David: Matthew 5:32: "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."
Well it is pretty clear here in Matthew that people like this are committing adultery.
It depends on if a person believes "once an adulterer, always an adulterer." For this we would need to assume that continuing to be married to a divorced woman is a continuing sin.
Why do we never say, "once an idolater, always an idolater?" Or continuing on in vs. 10, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers as well? In all these other cases, a person can simply cease to engage in those sins, while being married to a divorced woman is a continuing status.
But this doesn't work for me, because divorcing a woman, even a divorced woman, is a sin. If remaining married is also a sin, then there's no way to avoid sin. So this can't be true.
The next verse provides the remedy, which I think must apply to all the sins mentioned, including divorce: 1Co. 6:11 "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Well it is pretty clear here in Matthew that people like this are committing adultery.
Me: So, where does repentance fit in?
David: These are tough questions, I don't have an answer for you, it is clear to me that Jesus calls them adulterers, and Paul says they won't inherit the kingdom of God (see scripture below). I personally want to avoid this situation, keep the wife I have and therefore not have to reconcile wither or not I need to repent. It is easier to avoid the sin than to have to repent.
To repent is to change course or to stop doing what you have been doing. For these men to change course, seems a bit excessive. The only example I can think of is in Ezra 10 where they sent the women and children away. I sure am not suggesting that they do that.
Also what do you do with 1 Cor 6: 9: "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men."
Surely you have an answer to this dilemma, right?
To repent is to change course or to stop doing what you have been doing. For these men to change course, seems a bit excessive. The only example I can think of is in Ezra 10 where they sent the women and children away. I sure am not suggesting that they do that.
Also what do you do with 1 Cor 6: 9: "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men."
Surely you have an answer to this dilemma, right?
Me: Quite right, as usual.
It depends on if a person believes "once an adulterer, always an adulterer." For this we would need to assume that continuing to be married to a divorced woman is a continuing sin.
Why do we never say, "once an idolater, always an idolater?" Or continuing on in vs. 10, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers as well? In all these other cases, a person can simply cease to engage in those sins, while being married to a divorced woman is a continuing status.
But this doesn't work for me, because divorcing a woman, even a divorced woman, is a sin. If remaining married is also a sin, then there's no way to avoid sin. So this can't be true.
The next verse provides the remedy, which I think must apply to all the sins mentioned, including divorce: 1Co. 6:11 "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Then we agree. I don't really see why you went through all that verbiage to end up in the same place, however.
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