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Theology => Bible Study => Topic started by: tqpix on April 17, 2004, 12:02:20 AM



Title: Remarriage after divorcing an unbeliever according to Paul
Post by: tqpix on April 17, 2004, 12:02:20 AM
1 Corinthians 7:12-16
12   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.
13   And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14   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.
15   But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
16   For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

In verse 15, does Paul say it's okay to remarry after a divorce, because we, the believers, are "not under bondage in such cases".

I say "yes".  Some people might argue that "not under bondage" simply means that we are not obligated to keep living with the unbeliever.  However, Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:39 says

Romans 7:2
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:39
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.

Notice the word "bound" in both these verses.  Now notice the word "bondage" in 1 Corinthians 7:15.

I think "bondage" refers to a person being tied to the law (i.e. we are bound by the law as long as we are married to the unbeliever).  If the unbeliever leaves us, the marriage is dead and we are no longer tied to the law.  Therefore, just like widows, we are free to marry other people--as long as they are Christians:

"...she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 7:39)

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) says that Paul couldn't possible be permitting remarriage after divorcing an unbeliever, because Paul, having claimed to be a Roman citizen, would be under the scrutiny of the Romans for making such authority and changing their laws.

However, Paul is clever, and prevented such scrutiny.  The verses following verse 16 in 1 Corinthians 7 don't talk about remarriage until verse 39.  By having verses that talk about something else between verses 16 and 39, this fooled the untrained eye into believing that "bondage" in verse 15 referred to the marriage rather than the law.  To further ensure that the Romans don't make the connection verses 15 and 39, he talked about the condition of widows in verse 39.