If a man marries a divorced woman, is he giving in to his fleshly desires?

Question

Matthew 5:32 says "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."

As a gay man, I have been accused of sinning by giving in to my "fleshly desires," even though I'm monogamous.

Jesus is very clear here that marrying a divorced woman is equivalent to adultery.

Jesus Christ said these precise words about divorce. This isn't the Old Testament, this isn't St. Paul. It's Jesus.

So is every man who marries (and remains monogamously married) to a divorced woman committing adultery?

Therefore should he (and she) be prevented from (a) membership in a church (b) access to communion (c) preaching and ordained pastorate and (d) burial via a Christian funeral?

There is no record of Jesus saying anything about homosexuality. Why then are gay people prevented from these things when Jesus exact words are often openly ignored?

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Answer 1

Sadly, Christians have a knack for putting into place those tenets which they like and ignoring those they do not. They divorce and remarry so it can't really be a sin. They don't like homosexuality, therefore it is still a sin.

Answer 2

Jesus meant what he said. Jesus said fornication, not adultery. Fornication is sex outside of marriage and has to do with the status of a woman who claims to be a virgin prior to marriage, but is not. An unfaithful wife is to be forgiven. Divorce for any reason other than fornication is not biblicly lawful. If a man knows that his fiancee is not a virgin and accepts her as a wife, the the rule of fornication does not apply because he accepts her unchaste status. Homosexual conduct is considered immoral, as it is condemned by the old testament, and Paul condemns it in the New Testament. The Bible is regarded as God's word and therefore as truth. It cannot be set aside under any circumstances. Because much of what is given to man in the Bible is either hard to take or impossible to keep we have the blood of Jesus to redeem us from it. This is God's provision for us so that we can fellowship with him. God cannot tolerate sin----sin is sin no matter what the nature or severity of it is, and God will not accept it. The blood of Jesus is open to all persons to be covered by it, to the heterosexual and to the homosexual. God loves all of his creation and he wants all of Creation to come to his glory. Praise God for the blood of Jesus, which redeems us from sin.

Answer 3

That is very true. And some of us stick by it. It's called Apostolic Tradition, based on Holy Scripture. Except in cases of marital unfaithfulness, what the Lord says is true.

Sacramental annulments are another matter entirely....and a subject for another day.

Answer 4

I believe that GOD told us enough times in the OLD TESTAMENT what HE expects of us in this regard. HE destroyed Sodom as a result of it's homosexual behavior. Why do you think that HE has any different feeling of this today? I find in Colossians 3:5-10, that Paul wrote " 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:". This tells us in verse 5 that "inordinate affections" are wrong. I would say that homosexual yearnings are in that category. We also read in
Jude 7-8 that " 7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities." This speaks of Sodom and Gomorrha and "going after strange flesh". This is quite clear also as to who and what we are NOT to do. I hope that this clears up your thoughts on the matter. I would like for you to study this and email me if you would like to discuss it further. I am a Christian and I am very likely not from your general area of the country, yet I would be glad to discuss this matter with you at length any time that you would like thru this medium. Have a great day!
Eds

Answer 5

I agree

It's modern liberalization

Remember some Churhes are liberlizing attitudes towards Gays

We don't know if it's ultimately right or wrong but it's happening

I suppose the fornicators will want their rights next

Answer 6

If you live by the book you shall die by the book. Who's religion is the right religion? There are so many with varying beliefs. We are in 2007 make up your own mind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions

Answer 7

Anyone marrying anyone else with the only purpose of sex and not with the desire to procreate and care for one another is committing sin.

Answer 8

no different than a man who marries a single woman.

Answer 9

So is every man who marries (and remains monogamously married) to a divorced woman committing adultery?

Therefore should he (and she) be prevented from (a) membership in a church (b) access to communion (c) preaching and ordained pastorate and (d) burial via a Christian funeral?

As to the answer to this question, it is yes. There many churches who stay faithful to this as well. So they are your standard, not the disobedient!


Homosexuality is a riotous act and mindset. It is the very abc's of right and wrong to know it is off course(man is made for women) It is a greedy unihibited bold lust which emboldens men to deny this, on this reason, nature and scripture all agree.

The reason Jesus doesn't mention this specifically is because he came preaching to the Jews who had the law of Moses which speaks clearly on this issue, Jesus' audience knew the abc's of what is clean and what unclean. They rightly detested and despised such humiliating acts.

When Paul spoke to the Gentiles he was talking to people who were not instructed in the righteous requirements of our God, so he taught them about this righteousness according to the Messiah, who 'came not to destroy the law but fulfill it'.
Paul spoke expressly by the spirit and gift of the Holy Spirit of God.

You on the other hand are not an apostle of Christ, but a shameless defender and advocate of sin, a perverter who does not want to see straight, wishing instead to change everything around you to fit your desires, not even fearing to apply your unclean mind to the bible. But you cannot change the truth.All those who love the truth will come to it, willingly, and surrender.
John 3:19
" For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God."

1Corinthinas 6:9
"Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God's Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts "

You cannot point to other peoples sin to justify your own.
It doesn't matter what others do, or how many hypocrites there are as professing Christians.
The unrighteous and disobedient will be judged no matter what they call themselves, Born agains, Protestant, Calvinist, Arminian, Methodist, Atheist, Communist,Agnostic, Democrat, Catholic, Orthodox, Social Activists, Civil Rights leaders, the name means nothing.
Stop being willingly stupid, pretending you don't know that homosexuality is an extreme, unpleasant, useless, embarassing, and reprehensible abomination. This sin deviancy naturally strikes the mind as especially aggravated and offensive.

Romans 1
19 God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain.

20 Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!

21 They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness.

22 They say they are wise, but they are fools;

23 instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles(evolution).

24 And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other.

25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.

26 Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts.

27 In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.

28 Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.

29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others.

32 They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.