ABOUT MARRYING A MAN OR WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN PUT AWAY...
On this the voice of inspiration is very clear and uniform. “And whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matt. 5:32. “And whosoever marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Matt. 19:9. “Whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.” Luke 16:18.
There is no possible chance to bring in an exception here. These declarations stand out positively and unqualified. If a person were to attempt to carry the exception in Matt. 5:32 and 19:9 forward into the above clause in those verses, it would result in the following absurdity; namely, “Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced—except she be divorced for the cause of fornication—committeth adultery.” Any person can see that this were extremely ridiculous. It would give license to marry a woman that had been put away for lewdness, but prohibit the marriage of one put away innocently. It would also imply a privilege for the divorced adulteress to take another husband, but require an innocently wronged woman to remain single. Such would be an abominable law. There is no possible dodging the above declarations. Any man who, knowing these scriptures; will marry a divorced woman, while her former husband yet lives, is guilty of adultery; is a willful sinner and can never be restored to God’s power without repenting and undoing the evil. Much more wicked and hateful in the sight of God is a man who will defame, and put away an innocent lawful wife, to commit whoredom with a woman that is some other man’s wife.
We now come to the apostle Paul’s instruction on this subject, 1 Cor. 7th chapter. Read the chapter through. “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. And unto the married I command, yet not I but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from the husband: but if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.” 1 Cor. 7:8–11. Here are the positive commands of Christ. “Let not the wife depart from her husband.” “And let not the husband put away his wife.” No difference what lust may clamor for, what earthly courts may grant, what human laws may provide, or the devil himself may suggest. Let not the wife leave her husband, nor a man put away his wife. And all of satan’s power nor man’s devices together cannot set aside the authority of the Lord Jesus.
“But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.” “And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean: but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.”
“For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife.” 1 Cor. 7:12–16. What do these words mean? “Not I, but the Lord.” Verse 10, “Speak I, not the Lord.” Verse 12. In the first instance he simply repeated what was given in previous commands of the Lord, as we have seen in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In the second instance he gave command by the authority of the Spirit of God, who was not only to bring to remembrance what Christ had commanded, but to “guide into all truth.” The latter were just as really the commands of God as the former. See 1 Cor. 14:37.
“A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases.” Namely, if their wife or husband has departed from them. But are they in such cases at liberty to marry another? By no means. Such must remain unmarried, or be reconciled to the husband or wife. 1 Cor. 7:11 To exclude all such loose ideas of the marriage bond the apostle says in the same chapter, verse 39, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord.”
Only death can dissolve the marriage covenant, and give liberty to marry another. And while the New Testament recognizes and counsels subjection to civil authorities it does not give any earthly king or court the power to set at naught its laws, and legalize marriages, where the Divine law forbids. Hence a man willfully and unscripturally married, is an adulterer in the sight of God, notwithstanding any legal sanction his money may have procured for him. Here then we have laid down the plain law of Christ on this subject. Not our views, but just what the Word says.
1st. A saint must not marry a sinner.
2nd. Neither man nor woman shall put away their companion save for the cause of fornication.
3rd. Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another committeth adultery.
4th. “Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”
5th. “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth.” And there is no partiality in this matter shown the man.
So we as Bible teachers must present the truth, and God will seal its authority.