Is Amy Grant going to Hell because she is living in perpetual adultery? (Lutheran, belief)
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.
So, you can get divorced. You can get remarried to someone else. But, you must not commit adultery. Now I am confused. It isn't crystal clear.........I guess, Marriage must be honoured. We must keepourselves for our marriage partners and forsake all others....but, a marriage can be destroyed - by adultery, by abusive behaviour. By unrepentant behaviours such as gambling, drinking, violence. Sometimes a marriage just DIES. Then we must have the courage to divorce. But someitmes I disagree with what I have just said. You see it is not completely clear, which is why we squabble over it.
Just to be clear, because I think some people got the wrong impression from the original post, Amy Grant did not have sex outside of marriage (that we know of), so most people would not consider her an adulterer. The original post is referencing an esoteric interpretation of the scriptures, that one who marries and divorces, then marries another, commits adultery. Most people don't see it that way.
Matt. [5:32] 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.
Matt. [10:12] And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Luke [16:18] Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Amy Grant is committing adultery, so long as she is joined in her second marriage (I'm not including the few exceptions when remarriage is allowed). In the NT, Jesus provided the basic rule: What God has joined, let no man put asunder. This represents the full significance of marriage and abrogates the OT relaxation. The term "divorce," at that point, was revealed to be an invention of man, since there is no such thing in the eyes of God.
Romans 7:2,3 - For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
1 Corinthians 7:10-12: "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
The message of the Bible is very clear: the only ground for divorce is adultery, and the only options for the divorced are to remain unmarried or be reconciled with their original spouse: ''Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife'' (I Cor. 7:11).
Divorce (for whatever cause) does not break the marriage bond. A couple may be divorced according to the law of the land, and they may—because of that legal divorce—no longer be living together, but God made them one flesh when He joined them on their wedding day, and He alone has the power to dissolve that one-flesh union at death, and only at death.
Scripture is insistent on that point: ''the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth'' (Rom. 7:2) and ''the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth'' (I Cor. 7:39). Therefore, Jesus demands that the marriage bond be upheld and defended: ''they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder'' (Matt. 19:6).
To clarify, the term "divorce" refers to a circumstance, not actuality. One who is divorced is merely living apart from his/her spouse. The marriage bond endures. This is why remarriage is adultery and why marrying a divorced person is adultery. There is no second "marriage," which would be bigamy. There is the feigning of a marriage through adulterous behavior.
So, ala Saint Paul, a person may be divorced (for a valid reason) but may not "remarry" because he/she remains married to the spouse. Divorce is not the end of a marriage, it is the situation of living apart from one's spouse.
As far as repentance goes, you cannot just repent, ask for forgiveness and then continue on with the sinful behavior! Remarriage is considered adultery because you are essentially "cheating" on the spouse that you are "one flesh" with, until death do you part. Each and every time you sex with this new "spouse" you are committing adultery.
Repenting does not absolve you from continuing in sin. Should someone who is having an affair just repent and then continue on in the affair? Remarriage after a no-fault divorce (legal dissolution) is the same thing as having an affair on your first spouse. That is why it is considered adultery. You may legally be divorced (separated) but you are still joined by god until death do you part (with few exceptions). Divorce is a man‑made decree declaring that two people are no longer legally married; in the eyes of the world the marriage has ended. In the spiritual realm, however, the covenant still stands. 'What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder".
Repenting of your sins and receiving forgiveness does not release one from obligations and covenants which were lawfully entered before being forgiven. To be forgiven of sin, a person must repent. Then they must bring forth fruits of repentance. Repentance requires one to follow through and change their sinful conduct. They must cease the practice of sin and practice righteousness instead. To continue in an unscriptural marriage relationship is to continue to practice adultery every time they have the sexual union. Repentance and faithfulness to God requires one to cease this practice.
So, suppose a man living in a homosexual union is born-again. Can he now continue the relationship? By whatever reasoning we would use to show he must leave, by the exact same reasoning we can show one must leave a companion whom they took as a result of an unscriptural divorce and remarriage.
I understand what you are saying and I think those scriptures you quoted backed up your position on this issue. I knew those verses, and that is why I did not say that position was incorrect, I simply said it was esoteric. Esoteric means: "understood by...only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite: poetry full of esoteric allusions". Regardless of what the verses say, most people don't view adultery that way, and I could tell from some poster's responses that they misunderstood the first post and thought Amy had had sex with someone other than who she was currently, legally married to at the time.
I am so grateful that I don't believe this nonsense that if one is married and divorces and then marries someone else, one is committing adultery. That guilts a woman into staying in an unhealthy and abusive relationship, or live a lonely, solitary life, just so you don't disappoint a god. How awful is that?!
One would think that a god could recognize the first marriage was a mistake, and the couple could repent of it and be completely freed of it, the same as is done for every other mistake a person makes. The couple should be granted a fresh start and not be in bondage forever by a decision to be married to the wrong person the person made when they were still an immature young adult. Where is the compassion of God in this? Where is the forgiveness? Even Roman Catholics can annul their marriage and thus make it as if it never happened. I know that is not scriptural, but it makes more sense, and is a lot more compassionate.
I understand what you are saying and I think those scriptures you quoted backed up your position on this issue. I knew those verses, and that is why I did not say that position was incorrect, I simply said it was esoteric. Esoteric means: "understood by...only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite: poetry full of esoteric allusions". Regardless of what the verses say, most people don't view adultery that way, and I could tell from some poster's responses that they misunderstood the first post and thought Amy had had sex with someone other than who she was currently, legally married to at the time.
I am so grateful that I don't believe this nonsense that if one is married and divorces and then marries someone else, one is committing adultery. That guilts a woman into staying in an unhealthy and abusive relationship, or live a lonely, solitary life, just so you don't disappoint a god. How awful is that?!
One would think that a god could recognize the first marriage was a mistake, and the couple could repent of it and be completely freed of it, the same as is done for every other mistake a person makes. The couple should be granted a fresh start and not be in bondage forever by a decision to be married to the wrong person the person made when they were still an immature young adult. Where is the compassion of God in this? Where is the forgiveness? Even Roman Catholics can annul their marriage and thus make it as if it never happened. I know that is not scriptural, but it makes more sense, and is a lot more compassionate.
Many christians can't believe that god would not want them to be "happy" so they conveniently ignore scripture which is reiterated numerous times in both the OT and NT by Jesus himself, regarding remarriage. Anything that is "hard" to do or maintain, they can't believe applies to them. Yet they believe that homosexuals should lead a celibate lifestyle rather than be with the person they love (if they want to be right with God). Or they vote to prevent gays from marrying while ignoring the verses that apply to them!
"It makes me incredibly thankful that God is a God of second chances."
Amy Grant
If one is given a second chance, shouldn't they at least attempt to turn from the sinful behavior that they repented for? I mean, if I were to rob a bank, and repent of that action, would my repentance mean any thing if I continued to live off the money I stole? Each time that she continues to have sexual relations with her second husband, she is still committing adultery against her first husband. Repenting of the one day "act" of getting remarried, does not change the day to day adulterous behavior that continues.
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.
