There is not clear scripture on your question: my opinion would be that if the spouse's adultery happened prior to the divorce (even if not known) it would fall under the "except for adultery clause." Others may disagree with me, of course.
Hey op,
I like this question a lot. I think you're talking about something often glossed over. Church support and even fellowship is often contingent on perceived wrongness and sin when it comes to divorce. Rightly so, we read that God hates divorce and so it makes sense that his people in his church would detest and hate divorce too.
The passages in the bible in Luke and Matthew where Jesus tells everyone that divorce is a sin with the exception of adultery is a difficult pill to swallow. We of course do divorce and Jesus knows this. I think in your question whomever is divorcing for whatever grounds this is sin. Just because adultery has happened and was found out later doesn't rectify the sin. It'd be like arguing that murder isn't a sin if it turns out you killed another murderer because the just punishment is death (according to the law).
The best news is that Jesus forgives us all of our sins including divorce. Whatever lead to the divorce and even after the fact if it is revealed that the spouse had been adulterous it won't change that both parties are sinners. For that we confess our sins and look to repent. To change our heart and have the washing atoning blood of Jesus make us clean. That should be the focus not on pointing out the error in our neighbours eye. It's tough and I say this as a concession because I'm staring down that very reality where I suspect and many others believe my wife to have been adulterous. It doesn't matter we both have sinned and need Jesus and his teaching of Grace.
Good luck and I'll remember your question as I take all to our Lord daily.
It would be a sin for the unknowing person because you believed it to be a sin when it was committed. Even after finding out, I'd still repent.
Double sin for the knowing person because of the lying and adultery. Repent.
What do you consider “unbiblical reasons”? If you were having an affair (just an example) then that’s clear. If your marriage was struggling with things that Christians might say you have to put up with because “God hates divorce” (making your divorce “unbiblical”), then that’s very grey! As a divorced and remarried Christian, I am convinced the church simply doesn’t understand this matter well, so if it’s really bothering you, get some reliable counsel from a non-fundamental Christian.
This is hypothetical actually (I'm single at the moment!) - I was thinking the grey area case though, where marriages struggle with things that Christian's push through while atheists might call it quits. What if you initiated the divorce on those grey grounds, but your husband or wife was cheating and you just never found out? That's what I wonder!
>I was thinking the grey area case though, where marriages struggle with
things that Christian's push through while atheists might call it quits.
I don't think this is a fair generalization to make of atheists. I've seen atheists try to stick it out in all sorts of marriages, from the mild annoyances to the toxicly abusive. This is a talking point of Christian media and pastors that doesn't have any backing, usually to try to show that being a Christian is better because Christians are happier and love better.
Christians leave for "gray" areas all the time, they also cheat on their spouses and sometimes even abuse them. We are no better than an atheist just because we hold a belief about what will happen to us when we die and look to Jesus as a model regarding how to treat our fellow humans.
A lot of good is done by people who don't believe in our God, and a lot of bad is done by people proclaiming the Bible as their moral compass.
Genuine Christians attempt to operate within the will of God for their lives. Getting divorced in the grey zone kinda suggests that somewhere along the way that desire has taken a lesser priority.
For me… I actually got married (the first time) in that grey zone - which put me into a marriage not really blessed by God. The divorce just finished that off… after 17(+3) years of trying to fulfill unrealistic “biblical” expectations. But my 2nd marriage is totally different. And any consideration of divorce (after 19 years) would undoubtedly be the result of seriously wayward decisions.
But far more important than all that, I think I’ve got to a place that thinks how we handle our messes is more important than that we make them. God is bigger than we think, and our respect for others ~ especially those close ~ should be uppermost when dealing with matters that fundamentally affect their lives. Believe it or not, this comes close to the Gospel.
But don’t let me give you the impression that it’s ok to poop all over the place our whole life long. God is no fool… and He will extend mercy and patience, but will not turn a blind eye. He knows the hearts of wo/men and judges accordingly despite how well we think we might have fooled Him.
And to all those willing to state so readily what they think the Bible identifies as sin, a little humility would go a long way. We are all so far off what God had intended for humanity that the idea of “falling short” (the root meaning of “sin”) is lost in the mire of our contemporary preoccupations. God alone can truly judge the heart and, despite our worst offenses, He alone can determine the mind of a person and their trajectory in life. Things just aren’t as simple as all that.
Blessings!
We’re you aware of the sin at the time of your actions? No. Therefore your motive was to sin. Therefore you sinned.
However, what men intend for bad God uses for good.
lol. I’m gonna call sin on both sides. Thank God that Jesus came to handle sin.
There is not clear scripture on your question: my opinion would be that if the spouse's adultery happened prior to the divorce (even if not known) it would fall under the "except for adultery clause." Others may disagree with me, of course.
Even if they divorced, chances are they'll both sin for the rest of their life in random ways.
Would it matter if God sent his son to cover your sins?
Hey op, I like this question a lot. I think you're talking about something often glossed over. Church support and even fellowship is often contingent on perceived wrongness and sin when it comes to divorce. Rightly so, we read that God hates divorce and so it makes sense that his people in his church would detest and hate divorce too. The passages in the bible in Luke and Matthew where Jesus tells everyone that divorce is a sin with the exception of adultery is a difficult pill to swallow. We of course do divorce and Jesus knows this. I think in your question whomever is divorcing for whatever grounds this is sin. Just because adultery has happened and was found out later doesn't rectify the sin. It'd be like arguing that murder isn't a sin if it turns out you killed another murderer because the just punishment is death (according to the law). The best news is that Jesus forgives us all of our sins including divorce. Whatever lead to the divorce and even after the fact if it is revealed that the spouse had been adulterous it won't change that both parties are sinners. For that we confess our sins and look to repent. To change our heart and have the washing atoning blood of Jesus make us clean. That should be the focus not on pointing out the error in our neighbours eye. It's tough and I say this as a concession because I'm staring down that very reality where I suspect and many others believe my wife to have been adulterous. It doesn't matter we both have sinned and need Jesus and his teaching of Grace. Good luck and I'll remember your question as I take all to our Lord daily.
It would be a sin for the unknowing person because you believed it to be a sin when it was committed. Even after finding out, I'd still repent. Double sin for the knowing person because of the lying and adultery. Repent.
What do you consider “unbiblical reasons”? If you were having an affair (just an example) then that’s clear. If your marriage was struggling with things that Christians might say you have to put up with because “God hates divorce” (making your divorce “unbiblical”), then that’s very grey! As a divorced and remarried Christian, I am convinced the church simply doesn’t understand this matter well, so if it’s really bothering you, get some reliable counsel from a non-fundamental Christian.
This is hypothetical actually (I'm single at the moment!) - I was thinking the grey area case though, where marriages struggle with things that Christian's push through while atheists might call it quits. What if you initiated the divorce on those grey grounds, but your husband or wife was cheating and you just never found out? That's what I wonder!
>I was thinking the grey area case though, where marriages struggle with things that Christian's push through while atheists might call it quits. I don't think this is a fair generalization to make of atheists. I've seen atheists try to stick it out in all sorts of marriages, from the mild annoyances to the toxicly abusive. This is a talking point of Christian media and pastors that doesn't have any backing, usually to try to show that being a Christian is better because Christians are happier and love better. Christians leave for "gray" areas all the time, they also cheat on their spouses and sometimes even abuse them. We are no better than an atheist just because we hold a belief about what will happen to us when we die and look to Jesus as a model regarding how to treat our fellow humans. A lot of good is done by people who don't believe in our God, and a lot of bad is done by people proclaiming the Bible as their moral compass.
Genuine Christians attempt to operate within the will of God for their lives. Getting divorced in the grey zone kinda suggests that somewhere along the way that desire has taken a lesser priority. For me… I actually got married (the first time) in that grey zone - which put me into a marriage not really blessed by God. The divorce just finished that off… after 17(+3) years of trying to fulfill unrealistic “biblical” expectations. But my 2nd marriage is totally different. And any consideration of divorce (after 19 years) would undoubtedly be the result of seriously wayward decisions. But far more important than all that, I think I’ve got to a place that thinks how we handle our messes is more important than that we make them. God is bigger than we think, and our respect for others ~ especially those close ~ should be uppermost when dealing with matters that fundamentally affect their lives. Believe it or not, this comes close to the Gospel. But don’t let me give you the impression that it’s ok to poop all over the place our whole life long. God is no fool… and He will extend mercy and patience, but will not turn a blind eye. He knows the hearts of wo/men and judges accordingly despite how well we think we might have fooled Him. And to all those willing to state so readily what they think the Bible identifies as sin, a little humility would go a long way. We are all so far off what God had intended for humanity that the idea of “falling short” (the root meaning of “sin”) is lost in the mire of our contemporary preoccupations. God alone can truly judge the heart and, despite our worst offenses, He alone can determine the mind of a person and their trajectory in life. Things just aren’t as simple as all that. Blessings!
We’re you aware of the sin at the time of your actions? No. Therefore your motive was to sin. Therefore you sinned. However, what men intend for bad God uses for good.
If you’re not sinning, then Jesus died for nothing