Question: Before I became a Christian I was married and got divorced. A few years later I go remarried still not a Christian. During that marriage I became a born again Christian. We have been married for almost 40 years and still serving the Lord Jesus.
Someone on our group said that I will go to hell because I divorced my first husband and remarried. Now that I am a Christian [but] was not at that time, does the Lord still hold that sin today against me?
If so what about the scripture that reads “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!” [“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)]
Do you have more scriptures that would help me see that the Lord does not hold the sins from my past against me now that I have become a Christian?
What is proper repentance in this case? If I have to dissolve my new marriage it would create more feelings of devastation. I desperately need to sense forgiveness. Please help me.
Answer: No, you will not go to hell for a divorce and remarriage. Yes, there are lots of Scripture verses about this. You may also want to look at our article about does God forgive adulterers. First, I would take the person to Matthew 12:31, 32 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
So God says here that every sin can be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Spirit. By the way you might wonder what is that sin that can’t be forgiven. It is rejecting the message of Salvation unto death. The message is given to us by the Holy Spirit. If you are worried that you have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit you have not committed it. God would not put you under conviction for sin in your life that could not be forgiven.
Notice, though in the Matthew 12:31 verse that ‘every sin’ except the sin against the Holy Spirit can be forgiven. So can adultery be forgiven? Yes, that is what Jesus said.
Then I would take a person to Romans, you might also want to study more on this from our Romans study as well. But the verse specifically I would take a person to, that thinks you cannot be forgiven for adultery, and that is Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus …”So if they are trying to condemn you they are not speaking for the Lord!
Now does that mean we can go on sinning? Scripture says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1, 2)
You may want to take them to Micah 7:18, 19 also. “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
I hope this helps,
Gary T. Panell
For more information email me.
only repented sin is forgiving if homosexuals have to repent so does a second marriage sorry but the grace of God does not let you keep your sin s john the baptist told Herod repent you cant keep your brothers wife
Hi Antony, God forgives all our sins when we repent and trust Him to save us, even a former divorce. Brother Gary
John The Baptists remark was about incest and Old Testament laws, not about divorce and remarriage. The Bible says in 1 Cor 7 v27to 28 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife but and if thou marry thou has not sinned. The word loosed means divorced and Paul stated it was not sin. I recommend that you look at Divorce hope on line and read J, Adams book about this / The person who quoted about John the Baptists comment do not understand the reasons for this. Forced celibacy is a doctrine of devils. Chesk out Got Questions , Grace to you and the Assembly of God Petecostal teaching on this. Try as you can but you cant deny the truth of 1 Cor7v27to28. Stop turning the Good news into bad news. Think about it those married one time can live in all manner of sin but just because they have not been divorced and remarried they are accepted . God bless Paul
Hi Paul, Your first statement is incorrect. John the Baptist was not talking about incest, there is no incest here. There is divorce or just taking someone’s wife for himself from his brother. If you think this is incest, you do not understand what incest is. I can tell you have not really read what we say about marriage or else you would not be saying we believe in forced celibacy. When people have questions, what they say we put on, but then we turn to the Word of God for the answers. We have put on your comments, even though they are not true. Try reading our articles before you go to state our positions. Brother Gary
Brother Gary, the confusion rests with the fact that, if divorcees remarry other spouses, they will commit adultery, but they probably won’t repent. If they feel that their marriage is a loving, valid thing, and they both believe in Christ, it would be pretty insincere to repent, then stay married forever. You’re just committing the same sin day after day. In my case, I know what Jesus teaches and I know that I sinned, but I’m not going to divorce my second wife to avoid further sinning. The two of us are very committed to the Church and to Christ’s teaching.
Hi Tom, If there are reasons that Jesus gave to getting a divorce, then there are also reasons in Scripture for remarriage. That does not mean that a person is sinning their whole life when they remarry. I have never taught such a thing. When Christ forgives, He means you are forgiven. (1 John 1:9) Brother Gary
Hi my name is Alfred I’m divorced and remarried and I’m scared to death that’s an ongoing sin it sexual immorality incest adultery sex with animals homosexual all immorality that’s what the Bible says
Alfred, hi, did you read the article and the verses in it? Believe God’s Word, not what people are telling you. People are sometimes ignorant of what God’s Word says, and others will lie to you. Go to the Bible and believe it! Brother Gary
My fiancé of 31/2 years is about to end our relationship because I was married n get divorced he said if he married me he’s going to be living in adultery do we can’t get marry anymore because we are committing the sin over n over we were both sinners and we both find Christ so can you explain more to me please
Hi Denise, This is not what the Bible says, nor is it what I teach. Please tell me more about yourself. You are not living in sin when you marry someone who was married before if they have gotten a divorce. He doesn’t sound like someone you probably want to marry anyway. Why don’t you get right with God, and wait on the one God wants for you. Maybe the one your are with now could write me and we will debate the Bible and what it teaches. Write me again when you can. Brother Gary
Hi good night I’m so confused about divorce n remarried I was married before I was a sinner but divorce now I seek the lord n found him I’m in a relationship for almost 4 years my fiancé we never committed sexual ack we waited until marriage but know he said he can’t marry me anymore because we will be living in sin for the rest of our life is he married me if that true I need more understanding
No, Denise, you will not go to hell for a divorce and remarriage. Yes, there are lots of Scripture verses about this. You may also want to look at our article about does God forgive adulterers. First, I would take the person to Matthew 12:31, 32 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
So God says here that every sin can be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Spirit. By the way you might wonder what is that sin that can’t be forgiven. It is rejecting the message of Salvation unto death. The message is given to us by the Holy Spirit. If you are worried that you have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit you have not committed it. God would not put you under conviction for sin in your life that could not be forgiven.
Notice, though in the Matthew 12:31 verse that ‘every sin’ except the sin against the Holy Spirit can be forgiven. So can adultery be forgiven? Yes, that is what Jesus said.
Then I would take a person to Romans, you might also want to study more on this from our Romans study as well. But the verse specifically I would take a person to, that thinks you cannot be forgiven for adultery, and that is Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus …”So if they are trying to condemn you they are not speaking for the Lord!
Now does that mean we can go on sinning? Scripture says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1, 2)
You may want to take them to Micah 7:18, 19 also. “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
I hope this helps,
Gary T. Panell
I am in the same situation and scared to death,my wife was married in the past and he divorced her although he was the one cheating. We have been married now for 14 years and now have a son. Do i have to break my vows and divorce her to be right with God? It does say in scripture if you marry a divorce women you are committing adultery of which i did not know at the time we married.
Dear Jones, First, I don’t see any sin you committed if this happened before you were saved. Also, there is no sin for her if it was the husband that committed the cheating. People misunderstand what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:32. Jesus is explaining that there is grounds for divorce for marital unfaithfulness. Which, sounds like what your wife had with her husband.
People say, but Jesus does not go on to talk about remarriage, He leaves this for Paul to talk about in 1 Corinthians 7. No, you should not divorce your wife! Did you read the answer that I gave from the Bible about someone saying a person is going to hell because they remarried. This is a trick of Satan, don’t listen to his lies even if ‘Christians’ repeat his lies. What does the Bible say, you are saved, but not forgiven? That is calling God a liar, look at 1 John 1: 8-10 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” God forgives us and we are clean, He doesn’t say, I will forgive some of your sins and rest I won’t. He does not say, I can forgive all your sin except remarriage even if there was cheating going on by someone.
Then, to say that you are sinning every day after you remarry is just nonsense and a lie from the pit. You have confessed it to God, and you are forgiven. You can have a normal sexual relationship with your new wife, as God intended. I could give you many examples of this from the Bible, maybe you have heard about King David, he not only had sex with a woman who was another man’s wife, but he also, killed the woman’s husband, but when he called out to God for forgiveness, he was forgiven. Were there consequences? Yes, but he was forgiven, read Psalm 51 where David confesses his sins to God. 2 Samuel 11 is his sin with Bathsheba. He later married her. God forgave David and many others, that is why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God will forgive and save when we ask Him to. He is a God of grace and mercy. Live the rest of your life, without fear of Satan and sin. None of us are perfect. God bless you! Brother Gary
GREETINGS BROTHER GARY. I HAVE BEEN DIVORCED AND MARRIED SEVERAL TIMES. ONCE WHEN I WAS A MUSLIM. I FINALLY LERNED ABOUT CHRIST BUT I WASNT FULLY SAVED. I WAS STILL LIVING A DELIBERATELY SINFUL LIFE. I WAS STILL LEARNING ABOUT GOD. I WASNT FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AT ALL. SO I MARRIED THINKING THAT IF I WANTED TO HAVE SEX I NEEDED TO BE MARRIED . I MADE THE MISTAKE SEVERAL TIMES .I AM NOW MARRIED TO MY HUSBAND, BUT I AM REALLY LIVING A LIVE TO PLEASE GOD , I ACTUALLY REPENTED FROM ALL THE OTHER STUFF.I WAS A BROKEN WOMEN LOOKING FOR LOVE WERE EVER I COULD FIND IT. IM GRATEFUL FOR THIS POST I WASNT EVEN LOOKING FOR IT . I WAS LOOKING FO RIF WOMEN CAN WEAR MAKEUP AND BE SAVED AND THIS POPED UP. GOD KNOWS WHAT TO GIVE YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT.
Hi Kimberly, I am glad to hear the Lord used our article to help you in your life. The Lord bless you Sister! Brother Gary and Marlene Panell
HAY BROTHER THIS HELPED ME A LOT ABOUT DEVORICE AND ALL THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU JESUS IS KING
Chris, Praise God, thanks for your kind comment. Brother Gary
Correction to the post above!
She was the one cheated on by him.
Ok, thanks
Wow! I am married for the 7th time. Yes, I said 7th. I came from abuse and rejection and sought love in men who were incapable. I finally married a kind a loving man and I am walking with the Lord. I have been told to divorce my husband and that I am living in sin.
I never want to sin against God. I even filed for divorce but have postponed it until I have complete understanding on what I am to do. This is heart wrenching to me. Please help me!
Kelly
Hi Kelly, you are not to get a divorce! God has put you two together, now that you are saved, the past is past. You are to forget the past and realize you are a new person in Christ! Read 1 John 1:9. Get in the Word, reading the Bible every day. Find a good Bible believing church where you are accepted. Follow the teachings of Christ. Love your husband and live for God your whole life thru from here out like Paul did. God bless you and your husband. Brother Gary
If two men are married and simply confess the sin without abandoning the relationship they cannot go to heaven. Correct?? Likewise any person remarried must leave that sin as well. If they remain in that sin 1 Corinthians 6:9 applies.
There is no allowance for remarriage unless you’re a widow. To say otherwise you are now stating Gods word contradicts itself ….Matthew 19:9 would contradict Luke 16:18, mark 10, Roman’s 7 and so on. So this can only mean Matthew 19:9 is referring to the Jewish betrothal and not a marriage. Also it doesn’t matter if you were a believer when you married your spouse. It was recognized by God as a covenant. Anyone remarrying is risking their eternity for a few years on earth. I highly suggest staying single.
Hi Michael, then you would be saying, there are some sins that God cannot forgive. We need to ask God’s forgiveness and go on with our lives, don’t look back. Jesus said, that even looking at a woman with lust is sin and committing adultery. He forgives and forgets; we do not get to heaven by being sinless. We get to heaven by repenting and receiving His forgiveness by faith and faith alone. God bless you, Gary
Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be
Rejecting salvation is not the unforgivable sin. We are told in Mark 3:28-30 specifically in verse 30. Saying the Holy Spirit is an unclean spirit. This is blaspheming the Holy Spirit which is unforgivable.
Mark 3:28-30
[28]Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
[29]But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
[30]Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
Michael, if you don’t receive Jesus you too have committed the unforgivable sin. Gary