Reviewing Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage“Why review this subject? Hasn’t

enough been said on it already? By some, yes. Too much, in fact. But very little has been said recently by those with whom I am ac-quainted who do not share the so-called traditional point of view.“For several years, the flames of contro-versy were being fanned by a number of brethren. It was, and is, their contention that people living in marriage subsequent to a divorce for a cause other than forni-cation live in adultery.

Reviewing Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage“Such people, these contend, cannot

be baptized into Christ without separating and either returning to their first mate or else remaining celibate. People found to be in such a marriage, but already identified with the local church, must agree to these same conditions or face withdrawal of fellowship. More, Christians, especially preachers, who disagree with this contention must be treated as false teachers and ostracized.”

Reviewing Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage“I served as a proofreader and

consultant for . . . this book and also contributed a brief article to it. I would have been glad to do this for any dedicated, well-prepared writer on this important subject. But the fact that I am in essential agreement with the conclusions drawn in both of these books has made the work particularly gratifying. I am happy to commend this next publication to every sincere student of God’s Word.” -- Don Bassett

Matthew 19:3-8 The Pharisees also came unto Him, tempting Him, and saying unto Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And He answered and said unto them, ‘Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.’ 7 They say unto Him, ‘Why did Moses then com-mand to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?’ 8 He saith unto them, ‘Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so’.”

Matthew 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 mar-ry her that is divorced committeth adul-tery.”Matthew 19:9 “And I say unto you, Who-soever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adul-tery.”

Mark 10:11-12 “And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery a-gainst her. 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 a-dultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.”

DefinitionsAdultery

“Illicit Sexual intercourse with the spouse of another” (W. E. Vine’s

Dictionary, Page 32, 33)

Fornication(A General Term)

Sex Between Unmarried PeopleHomosexuality Jude 7

BeastialityIncest , Adultery (I Corinthians 5:1)

The ExceptionMatthew 19:9a

“And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth

adultery;”

Luke 13:3“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”Luke 13:3 (Clarification) You shall perish - except ye repent.Matthew 19:9 (Clarification) You commit adultery when you remarry except you put away your wife for fornication.

Romans 7:2-3“For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.”

Bound & Loosed - Married & Divorced

God’s Law Binds - Romans 7:2God Looses From His Law - Romans

7:3

Whom Does God “Loose”

(The Innocent Who Puts Away His Spouse for Fornication - One Whose

Spouse Has Died)

Man’s Law Allows Divorces - Luke 16:18

Man’s Law Allows Marriage - Mark 6:17

Marriage Does Not Equal BondDivorce Does Not Equal Loosed

Mark 6:17-18

17 “For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not law-ful for thee to have thy brother's wife.”

Problem # 1 The putting away and the remarrying consti-tute the adultery (Matthew 19:9 et.al.) once one has repented of these two acts, he is forgiven - thus no such thing as “Living In Adultery.”Explanation:Cohabiting after marriage is not the sin. The putting away plus the remarrying is the sin. In other words, when you divorce and remarry the very moment you say “I do” you have committed “adultery” (sexless “adultery” - [the word is used in the above passages in a figurative sense, we are told]).

November 14, 15 - 1992The Scriptures teach that all divorced people (including those whose mates are still living) may, with God’s approval, enter and maintain a marriage with another person .

Olan Hicks

Is It Possible To Live In A Relationship or State of Adultery?

Titus 3:3 “For we ourselves also were some-times foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”Colossians 3:5-7 “Mortify therefore your mem-bers which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concu-piscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.”

The Word “Adultery” Is Used Figuratively

Matthew 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” II Peter 2:14 “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.”

What about the word “adultery” in Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:3; et.al.?

The Word “Adultery” “Denotes one who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another” (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, page 32).

“used in the Middle Voice in the N.T. is said of men in Matthew 5:32, 19:9; Mark 10:11; of women in Mark 10:12” (Ibid., page 33).

“to have unlawful intercourse with a-nother’s wife, to commit adultery with; . . . to commit adultery: of the man, Mt. v:32; xix. 9” (Greek-English Lexicon, by Joseph Henry Thayer, page 417).

Problem # 2Until one is in covenant relationship with God (A Christian) he is not amenable to Christ’s law on divorce and remarriage.

Is The “Alien Sinner” Amenable To Christ’s Law?

“…for where there is no law there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15)I Corinthians 6:9-11 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the king-dom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither forni-cators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ho-mosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

Do God’s Marriage LawsApply To Alien Sinners?

“…for where there is no law there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15)Paul said those worshipping idols were also guilty of fornication (Romans 1:25-29). Paul also said the Corinthians were forni-cators and adulterers before they were washed, sanctified, justified (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

BUTBUTGod said He would judge adulterers (Hebrews 13:4) THUSTHUS

God will judge aliens who commit adultery.

The “Alien Sinner”“…for where there is no law there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15)

If the alien sinner is not subject to the Law of Moses on Divorce and Remar-riage and he is not subject to Christ’s Law, then he is subject to God’s ori-ginal law on marriage (Genesis 2). That Law does not make allowance for one to “put away” (Divorce) for any cause, not even fornication, and re-marry.

Repentance and BaptismBeing sorry that you have committed sin but remaining in that sin is not “repentance” it is “penitence.” “I am sorry for my sins, but I will continue in them.

Definition of Repentance“To change one’s mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence one’s past sins (Thayer, Page 405).

Definition of Repentance“In a religious sense, implying sorrow for unbelief and sin and turning from them unto God and the gospel of Christ” (Edward Robinson’s Lexicon, Page 458).

“Repentance is the turning from sin” (Hasting’s Bible Dictionary, Page 790).

“Grief that arises from a love to God, and is accompanied with a hatred of sin, a love of holiness, and a fixed resolution to forsake sin…” (Cruden’s Concordance - Page 394).

Perverting the Purpose of BaptismTo say that one can be sorry for sins and yet remain in them after baptism (because baptism washes away sins) is to pervert the purpose of baptism. It makes baptism change the nature of a sinful act. Polygamy Homosexuality Free Love

Forgives past sins and future sinsMakes baptism a divorce decree and a marriage ceremony.

Does baptism release onefrom all of God Law?

“The Bible teaches that if a man puts away his scriptural (faithful) wife for a reason other than fornication, and then commits fornication, the original wife may not remarry.”

J. T. Smith – AffirmsTim Haile - Denies

Proposition13

P AU WT A Y

P AU W

T A Y

UNMARRIED

UNBOUND

Matthew 19:9 “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”

The Lord Addressed the Married SINGLE

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MARRIED

NO

FORNICATION FORNICATION

14

May Now

Remarry

Without Sin

whoever

May Marry Another

whoever

Marries her

wifePuts Away

For fornication

15

Marries Another

Brethren say Wife may NOW Put him away

Marry Anothe

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Puts Away

whoever

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17

Luke 16:18 “Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth a-dultery:

and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.”

Ezra 9:10, 12 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.”

Ezra 10:3, 6, 11, 19 “Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.

Ezra 10:3, 6, 11, 19 11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. 19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.”

God’s Conditions of Salvation For The Alien Sinner1. Hear - Romans 10:17

1. Believe - Hebrews 11:6; John 8:21, 242. Repent - Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30

3. Confess - Romans 10:104. Be Baptized - Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4

God’s Conditions of Salvation for the Christian1. Remain Faithful - Matthew 10:22; Revelation

2:10If A Christian Sins

1. Repent - Acts 8:222. Confess - I John 1:9

3. Pray - Acts 8:22