With whomever you choose to seek to enter into a dating/courtship relationship, there must be eligibility for marriage to you as a Christian according to God and His holy word.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ... Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6
This means no dating, courting, engagement to, or marrying a non-Christian; but there is more.
If you are divorced, my heart goes out to you, and I pray for all of you, that you experience the miracle of healing and restoration of the Holy Spirit in your life. I can only imagine the horror of finding out or realizing that your marriage is in ruins. Yet, the Lord does have a plan for you in this situation. So please bear with me as I explain.
I find this very interesting. Not only did God say it once, He repeated it shortly thereafter. I was told by my professors in bible college that when that happens, God really really means it.
Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."
Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."
It is a horrible thing to endure a divorce, yet God does not want you to go from bad to worse in this situation.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 - "Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife."
First off, notice that this command is to the married, not just to the wife. So whether it is the wife that obtains a divorce, or the husband, the responsibilities and limitations in this situation are the same for both the wife and the husband who obtains a divorce.
Even after a woman divorces her husband, God still identifies the man as �her husband�, which makes her still his wife.
Be on the same page with God with regard to the availability of the divorced as a suitable candidate for marriage. This direct command stands without exception, without an expiration date, and regardless of the reason for a divorce.
Exodus 20:17 �you shall not covet your neighbor�s wife (husband)�. So God says do not look upon the divorced with desire for them to be your own.
I am not suggesting you stay physically present if you are being beaten. I don�t think God requires that any more than He would require you to participate in a murder your wife was committing, gentlemen. The same goes for you ladies.
God commands the one who obtained the divorce to remain unmarried, or reconcile with your spouse. People can�t reconcile alone. It takes two. The context here calls for abstinence, or reconciliation, which means remarriage to your spouse, and forbids marriage to anyone other than your spouse. The person put away is a necessary party to reconciliation. God is not two-faced, and telling one person to remain available for reconciliation while telling the other to go off and do as they wish. He is telling both parties to remain available for reconciliation.
It says in Luke 16:18, "�Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; AND whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." Nothing you read anywhere else in the bible contradicts this, in spite of what you may have been told or lead to believe. The unclear verses where you think they say something that contradicts, are just that, unclear, and misunderstood. The ONLY exception is for the Joseph and Mary situation, where the marriage has not been consummated, as Jesus described in Matthew 19. Joseph could have divorced Mary because they had not consummated the marriage. Once consummated, it is until death you do part. This is abundantly clear in the Greek language, but English translations abuse the Greek and mislead people. The Matthew 5 exception is about what the husband causes, that is to say, whether or not he is at fault; not what happens or is allowed. See also Mark 10:1-12.
With much compassion and respect, I pray God heals your heart and marriage. I'm not suggesting it is easy, because it's not, and not by a country mile, but it is right.
"Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear." 1 Peter 3:1-2
These are hard words to hear. People have told you that you have grounds to divorce. God is crystal clear; TOLERANCE OF DIVORCE IS NOT PERMISSION TO MARRY ANOTHER. Those are NOT the same thing. God knows the harm it brings, and that is why He warns us against it by forbidding us to do it, AND calling it sin if we do.
"Trust in the Lord with ALL of your heart, and do NOT lean upon your own understanding(: your heart is deceitfully wicked and will lie to you). In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
Have a good cry, and pour out your heart unto the Lord. He is the only one who can fill the loneliness and deal with the brutal loss you have suffered. I will be praying for all suffering the loss of their dream of a lifetime of marital bliss.
I pray God will bless you and protect you from all harm. May the Lord's love, grace, and peace reign always in all ways in your heart, your mind, your heart, your will, your soul, your home, your family, and in your personal ministry; your complete and entire life, Amen.
