You used Moses who in this instance allowed something that was never true since the beginning because of the hardness of men's hearts.
So, once I bed my lover, my legitimate marriage is over, and I'm free to marry my lover if I regret the initial act?
From the Law, Sermon on the Mount, Matt. 19 and Rom. 7., we know an offended spouse has the freedom to marry another. Again, I'm not talking about the Scriptural exception to the condemnation of divorce. I'm talking about the offending spouse, who is living in adultery with his new "wife."
I yield my thinking to the Scriptures. If you want me to agree, you should do the same.
The thing that does no on any good is to look for a way to negate Christ's judgment of a certain act.
I agree. The first marriage is the legitmate one and not the second unless the first marriage ended due to fornication. Even so, if the offender leaves his or her illegitimate marriage to go back to his or her real spouse it's a reason for celebration (if it is for reasons of repentance (wanting to do what's right)). However, the offended spouse does not have to accept the offender back. But, isn't it great when grace overrides sin and a marriage is restored back to what it is supposed to be? I would say it is.
The children unfortunately are products of a marriage that never should have been. Certainly they are to be loved, cared for, affirmed, etc.. This isn't their fault. But, if the offender can go back to the real marriage then that is exactly what should happen. No one says it will be easy for what has been created is one big fat mess. But, to continue in what is clearly a violation of God's word is even worse. We serve a God of grace and mercy and who is an expert of fixing messes. But, we must first repent, and return to what is right if we are to have His full blessing.
If a man is remarried to a second wife, it is unrealistic, ridiculous, and downright insane to ask him to divorce wife #2 to go back to wife #1.
See, here is where the OP was saying about how legalistic we can become when we enforce our interpretations and opinions of Scripture on other people and become their judge and jury.
Scripture wisely advises us that it is better not to remarry in case of a divorce, which would certainly be better than the scenario described above.
In that case it would be possible to be reconciled, or at the very least avoid messy situations.
At any rate, we are to conduct ourselves in Christian love to one another and obedience to Christ.
They ignore Ezra because they don't want to face the truth. The man or woman never should have left the first marriage to begin with. In fact, the first marriage, in God's eyes, has never been annulled. The government, a judge, a pastor, etc. don't officially bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife. God does. It's to be done on His terms and it can only end on His terms. He established marriage and He set the parameters (not us!). The Bible (i.e., The Word of God) is very clear. There's no reading between the lines on this matter at all. That's the truth that many do not want to face. That's why Jesus called the second marriage "adultery, which it is" Now does that mean that God is unable to forgive. No! Am I going to stand in the pulpit this Sunday and tell all the divorced people to go back to their first marriages. No! But, when I do preach from these verses I
present the truth and let the chips fall where they may.
But isn't there the issue of these re-married divorsees living in continued sin?
Do they have to repent of that daily?
See its becoming very conveluted.
Should they put away their second wife and remain unmarried?
In Deut God sets guidelines in which a divorced man may not go back and re-marry his first wife. This raises the question does God regulate things that He forbids? What a few have done here is failed to interpret a particular verse through a historical, grammatical, contextual means in light of the whole of scripture by cherry picking off one verse to support an argument that goes much deeper than attempting to establish a doctrine off of this one verse. Funny, when one considers the pharisaical “righteous” attitudes that Jesus was addressing when He answered that very question in the Gospels that one can begin to see the reasons why Jesus answered the way He did which plays a part in the understanding of His Words and some have missed this important point.
If I stated, “none of you have faith, you all have doubt in your heart, otherwise you would be able to remove a mountain and cast it in the sea” well I suppose I could then start a tread and argue off that point until the cows come home that it says what it says; sorry Charlie’s but only fresh tuna… :tear: :rolleyes:
We are told to interpret scripture line upon line, precept upon precept, and one cannot do this without regard to additional regulations and concessions such as by first failing to consider issues on marriage, divorce, and remarriage in light of 1Cor 7 where one can se the question is asked ‘Is it a good idea to remain single?” and they are told by Paul “If avoiding sexual sin requires one to get married, then get married.” And “If you can handle singleness, stay single, but this is not a command.”
It is clear that there is a difference between separation and divorce (which implies a status of being unmarried) and that in Matthew 19:8 Jesus is correcting a perception that Moses commanded divorce and this brings us back to regulations “after” divorce in which one should consider in light of the whole of scripture that God did not forbid it nor did he condone it and He does not regulate that which He forbids. (Post#20 and the first half of #21 goes into detail on this for those willing to educate themselves while considering the whole of scripture) No reason to paraphrase, “cliff note”, and spell it out till the end of 30 pages of debate for those who will refuse to go beyond forming their understandings and doctrines off of one verse.
Personally, I almost fell out of my chair laughing when TinyTim told us how he really felt when he said the argument being presented about adultery and leaving the second wife is the “Stupidest thing he ever heard”. :laugh: Ahh, the nonsense that goes on in debate on this board sometimes…