Bible Questions and Answers
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(All quotations from the New King James translation unless stated otherwise).
In marriage one makes a covenant with another for life. Marriage is intended to be a visible demonstration in the life of the believer of the relationship between Christ and his bride.
Ephesians 5:31,32 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
The relationship between Christ and his bride is the New Covenant, made for life. In adultery and divorce the covenant is broken. For this reason God hates divorce.
Malachi 2:16 For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce...
1. God recognises that divorce ends a marriage.
Deuteronomy 24:1 "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.
2. The situation that you are in cannot be undone without the second marriage covenant being broken.
3. Adultery and remarriage are forgivable.
Mark 3:28 Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
4. Whether the sin will be forgiven depends on whether the sin is recognised for what it is and is truly repented of and if the sinner subsequently leads a life which demonstrates their change of heart. Sins are forgiven on the basis of belief and obedience to the gospel preached by the apostles. If we have not believed and obeyed the gospel, our sins will not be forgiven.
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Having believed the gospel and been baptised we are to live a new kind of life.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
This newness of life is that of loving our neighbour (which includes our enemies) more than we love ourselves. Adultery and remarriage demonstrates that we have not understood this precept. We have loved our self more than the person to whom we were married. If we continue to love ourselves more than we love others we will not enter the kingdom of God. When we are judged it will be on the basis of how we have loved others.
Matthew 25:45 "Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
If we learn from our mistakes and draw nearer to God then we have hope.
1 John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
If we walk in love then we have the promise of forgiveness for our sins.
1 John 1:6-9 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I hope this helps.
Glenn Smith
