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NASB | Matthew 16:6 And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 16:6 Jesus said to them, "Watch out and be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." |
Bible Question:
Am I living in sin because I divorced my first not in accordance with the Word, and am married to a divorsed woman. Mt 5:32, Lu 16;18 and others both in old and new test. God hates divorce Mal 2:16. Help me understand my situation. always learning |
Bible Answer: Let me just begin by saying that scripture does not actually give explicit advice for your situation. I mean that in the sense that while it gives plenty of advice for marriage and rules against divorce, had you followed the rules in existence you would not be married to this second spouse, yet the only way for you to in a sense go back and undo this would be yet another divorce. So you are caught between looking back to see sin led you here, and now you wonder if sin itself is the way out. That specific circumstance is not singled out in scripture. However, I will give you my attempt to answer your situation as long as we are both understood that what I am giving you is my best attempt at processing all the commands God gives concerning marriage and all that I know of God to try to think within the mind of Christ to answer this question. This is my attempt, and not "Thus saith the LORD." What we know is that any divorce is a sin to the one who divorces unless their spouse actually cheated on them. These are Christ's words. Paul also in 1 Corinthians 7:10-12 says that is a wife does through sin leaves her husband that she now has two options, she may either remain unmarried, or return to her husband. First I assume this applies to a husband who leaves also. Now what I'd like you to see is that after this person had sinned in unlawfully leaving a spouse, the sin was done and now must be decided how to keep from sinning further which naturally assumes the person is wishing to do God's will after the first sin, and there is some degree of repentence. You find yourself yet one step further in sin, you committed the divorce, then you married again, but now again you must see where do you go not to sin further. The first step is that this assumes the same repentence from you. You have sinned, you have done wrong in getting to where you are, and you do need to turn to go in serious repentence for this. However, you now have found yourself in the situation that you have made a second covenant before God in marriage. You can not make your past mistakes right by committing divorce a second time. Only the blood of Christ can make that right. If you repent, and you turn to fully seek God's will in your new situation, and you give your current spouse the committment before God you didn't give your first one, God will bless your marriage. We do not fix sin with sin. Cling to your new spouse with all your life. A critique against what I have said will surely be this: does this not leave people a way to do what they want, to leave their spouse, to marry again, and then cleverly say oh well, I guess now to obey God I must get exactly what I wanted! Surely people can play games with you and I and any rules we set up, but rest assured God knows their hearts. Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." So I say to you this, if it is your heart to repent entirely and turn both your life and this marriage you are currently in to God, you do well. If you seek to use this simply as a stamp of approval for your sin, God will know, and God will repay. Finally, I beg you to see no judgement of you in my post for that is certainly not my intention. Rather, fully edifying whoever should read this post, and not leading them to sin from halfly revealed truths has compelled me to portray fully the path to life and the path to condemnation within your situation. Read 1 Samuel chapter 12 for an encouraging story on God calling people on in faith when they have found that they have sinned. In love, Beja |