Remarriage = Adultery: Hyperbole or Literal

[Marlin633]

So when a divorced and remarried couple accepts Jesus as their Lord, all their sins are wiped clean except for that one?

For me it's that simple except I don't understand which one we are still guilty of.
If after 2 or 3 marriages we understand and repent for past transgression will we be forgiven.
But only after a true repentance, many do it but fall short and there life gets worse again and again.

[keck553]

For me it's that simple except I don't understand which one we are still guilty of.
If after 2 or 3 marriages we understand and repent for past transgression will we be forgiven.
But only after a true repentance, many do it but fall short and there life gets worse again and again.

That's not what I asked.

A non Christian divorced and remarried couple become Christians. Does God see them as adulterers after they become Christians?

[Marlin633]

That's not what I asked.

A non Christian divorced and remarried couple become Christians. Does God see them as adulterers after they become Christians?

No if they repent for there past transgression the sin is forgiven.
Just like if a homo sexual eventually turns to God for his past transgression and repented he will be forgiven.
The same with most things in my mind.
Do not judge anybody we all have a chance to find the truth,
Workers in the field who started work in the morning and there where not enough so he got more in the afternoon and again in the later part of the day but on payment they all were paid the same amount and the ones who worked the longest didn't like it.
What's ment is that if later in life you find God and repent your reward is the same.
God allows us to have free will and make our own path, it may take time for God to show us the error of our ways

[keck553]

No if they repent for there past transgression the sin is forgiven.
Just like if a homo sexual eventually turns to God for his past transgression and repented he will be forgiven.
The same with most things in my mind.
Do not judge anybody we all have a chance to find the truth,
Workers in the field who started work in the morning and there where not enough so he got more in the afternoon and again in the later part of the day but on payment they all were paid the same amount and the ones who worked the longest didn't like it.
What's ment is that if later in life you find God and repent your reward is the same.
God allows us to have free will and make our own path, it may take time for God to show us the error of our ways

And Amen to that brother. Well done!

[randyk]

So when a divorced and remarried couple accepts Jesus as their Lord, all their sins are wiped clean except for that one?

*All* sin can be forgiven. But sin is destructive to our spirituality. It disrupts our relationship with God. It does harm to our spirituality, and thus to our ministry to others. We need to avoid the bigger sins, which can do harm to us for a lifetime. But we should always remain assured that we are forgiven if we confess our sins, and repent of them.

[Kalahari]

That's not what I asked.

A non Christian divorced and remarried couple become Christians. Does God see them as adulterers after they become Christians?

How were they married ie. in civil court or making a covenant before God? IMO this would make a difference.

Also if the marriage is the sin, how can you repent of it and ask for forgiveness if you are still bound by it?

[keck553]

How were they married ie. in civil court or making a covenant before God? IMO this would make a difference.

Also if the marriage is the sin, how can you repent of it and ask for forgiveness if you are still bound by it?

Now you are getting legalistic with human traditions. What's next, Jewish weddings are invalid before God? The fact is God is silent on this matter in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does God explicitly state when or how He recognizes a marriage. The default is that God recognizes secular/non Christian marriages. Unless you think a couple who married at the justice of the peace and later come to Christ need to get married again in church because they are guilty of fornication. That's just.....well.....too Catholic for this protestant.

God knows our hearts, even our hearts before we came to Christ. God knows the difference between a true marriage covenant and an attempt to justify sexual immorality.

But if we are going to use Scriptural principals to point to what a valid marriage is, the following principals can be supported by Scripture:

1) Of the requirements are reasonable and not against the Bible, a man and a woman should seek whatever formal governmental recognition is available.

2) A man and a woman should follow whatever cultural, familial, and covenantal practices are typically employed to recognize a couple as “officially married.”

3) If possible, a man and a woman should consummate the marriage sexually, fulfilling the physical aspect of the “one flesh” principle.

[Kalahari]

Now you are getting legalistic. God recognizes secular marriages. Unless you think a couple who married at the justice of the peace need to get married again in church because they are guilty of fornication. That's just.....well.....too Catholic for this protestant.

Well I have to think about this. I always thought that marriages not of a Christian/Judeo origin was not a "real" marriage under God.

[ChangedByHim]

That's not what I asked.

A non Christian divorced and remarried couple become Christians. Does God see them as adulterers after they become Christians?

Does God see two Christian people who are divorced and remarried as adulterers? Is repentance only constituted by divorcing (again) and remaining single or remarrying the original spouse? Are men who have looked on a woman to lust after her also perpetual adulterers?

[randyk]

Does God see two Christian people who are divorced and remarried as adulterers? Is repentance only constituted by divorcing (again) and remaining single or remarrying the original spouse? Are men who have looked on a woman to lust after her also perpetual adulterers?

The sin is in leaving the married partner behind. The person who remarries, leaving a spouse behind, is indeed committing adultery. Forgiveness is not always possible by running back the clock, remarrying the Ex, and divorcing the new spouse. In some cases, the Ex may die, but the guilt of adultery remains until the offending party truly repents.

How can a Christian abandon a spouse and say he loves her as a Christian? If he leaves her, it must not be out of an abandonment of Christian love, or for some other reason. That's why Paul says such a person should remain celibate. His love for his spouse must not die, or Christianity itself dies.

Paul is giving the ideal. If one has it so bad that he cannot remain with a spouse, he or she may split, but show his or her respect for the former spouse by not marrying. I think that is only for certain individuals who are capable of celibacy. Most are not, and therefore should remain with their spouse, give hell or high water.

Christians who look with lust on others must repent in order to be forgiven and cleansed. Repeat violations require the same remedy. It should always be acknowledged when wrong is done. Practicing doing the right thing makes doing the right thing easier. Continually doing the wrong thing leads to worse sins, which are either not repented of, bringing judgment, or cause an increase of the lust or the violation.

As in all things, whatever Christians are guilty of they can be forgiven. They will just be chastised for their lack of love, and to the degree necessary. The degree to which we defile our conscience is the degree to which we need to be chastised. Above all things God does not wish us to lose our Christianity, nor our love. We should strive to maintain our love as much as possible, with God and with others, especially with our families.

[keck553]

Well I have to think about this. I always thought that marriages not of a Christian/Judeo origin was not a "real" marriage under God.

Cornelius was married by Roman Law when he and his household received The Holy Spirit.

I think God didn’t see him as a fornicator but as a married man with one wife who put his faith in Christ.

[keck553]

Does God see two Christian people who are divorced and remarried as adulterers? Is repentance only constituted by divorcing (again) and remaining single or remarrying the original spouse? Are men who have looked on a woman to lust after her also perpetual adulterers?

To whom much is given much is required

[Noeb]

Does God see two Christian people who are divorced and remarried as adulterers?

Why are they divorced?

[EarlyCall]

In Matthew 5:31-32, is Jesus using hyperbole or is He being literal when He says that remarriage after a groundless divorce is equivalent to adultery?

Please offer an explanation for your answer. Thanks!

Why debate it? Logically one should instead ask which is the safer assumption? Logically it would be to consider it literally. Err on the side of caution.

However, this leads then to other questions such as, is this the unpardonable sin? If not, then can it be forgiven? If yes, how? Is one who remarries continually committing acutely? If so, how can they be forgiven? And if they cannot be forgiven, then it is either the unpardonable sin or there is more than one such sin. Or if it can be forgiven but only divorcing the one you remarried to, isn't that also wrong?

It seems a bit deeper to ask these questions, but I don't know the answers.

[randyk]

Why debate it? Logically one should instead ask which is the safer assumption? Logically it would be to consider it literally. Err on the side of caution.

However, this leads then to other questions such as, is this the unpardonable sin? If not, then can it be forgiven? If yes, how? Is one who remarries continually committing acutely? If so, how can they be forgiven? And if they cannot be forgiven, then it is either the unpardonable sin or there is more than one such sin. Or if it can be forgiven but only divorcing the one you remarried to, isn't that also wrong?

It seems a bit deeper to ask these questions, but I don't know the answers.

Marriage should be for a lifetime because 1) God wanted all men to be Christians, and 2) God doesn't ever want Christians to lose their love for others. When we marry someone it is an eternal commitment (until death do us part). Can you imagine terminating Christian love for such a one if both parties are Christian? Then why would there be need for divorce?

But the reality is, this is a very flawed world. And there are many justifications for divorce--even among Christians. Christians aren't always obedient. And they may be so warped that their behavior cannot be cleaned up in a reasonable time.

Perhaps the contract of marriage was even undertaken under flawed circumstances? I personally know of a case where two people were in a Christian cult, and got married because the prophets told them to do so!

God has called us to peace and love. We need to hold onto these things, even under circumstances of making contracts. But if the contracts are flawed, or if the parties fail, our love needs to take a different course, with respect to the contract.