Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Marriage is something I want but I am divorced. From what I get when reading the epistles, it would not be a spiritual death but it would not be a blessed marriage either. I have no plans in getting married anytime soon. I am not even dating, but at some point I would like to get married again, the right way. Would I have to repent daily?
First of all I do not believe anyone has to repent daily for anything, Jesus forgives when He ask Him and it is forever, the hard part is forgiving ourselves.
I think you should talk to your paster about the remarriage part. Since I don't know the circumstances, I can't comment on that.
I guess I think sin is sin. God does not see the degree of sin it is just separating us from God. Howard Hendricks says we think of the "nasty nine" or the dirty dozen" sins but Jesus talked about just lusting in your heart as sin. God sees the heart attitude.
God's solution for sin is to accept Christ who paid for your sin on the cross. He forgives past, present and future. Now I don't think we just sin like crazy since we think, "oh well God already paid for this". I think we regret our sin, we ask forgiveness, we ask God to be in control of our lives and we accept that forgiveness and move on.
I was divorced years ago and re-married. I wonder if I could have done more in my past marriage but I was protecting my children and I guess I believe God understands that. My church at the time was terrible to me. But I felt I made the best decision at the time after much prayer, talking with my family and counseling for a year. I think that is why God says not to judge, you don't know people's hearts or walk in their shoes.
I did ask God to forgive me for divorcing and moved on. I remarried a nice man that my children loved. I am polite to my ex and don't bad mouth him to the kids. I trust God has forgiven my ex for all the things he did to us and that he has the right to be forgiven and move on also.
Marriage is something I want but I am divorced. From what I get when reading the epistles, it would not be a spiritual death but it would not be a blessed marriage either. I have no plans in getting married anytime soon. I am not even dating, but at some point I would like to get married again, the right way. Would I have to repent daily?
That is a very good question snglfml. I wouldn't necessarily listen to my pastor, as there are so many corruption's on this matter. Listen to God! I myself was married and divorced. It was before I studied scripture. This is the main issue that brought me to Christ, as I was curious about the "marriage law". The woman I was married to was married twice before me. I was her third husband. I was in a state of Adultery when I was married to her. She left for another anyway, so it was for the best with me at least. Imagine if I stayed with her and kept repenting? Scripture say to turn from our sins.
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Every situation might be different who is divorced, but many might look for an excuse or exception clause from the scripture. Some bibles are very tainted on the subject.
I also thought it odd, when we were married and said our vows. When the "pastor" says "do you promise to love cherish etc, till "death do you part". It made me think of what those words mean, and to her, especially since she answered to them twice before.
What does Luke say:
Luke 16:18 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from [her] husband commits adultery.
I myself was married to a divorced woman. I married her, and was committing adultery.
Lets just look at some scripture and see what it says about adulterers.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Remember, scripture does not contradict itself, man does.
Lets look at Mark:
Mark 10:2-12 The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce [his] wife?" testing Him. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Mosespermitted [a man] to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss [her."] And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. "But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same [matter.] So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
As we can see from the above, if a married woman marries another, God considers this adultery.
Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Also from what I have studied in the past, King Henry the VIII wanted a divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon. At the time, the Pope in Rome refused to grant this to him. Henry went ahead and formed his own church and called it the "Church of England", and that gave him his power to divorce. This seemed to be a major turning point in history, as divorce was quite unheard of until this point. The whole world pretty much knew it was against God's will to divorce. Things have changed today.
snglfml I would like for you to read 1 Corinthians 7, Matthew 19, (mostly the beginning) Matthew 5:31-32. Matthew has the "so called" exception clause that I would like to go over with you. I will get back to you with this later. There is also other scripture we can look at on the matter. Please familiarize yourself with some of this scripture and pray. It is the best for understanding.
Marriage is something I want but I am divorced. From what I get when reading the epistles, it would not be a spiritual death but it would not be a blessed marriage either. I have no plans in getting married anytime soon. I am not even dating, but at some point I would like to get married again, the right way. Would I have to repent daily?
The cause for divorce is limited to sexual immorallity. Re-marriage is allowed in the event of death.
Other than that, ask God.
Also from what I have studied in the past, King Henry the VIII wanted a divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon. At the time, the Pope in Rome refused to grant this to him. Henry went ahead and formed his own church and called it the "Church of England", and that gave him his power to divorce. This seemed to be a major turning point in history, as divorce was quite unheard of until this point. The whole world pretty much knew it was against God's will to divorce. Things have changed today.
This isn't entirely accurate. The Church of England (no "s are needed) traces its roots back to 597, when St. Augustine arrived in Britian and organized a monestry at Canterbury. Christianity was not new to Britain's though, there had been churches that operated outside the jurisdiction of Rome since the second or third century.
Henry VIII was opposed to the reformation effort in England originally. Despite his well-deserved reputation as a skirt chaser and a bully, he was a well-educated, articulate indiviudual who was well-versed in scripture, something which set him apart from the typical monarch of the the time.
Although, theologically he preferred Roman Catholic practices, his understanding and interpretation of scripture led him to believe that he ruled by divine right, and therefore, did not need the Pope to act as his intercessor with God. He tolerated the relationship with the Roman church for the sake of appearances and because it was politically expedient to do so- there was no separation of church and state then.
Politically obsessed, and quite possibly blinded by his egotistical need to produce a male heir, he came to the belief (however irrational, ill-advised and in denial he was) that Catherine had not fulfilled her end of the marriage contract, making it null and void, he therefore asked the Pope for an annulment. There is a big difference between an annulment and a divorce in the eyes of the church, be it Anglican or Catholic.
The Pope was being pressured by Catherine's nephew, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, not to grant the annulment. So the Pope's decision was not solely scriptural, but was political as well. Makes for a good arguement for separation of church and state, don't you think? When Henry VIII realized that the Pope was not going to acquiese to his wishes, he threw his support towards the reformationists, and elevated the Archbishop to position of Primate of the Anglican Communion.
Before there are any comments or criticisms about me nit-picking or being off-topic, I just think it is important to understand what really happened. Otherwise, poeple have the misinformed notion that Henry VIII just woke up one morning on a whim and broke with the Roman church. The facts show that in fact he had a long-standing history of challenging Rome's authority.
That being said, the Episcopal Church does not grant divorces. Divorces are a civil matter. Like the Roman Church, it does, however, grant annulments for legitimate reasons. My priest obtained a letter from the bishop allowing me to re-marry within the church on the grounds that my ex-husband abandoned me and our as-yet unborn child because he felt that fatherhod would "cramp his style." I have been happily married for 20 years to the man my son had always considered his dad.
This is a question I have already asked God. I know what I have read and I have mourned the idea to be so young and never have a spouse again. Marriage is something I have always wanted in my heart since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I'm in my 20's....... I will never marry again....... That really sucks......
Location: In the North Idaho woods, still surrounded by terriers
2,179 posts, read 7,003,216 times
Reputation: 1012
Do you really believe that a loving god would want you to spend the rest of your life alone? This should be a personal decision for you...between you and your God...not something written down by the church.
This is a question I have already asked God. I know what I have read and I have mourned the idea to be so young and never have a spouse again. Marriage is something I have always wanted in my heart since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I'm in my 20's....... I will never marry again....... That really sucks......
Was His answer to never marry again, or to not marry now?
remarriage is like betting if i swear some really strong oaths, lightening will not strike twice even if i am living in electric storm alley.
Last edited by Huckleberry3911948; 07-15-2008 at 11:14 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But I felt I made the best decision at the time after much prayer, talking with my family and counseling for a year. I think that is why God says not to judge, you don't know people's hearts or walk in their shoes.
Marriage and divorce
