Divorce and remarriage

• Mark 10:1-9 – Jesus went all the way back to the beginning to explain marriage.
• Mark 10:10-12 – The laws of marriage work the same way for both husband and wife.
• Compare Matthew 19:8-9.
• God’s plan was one man and one woman for life.
• Jesus re-affirms and re-establishes God’s original plan for marriage and gives God’s present law for mankind.
• All who are put away for any reason and anyone who has put away a mate for some cause other than fornication cannot remarry with God’s approval – their marriage is adultery!
• What are people to do who are in such marriages?
  • Some say, “well, they’re married, so it’s okay.”
    • Mark 6:17 – Herod was in an unlawful marriage and was rebuked for it.
  • Some say, “God wouldn’t break up families.”
    • Ezra 9:3 – Ezra was dismayed at the unlawful marriages.
    • Ezra 9:4-15 – They took this seriously!
    • Ezra 10:1-2 – Now there is hope!
    • Ezra 10:3-4 – They put away unlawful wives and children.
    • Ezra 10:11 – It took time, but they did it!
  • Repent or perish!
    • Repentance demands cessation of all sinful deeds and relationships.
• There are many false doctrines on divorce and remarriage.
  • Alien sinners and marriage
    • Do God’s laws apply only to Christians?
    • The Bible teaches:
      • Men in the world are guilty of specific sins.
        • I Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:9-11
      • We are to reprove the world of specific sins.
        • Ephesians 5:3-13, 11
      • All men are subject to the universal authority of Jesus.
        • Matthew 28:18
        • Ephesians 1:19-23
  • But doesn’t baptism wash away all sins?
    • Baptism does not allow any sinful relationships to be continued or carried over into Christ’s church.
    • Baptism without repentance is NO GOOD. Repentance demands the cessation of all sinful deeds and relationships.
    • Repentance and prayer do the same thing for the Christian (Acts 8:22; I John 1:7-10) that repentance and baptism do for the alien sinner (Acts 2:38 - remission of sins in both cases).
• Conclusion
  • The only God-approved “remarriage” whether involving aliens or Christians is when:
    • One remarries after his/her mate has died.
    • One remarries after putting his/her mate away for adultery.
    • All other remarriages are without God’s approval and are adulterous relationships.
  • There are three groups God will join in lawful matrimony:
    • Those who have never been lawfully married.
      • Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:3-9; I Corinthians 7:2
    • Those whose mate has died.
      • I Corinthians 7:3-9 (marriage must be according to God’s law)
    • Those who have put away a mate because of fornication.
      • Matthew 19:9; 5:32