Article from Timing Revelation and More,
"Can One Divorce and Remarry?"
By Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., PhD/Th., Ord./IAOG-Canada
Another article provided by Timing Revelation & more...
Here's an issue that comes up a lot, and has come up recently on a big scale that many podcast and television programs have been covering....
A lot of people are confused because of the lack of proper interpretation of the scriptures in the Word of God on this issue of divorce...
The problem is that Christians have been taught wrongly on this issue... a lot of pastors are not theologically grounded into the Word of God. If a pastor tells his congregation that an abused spouse must stay in the marriage, he is wrong, he shouldn't be a pastor.
People have the view that "We cannot get a divorce unless it is adultery". That's not what the Word of God says. That is misinterpreting scripture.
Some people turn to "Christian counsellors" instead of to the Word of God.
Wrong question is asked
Firstly, the question is not "can one divorce?"
The question is "can one divorce and remarry after divorce?".
Because, of course one can divorce if one is being abused.
But that one cannot remarry. Why? Because marriage is not a human contract between a man and a woman -- it is a spiritual covenant between man/woman and God.
Matthew 19:4-6 --
"And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder".
The answer is that the only time one can remarry after divorce is when a spouse has been made victim of the other's infidelity.
Matthew 19:9 --
That's what Matthew 19:9 means --
"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."
And, Matthew 5:32 --
"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."
From the Hebrew phraseology, the Jerusalem Bible says it this way: "... whosoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality and marries another woman commits adultery..."
In others words:
"... whosoever divorces his wife for any reason, and marries another woman commits adultery... except if the wife committed fornication against him (was infidel) and he then divorces her and marries another women, then he does not commit adultery.
In other words, she was infidel to him. Therefore by remarrying another woman he does not commit adultery. In this case he is free to remarry.
If divorce happened for any other reason, neither one can remarry.
(And that works the other way around for the husband and/or the wife.)
The Victim of infidelity can remarry
One can remarry only if that one is victimized by the other's infidelity. The one who commits the fornication against the other cannot remarry. But the victim can remarry.
The victim can remarry a single individual or a widow/widower (one who's spouse is passed away). He/she cannot marry one who's spouse is still alive, except if that spouse is the victim of the fornication against him/her...
But if it is for any other reason/cause, except for infidelity, marriage is not an option.
You may say: but how can anyone receive this?
Well they said the same thing to Jesus:
Matthew 19:10-12 --
"His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."
"Eunuch" means one who is celibate, one who voluntarily abstains from marriage; it does not only mean castration.
God gave the church, pastors and teachers:
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:11-12).
In summary:
1)_If divorce came out of infidelity by one's spouse, the victimized one can remarry. The one who committed fornication (infidelity against the other) cannot remarry.
2)_If divorce came out of any cause other than fornication, neither spouse can remarry because marriage is a spiritual covenant between man/woman and God.
3)_And to make it clear, God gives examples of this through His own marriage to Israel.
Pastors should be aware of this and teach their congregations properly according to the Word of God.
For more, see Divorce and Remarriage Answers Ebook
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