Bought, Forgiven and Cleansed

Let’s Pray and Worship Our Savior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8gKXu6J2wE

This writing is dedicated to a brother who wanted to know what my opinion was on marrying a divorcee?

I have to assume that the divorcee is a believer and that the person lives his/her life for the glory of the Lord. So, can the divorcee remarry?

John 8:1-12  

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

John 4:13-30 

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.  “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”  “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband, for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

Luke 7:36-50

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him, saw this, and he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

Joshua 2:1

Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So, the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

HEART QUESTIONS

In these passages we see women and their picture of sin. Reality, this is us before we came to God’s free gift of salvation.

1)    Would you agree, that these sinners came to repentance and salvation after their encounter with Jesus?

2)    Does the name of their sin remain forever with them, (Woman caught in adultery, Woman with 5 Husbands, The Kind of Woman and A Prostitute?

We all have done many things that were against God’s laws in ignorance because we did not have a right relationship with God. Our conscience itself, condemned us because we knew what was wrong and right. Once we came to understand what the gospel says about God’s free gift of making things right with Him and making peace with Him, we received His gift of salvation and learned about the work Jesus did for our sins at the Cross. It was His Blood sacrifice for all sinners, that we indeed came into a right relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people, none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

HEART QUESTIONS

1)    What was your name before you came to God?

2)    Can you see how Salvation works in calling us to the work done at the Cross that is the only way to find forgiveness for your sins?

God hates divorce Malachi 2:16. His plan, for marriage from the beginning was to be a covenant made between a man and a woman, to love, obey and honor one another before God and their families & friends were present as witnesses of this precious and holy covenant.

The question I need to answer is; if a marriage has been broken for any reason other than adultery, can they remarry?

My opinion, is “Yes”, because the Christian divorcee is no longer under the law, but under grace! They are now a new creation in Jesus Christ and their past has been forgiven. Their life is made new under the precious blood of Jesus and they have been born again to walk according to the Spirit.

Romans 7:1-6

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter (the law).

Again I say, I do not believe that it would be a sin to marry a divorcee because of what the scriptures say here in Romans7:4-6, that you are no longer under the law, but under the Spirit of the Living God.

Romans 8:1-4

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

Let us therefore walk in the mercies and grace freely given to us.

Ephesians 2:4-9

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

Heart Questions

If you were to read the story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah (2 Samuel 11 – 12:24), you would understand God’s love and mercy as He judges the sin of adultery but He also restores David.

1)    Consider the ways that God has blessed David and Bathsheba.

2)    Read 2 Samuel 12:24 and see the heart of God and His plan to redeem the broken, the lost, and yes even our mistakes.

I don’t really write about topics like this. I am not a teacher of the Word. I am a student of the Word, therefore, this is only my opinion.

Please ask the Holy Spirit to lead, teach and guide you into God’s truths in this area. I also suggest that you speak with your pastor about any concerns that you may have.

Let’s Pray

Father, thank you for allowing this question to come up. May the Holy Spirit lead us into Your truths. We do not claim to have all understanding of Your glorious Word, but you have given us the power of the Holy Spirit that will teach us all things, if we come with a humble heart and sit at your feet.  Teach us Your ways, O Lord.

Psalm 119:11

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.