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if a divorced person marries, are they in adultery?


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Well, of course, marriage is very important, the solidity of marriage, particularly in the New testament, though in the old, as well.

Marriage has always been a picture of God's relationship with His people. In the OT, Jehovah God often refers to Israel as His wife, though disobedient and often adulterous, yet He was always the faithful, loving Husband.

In the NT, of course, the husband/wife relationship represents Jesus' relationship with His church. So marriage and faithfulness in marriage is important, because of the picture it produces. Just as Jesus is always faithful, loving and sacrificing for His church, so a husband ought to be for his wife. And just as a church SHOULD be always seeking to be pleasing and obedient to her Husband, so a wife should be with her husband.  But bear in mind that Jesus Himself has, at times, threatened to remove a church from before Him if they are disobedient, or forget their first love, so that would indicate to me the possibility of a divorce for reasons of infidelity. And of course, a church with NO believers in it, Jesus is not bound to that, though they call themselves a church, just as a believer is not in bondage to an unbelieving spouse who chooses to leave them.

I believe divorce is acceptable in certain areas and cases, but I also believe that it should ALWAYS be important enough to try to keep one intact.   

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I have a problem with the term "living in adultery".  Adultery is a single act.  Even if a Christian is not righteously divorced with cause and remarries another, their wedding night, or their first joining of the flesh was the act of adultery, not every other night the rest of their lives if they remain faithful and married to that person.  David obviously committed adultery with Bathsheba and after paying the consequences of that horrible sin with the death of his first born son from that union, they remained married and God blessed them with King Solomon from that originally "adulterous" relationship.  

Bro. Garry

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I have a problem with the term "living in adultery".  Adultery is a single act.  Even if a Christian is not righteously divorced with cause and remarries another, their wedding night, or their first joining of the flesh was the act of adultery, not every other night the rest of their lives if they remain faithful and married to that person.  David obviously committed adultery with Bathsheba and after paying the consequences of that horrible sin with the death of his first born son from that union, they remained married and God blessed them with King Solomon from that originally "adulterous" relationship.  

Bro. Garry

Romans 7 clearly says that a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. David had Uriah killed. therefore it would cease to be adultery from that point on.

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Romans 7:1 (KJV) 1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Romans 7:2 (KJV) 2 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.

Romans 7:3 (KJV) 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.

Romans 7:4 (KJV) 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

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Being against remarriage cost John the Baptist his head. The Bible still calls her Philip's wife after she was divorced and remarried to Herod. Herod and Herodias had been married long enough to have a daughter, Salome, who danced for her father. (gross)

 

 

According to Josephus Salome was the daughter of Herod II, not Herod Antipas which Salome dance for.

He also indicates Herodias violated the law by divorcing herself from Herod II. This is why there was the claim she was actually still Herod II's wife even after she married Herod Antipas, who himself was also divorced.

Their lives sound like many today involved in serial marriage, divorce and remarriage.

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I have friend that was pastor of a IFB church , his wife up and left him saying she was tired of being married he tried hard to find out how they could reconcile their marriage but she refused to cooperate and divorced him .the church deacons took a vote to fire him because of the divorce (in which he contested but the judge granted the divorce) shortly after the divorce his wife committed suicide leaving him a letter saying she was at a fault in sin of a affair ,though some believe she had mental troubles was the cause. Since this time he has been not been able to pastor another church because of the divorce, he doesn't talk about what happen and has excepted responsibility for his wife's actions and regrets that the church split causing many to leave because of him being fired.i know him very well and he has always been a strong man of God ,but I don't understand why the church fired him being he had not committed adultery or any other sin.

Any Pastors thoughts and scriptures are welcome.

God bless

First, of course, there is the issue of an unbiblical authority given to deacons: deacons were never intended as a board to rule over a pastor and a church-the Bible makes clear that the pastor(s)/elder(s) has the primary authority under the Lord, also called 'bishops', meaning overseers.  In Hebrews 13, the believers addressed are told to remeber them that have the rule over you, and to obey them that have the rule over you-neither instance is speaking of civil rule, but ecclesiastical rule, ie, their pastors. The deacons didn't have authority over the pastors, nor should they: they are designed to take many burdens off the pastor, so he can concentrate on the work of study and prayer. They are assistants, not rulers over him.  But nowadays many churches foolishly create a board to rule the pastors, who should be subject to the Lord first, and then to the church, as a whole, but NOT to some small group of men who take upon themselves the authority to hire and fire. Were I to be made the pastor of such a church, the first thing I would do is to disband the deacons board, and when I came to know the men of the church well enough, I would ordain godly men to work with me, as deacons, if I needed the help. I have never had deacons in the 13 years I have been a pastor.

As for your pastor, I suppose there is some precedence for removing him, as the Bible says that a pastor should be able to rule his own household well, and a disobedient wife who ran off would seem to imply that he had no rule in his home. However, all things need to be considered-why did she leave? She did have an affair-why? was he not attentive enough to her needs? Not saying that justifies it, but a pastor certainly must maintain a careful balance between their marriage and their calling. As well, we know that everyone has a will, and some just, for no good reason, decide they are done with it. It is really something that should have gone before the entire church for a vote, not just a group of men in an unbiblical position.

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I forgot to write this earlier today.

You men will think I'm a flip-floper but God told the prophets to break the law.

Isaiah was told to go naked, which broke the law. Ezekiel was told to cook with nastiness which broke the law. And Hosea had to take a prostitute for a wife!!!!

So if God wanted to call a remarried man to the pulpit, He would do it. Personally I think it would be a specialty job like how God used the prophets.

Edited by MountainChristian
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I forgot to write this earlier today.

You men will think I'm a flip-floper but God told the prophets to break the law.

Isaiah was told to go naked, which broke the law. Ezekiel was told to cook with nastiness which broke the law. And Hosea had to take a prostitute for a wife!!!!

So if God wanted to call a remarried man to the pulpit, He would do it. Personally I think it would be a specialty job like how God used the prophets.

Not sure I agree completely with the premise, in that the prophets had a very peculiar and different sort of signs-based ministry, HOWEVER, that being said, I tnink its also important to remember that God doesn't always fit into the nice neat packages we place Him in sometimes.

In my case, I answered what I still believe to have been a clear call to go into full-time ministry, but well after that, my wife left me. Now, some would say, "Well, that disqualifies you", to which I reply, "Was God surprised by my wife leaving me? Was He wrong to call me?"  Of course, there are those who would say, "Well, because of your divorce, God clearly DIDN'T call you, you were wrong." To which I reply, "You haven't lived my life, you haven't been through the ten-year span of having my life taken completely out of my control, taking me from coast to coast against my will, until I was surrendered, then quickly saw God answer some very specific prayers and, well, conditions I needed met in my life, and then, basically, thrust into a full-time pastor's position where I am now."  If anyone wants specifics, let me know and I would be glad to share them.

The point being, I surrendered to full-time ministry, though not specifically in what capacity, (I figured a music ministry of some sort), but then I tried to take it back: bad idea. I gave myself, and the Lord wouldn't let me out of my promise I made to Him. And God can, and will, use ANYONE in ANY position HE chooses to. He made a woman the judge of Israel, why couldn't He use a divorced man to pastor a church where no one else wants to go? 

Edited by Ukulelemike
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First, of course, there is the issue of an unbiblical authority given to deacons: deacons were never intended as a board to rule over a pastor and a church-the Bible makes clear that the pastor(s)/elder(s) has the primary authority under the Lord, also called 'bishops', meaning overseers.  In Hebrews 13, the believers addressed are told to remeber them that have the rule over you, and to obey them that have the rule over you-neither instance is speaking of civil rule, but ecclesiastical rule, ie, their pastors. The deacons didn't have authority over the pastors, nor should they: they are designed to take many burdens off the pastor, so he can concentrate on the work of study and prayer. They are assistants, not rulers over him.  But nowadays many churches foolishly create a board to rule the pastors, who should be subject to the Lord first, and then to the church, as a whole, but NOT to some small group of men who take upon themselves the authority to hire and fire. Were I to be made the pastor of such a church, the first thing I would do is to disband the deacons board, and when I came to know the men of the church well enough, I would ordain godly men to work with me, as deacons, if I needed the help. I have never had deacons in the 13 years I have been a pastor.

As for your pastor, I suppose there is some precedence for removing him, as the Bible says that a pastor should be able to rule his own household well, and a disobedient wife who ran off would seem to imply that he had no rule in his home. However, all things need to be considered-why did she leave? She did have an affair-why? was he not attentive enough to her needs? Not saying that justifies it, but a pastor certainly must maintain a careful balance between their marriage and their calling. As well, we know that everyone has a will, and some just, for no good reason, decide they are done with it. It is really something that should have gone before the entire church for a vote, not just a group of men in an unbiblical position.

There are very few churches in SE Indiana that would agree with you, to their demise no doubt. But I agree wholeheartedly. The position of Deacon has become a shame to the Baptist churches. My former pastor years ago taught that Deacons were eventually to be pastors, and as a deacons they were under his training 'wing' to help them grow into a good and honorable men of God.

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First, of course, there is the issue of an unbiblical authority given to deacons: deacons were never intended as a board to rule over a pastor and a church-the Bible makes clear that the pastor(s)/elder(s) has the primary authority under the Lord, also called 'bishops', meaning overseers.  In Hebrews 13, the believers addressed are told to remeber them that have the rule over you, and to obey them that have the rule over you-neither instance is speaking of civil rule, but ecclesiastical rule, ie, their pastors. The deacons didn't have authority over the pastors, nor should they: they are designed to take many burdens off the pastor, so he can concentrate on the work of study and prayer. They are assistants, not rulers over him.  But nowadays many churches foolishly create a board to rule the pastors, who should be subject to the Lord first, and then to the church, as a whole, but NOT to some small group of men who take upon themselves the authority to hire and fire. Were I to be made the pastor of such a church, the first thing I would do is to disband the deacons board, and when I came to know the men of the church well enough, I would ordain godly men to work with me, as deacons, if I needed the help. I have never had deacons in the 13 years I have been a pastor.

As for your pastor, I suppose there is some precedence for removing him, as the Bible says that a pastor should be able to rule his own household well, and a disobedient wife who ran off would seem to imply that he had no rule in his home. However, all things need to be considered-why did she leave? She did have an affair-why? was he not attentive enough to her needs? Not saying that justifies it, but a pastor certainly must maintain a careful balance between their marriage and their calling. As well, we know that everyone has a will, and some just, for no good reason, decide they are done with it. It is really something that should have gone before the entire church for a vote, not just a group of men in an unbiblical position.

Thank you kindly Pastor Mike I agree entirely with you, this is exactly what happen with the deacons and by what they did caused division within the church and many to leave for this reason. But as far as the relationship in the marriage I don't know, I could only view this within my own marriage there has been many times I've spent many hours in study and prayer preparing to teach and many times I've been away from my home working the mission fields as a youth pastor and other ministries. Neglecting my duties as a husband to my wife but she has been faithful and obedient to the word of God always. So just as any Pastor would have to do the same in his ministry so should his wife be faithful and obedient obeying the word of God . this would be the case of the Pastor in which I'm speaking of .yet his wife was disobedient to the word of God and committed adultery and yet the charge was laided against him as being guilty for her sin of adultery by the deacons of the church overriding his authority. For this cause I believe the pastor needs to usurp his authority over the church in which he is called to lead not allowing deacons or any others (Members) to take of his authority and abuse it as it was done in this case as no evidence was presented against the Pastor before the church and he was unjustly fired by the deacons for the sins of his wife.

I have thought about this Brother Mike could the Pastor now be fired for the sins of a member committing adultery that he's unaware of being accused by deacons of not rightly keeping Gods Church in order, Just a thought though.

God bless Borther

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There are very few churches in SE Indiana that would agree with you, to their demise no doubt. But I agree wholeheartedly. The position of Deacon has become a shame to the Baptist churches. My former pastor years ago taught that Deacons were eventually to be pastors, and as a deacons they were under his training 'wing' to help them grow into a good and honorable men of God.

In one of my old churches, despite having over 1000 people, he had no deacons, just associate pastors-I think that's a great idea in this day and age of ruling deacon boards.

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I've known two pastors personally I would place in the "great" category and one of them was forced out of the church because the board of deacons was power hungry and didn't like the pastor doing anything without their permission or anything other than what they wanted him to do.

Our church has boards, but no board of deacons. The few deacons in our church are servant-helpers as Scripture describes. We have a board of Christian education, board of physical properties and a main church board. All three boards are filled with members voted on by the members of the church and a person can only sit on a board for two consecutive terms. This keeps our boards from being dominated by anyone. Our associate pastor sits on the Christian education board and our senior pastor sits on the main board. Board members function as servants of the church, not as rulers.

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Thank you kindly Pastor Mike I agree entirely with you, this is exactly what happen with the deacons and by what they did caused division within the church and many to leave for this reason. But as far as the relationship in the marriage I don't know, I could only view this within my own marriage there has been many times I've spent many hours in study and prayer preparing to teach and many times I've been away from my home working the mission fields as a youth pastor and other ministries. Neglecting my duties as a husband to my wife but she has been faithful and obedient to the word of God always. So just as any Pastor would have to do the same in his ministry so should his wife be faithful and obedient obeying the word of God . this would be the case of the Pastor in which I'm speaking of .yet his wife was disobedient to the word of God and committed adultery and yet the charge was laided against him as being guilty for her sin of adultery by the deacons of the church overriding his authority. For this cause I believe the pastor needs to usurp his authority over the church in which he is called to lead not allowing deacons or any others (Members) to take of his authority and abuse it as it was done in this case as no evidence was presented against the Pastor before the church and he was unjustly fired by the deacons for the sins of his wife.

I have thought about this Brother Mike could the Pastor now be fired for the sins of a member committing adultery that he's unaware of being accused by deacons of not rightly keeping Gods Church in order, Just a thought though.

God bless Borther

Mind you, I'm not saying that a pastor, by keeping faithfully to the work of God, is neglecting his wife-but there are those who insist on going so over and above for the church, that the wife can feel left behind and alone, especially if they have children. However, I agree, this is no reason for a wife to leave her husband. Ideally, they should talk about it and work things out. My wife can't accuse me of it, as I put more time into her farm than I do the church-mostly because there are always things needing repairing, feeding, cleaning, etc-just the nature of a farm.

As for the second part, yes, a deacon board just might fire a pastor for the behavior of a rebellious member, even if he didn't know about it, by the excuse "You're the pastor, its your job to know!" and then fire him. Sadly, if the deacons knew, why had they not talked to the pastor about it?  No, I think little good can be done by giving a group of men an unbiblical power over the authority God has given the pastor. Trouble and confusion is sure to reign.

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