright to remarry after divorce by many. Some say only if adultery was involved is the innocent party free to remarry. Old denominations such as the RCC say divorce is not possible under any circumstances. I'm curious how much of our mindset is from the compromising age of Laodecia that we live in. What was the mindset of the early Christians? I like to read what they believed.

There is a piece of Christian literature from the late first century, the Shepherd of Hermas, found in the Codex Sinaiticus along with the Epistle of Barnabas also written in the 1st century, that may give us a clue as to why Montanists of the second century went so far as believing in only one marriage. For them, no second marriage was allowed, even after the death of a spouse, let alone divorce.

This same piece of literature shows that remarriage after adultery, even by the innocent party is adultery. How many of us today want to accept that as fact? Even 1 Corinthians 7 allows for divorce (not being bound) but says nothing about then being free to remarry - that we've added ourselves. In fact, at the end of the chapter it clarifies that only after the death of the party is one free to remarry. Mark 10:11-12 also shows that remarriage after divorce is adultery. I've seen some liberals say that adultery is not the unpardonable sin, so even if the two adulterers who left their spouses for one another marry, they just need to repent and are allowed to stay married to each other. How is that turning away from their sin? I doubt that God sees it that way. What a tangled mess we get into when we take sin to higher levels of sin.

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, 4 then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

The Shepherd of Hermas differs from Deuteronomy 24 in that the first husband may take back the wife if they repentant, but it must be their first repentance. In Deuteronomy this only applied to the female, as the males could have more than one wife, but why this was so is not clear, as it wasn't so from the beginning, and again not so at the time of Jesus.

Shepherd of Hermas

1[29]:1 "I charge thee, "saith he, "to keep purity, and let not a thought enter into thy heart concerning another's wife, or concerning fornication, or concerning any such like evil deeds; for in so doing thou commitest a great sin. But remember thine own wife always, and thou shalt never go wrong.

1[29]:2 For should this desire enter into thine heart, thou wilt go wrong, and should any other as evil as this, thou commitest sin. For this desire in a servant of God is a great sin; and if any man doeth this evil deed, he worketh out death for himself.

1[29]:3 Look to it therefore. Abstain from this desire; for, where holiness dwelleth, there lawlessness ought not to enter into the heart of a righteous man."

1[29]:4 I say to him, "Sir, permit me to ask thee a few more questions" "Say on," saith he. "Sir," say I, "if a man who has a wife that is faithful in the Lord detect her in adultery, doth the husband sin in living with her?"

1[29]:5 "So long as he is ignorant," saith he, "he sinneth not; but if the husband know of her sin, and the wife repent not, but continue in her fornication, and her husband live with her, he makes himself responsible for her sin and an accomplice in her adultery."

1[29]:6 "What then, Sir," say I, "shall the husband do, if the wife continue in this case?" "Let him divorce her," saith he, "and let the husband abide alone: but if after divorcing his wife he shall marry another, he likewise committeth adultery."

1[29]:7 "If then, Sir," say I, "after the wife is divorced, she repent and desire to return to her own husband, shall she not be received?"

1[29]:8 "Certainly," saith he, "if the husband receiveth her not, he sinneth and bringeth great sin upon himself; nay, one who hath sinned and repented must be received, yet not often; for there is but one repentance for the servants of God. For the sake of her repentance therefore the husband ought not to marry. This is the manner of acting enjoined on husband and wife.

1[29]:9 Not only," saith he, "is it adultery, if a man pollute his flesh, but whosoever doeth things like unto the heathen committeth adultery. If therefore in such deeds as these likewise a man continue and repent not, keep away from him, and live not with him. Otherwise, thou also art a partaker of his sin.

1[29]:10 For this cause ye were enjoined to remain single, whether husband or wife; for in such cases repentance is possible.

1[29]:11 I," said he, "am not giving an excuse that this matter should be concluded thus, but to the end that the sinner should sin no more. But as concerning his former sin, there is One Who is able to give healing; it is He Who hath authority over all things."

Divorce and remarriage was part of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant does not include it. If an unbeliever divorces a Christian, the believer is not enslaved to them (bound), but must either reconcile or remain single. Any divorce is void in God's sight and people are as married leaving divorce court as the were when they arrived, no matter the reason. Any divorce and remarriage = adultery even if the innocent was divorced from an adulterous husband as in Matthew 19:9.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Did you mean to say.."not continue"....???

yes, I'll fix it. And your answer?

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Divorce and remarriage was part of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant does not include it. If an unbeliever divorces a Christian, the believer is not enslaved to them (bound), but must either reconcile or remain single. Any divorce is void in God's sight and people are as married leaving divorce court as the were when they arrived, no matter the reason. Any divorce and remarriage = adultery even if the innocent was divorced from an adulterous husband as in Matthew 19:9.

Yes, this is a great possibility and why I don't look at another man, even though my husband is remarried to his mistress, and most in the Church say I can.

 

[Episkopos]

yes, I'll fix it. And your answer?

OK. Sorry for the delay...

I think the New Covenant is based on a bride....not brides.

Also ....the church wanted ministers with one wife. There are also the factors of a humble status and the time to devote to others besides their own household...that is my thought. :)

 

[1stCenturyLady]

OK. Sorry for the delay...

I think the New Covenant is based on a bride....not brides.

Also ....the church wanted ministers with one wife. There are also the factors of a humble status and the time to devote to others besides their own household...that is my thought. :)

There is also the thought of no bride to devote even more time during times of persecution.

 

[Vexatious]

Everyone will agree that divorce is a tragedy that no one ever wants to see happen.

Except for people who file for divorce and those encourage others to file for divorce. Maybe, also except for those who have no objection to offenders (filers) getting remarried or who are supportive of divorce offenders.

 

[Vexatious]

Another question. Why did God allow multiple wives for a man, but not in the beginning, nor in Jesus' day? And why did God allow women who were NOT wives, but mere concubines, to bear children for men, but now that is adultery?

God allows everything, but doesn't approve of everything. Does God approve of concubines? I think not. Just because people had them doesn't mean God approves of them. The same for polygamy.

What is the difference between the OT and the NT? Ancient Israel was a political country and it had laws that reflected the circumstances of the day, including consideration that not every citizen of Israel was of Israel, if you understand. But, followers of Christ are spiritual Israel, and here there is no compromise with he circumstances of the day. Abraham had a child by a woman other other than his one wife, but the Bible doesn't indicate God approved. On the contrary, God implicitly disapproved in that the promise to Abraham did not pass to Abraham's son by the other woman. I believe Abraham was guilty of adultery.

PS: I don't think polygamy is inherently a sin, nor or then, but I'm not going into that here.

 

[Episkopos]

Except for people who file for divorce and those encourage others to file for divorce. Maybe, also except for those who have no objection to offenders (filers) getting remarried or who are supportive of divorce offenders.

Welcome here. :)

I have good friends who are divorced and remarried. While I don't agree with what they did...I don't judge them. The church is filled with these situations.

 

[Vexatious]

Welcome here. :)

Thank you.

I have good friends who are divorced and remarried. While I don't agree with what they did...I don't judge them. The church is filled with these situations.

No place in the world will you find more divorced people than in a conservative church (those who identify with a conservative tradition, and statistics show). But, I wouldn't be a member of any church with a remarried elder or with a pastor I knew to have caused a divorce by his unfaithfulness.

Would you judge them if they joined the KKK?

 

[Episkopos]

Thank you.



No place in the world will you find more divorced people than in a conservative church (those who identify with a conservative tradition, and statistics show). But, I wouldn't be a member of any church with a remarried elder or with a pastor I knew to have caused a divorce by his unfaithfulness.

Would you judge them if they joined the KKK?

Wouldn't go near them. But a racist is such in his own luxury....not weakness. So I would condemn that. But many people are just too weak to remain unmarried. I don't judge people for being weak.

But if a church leader encourages divorce...again that is a luxury.....not a weakness. So I would condemn that.

 

[Vexatious]

Wouldn't go near them. But a racist is such in his own luxury....not weakness. So I would condemn that. But many people are just too weak to remain unmarried. I don't judge people for being weak.

But if a church leader encourages divorce...again that is a luxury.....not a weakness. So I would condemn that.

Well said.

 

[Mayflower]

Adultery or death is the only two I have learned of it being okay to remarry.

But as far as physical abuse goes, I did tick that, but I think though a person should divorce or separate in a situation like that, remarriage would still be considered adultery.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Thank you.



No place in the world will you find more divorced people than in a conservative church (those who identify with a conservative tradition, and statistics show). But, I wouldn't be a member of any church with a remarried elder or with a pastor I knew to have caused a divorce by his unfaithfulness.

Would you judge them if they joined the KKK?

We are not to judge those outside the church - those are God's to judge. But we ARE to judge those inside the church. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

 

[Episkopos]

We are not to judge those outside the church - those are God's to judge. But we ARE to judge those inside the church. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

While this is true...we must also look to the weaker ones in faith. We are not to dispute endlessly and not be gracious. If people ask us...we should tell the truth. But we should not have a religious posturing towards the weak.

I make a distinction between the weak and the false teachers who give bad counsel to the weak.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

While this is true...we must also look to the weaker ones in faith. We are not to dispute endlessly and not be gracious. If people ask us...we should tell the truth. But we should not have a religious posturing towards the weak.

I make a distinction between the weak and the false teachers who give bad counsel to the weak.

One of the youth pastors was kicked out of my church because he wouldn't repent. He became suicidal. Some of the youth told him to go counsel with me, why I don't really know. All I know is I counseled him until he had a break-through. God even showed me a vision of the break-through and it came to pass just as I had seen.

 

[Dave L]

Yes, this is a great possibility and why I don't look at another man, even though my husband is remarried to his mistress, and most in the Church say I can.

Narrow is the way....