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Baptists/Adultery and Biblical Divorce

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Expert: - 3/24/2010


Question
In the case of two Christians divorcing and remarrying. Is that considered adultery in God's eyes? For instance,the divorced couple were Christians at the time they divorced. If they meet and then decide to remarry are they committing adultery?

Answer
Thanks for your question. The answer is No. If two Christians who are married and get a divorce, what we try as counselors to get them to recouncile their differences and get them back together and remarry. The ideal situation is for Christian couples will go through counseling, have a period of separation, and then recouncile their differences, and live together as a couple and in the process never get a divorce. But some couples jump the gun, and never seek counseling until after they are divorced.

Adultery only occurs with married people. If a married couple are together and one or both are unfaithful and has a sexual relationship outside of marriage that is ADULTERY.

If two Christian couples are divorced and do not have sex with each other or other people they are okay. But if they have sex with each other while divorced, or other people they are committing FORNICATION. Fornication occurs between people have sex with each other while not being married. Adultery only applies having sex outside of MARRIAGE.

Christian, a very good example took place with an encounter with Jesus and the woman at the well. John 4:16=18 states "He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." Notice the woman said "I have no husband" and Jesus said "you have had (past tense) five husband" in the past. Jesus even clarifies this more and stated "the one whom you now have is not your husband." So Jesus was saying  the man you are having sex with is not your husband (because she was not married).
The woman at the well had been married 5 different times, but now she was not married but having a sexual relationship with a man ouside of marriage, and would be considered committing FORNICATION.

I hope this helps.

Blessings,

Dr Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD  

Baptists

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Dr Don Howe

Expertise

I welcome questions that deal with theological issues, relationship issues, church history, world religions, current events from a Christian worldview, "gray areas" that are present today, church growth movements, false prophets, spiritual abuse issues, end time events, prophecy, medical ethical issues, hermeneutical questions, and how Israel fits into God's economy today. I will answer all questions in a grammatical/historical normative interpretation of God's Word. If I can not answer a question, I will do the research and find the answer if available. If you are looking for a liberal theological answer or agrument, do not ask. I am not an expert on church planting or evangelism.

Experience

I have over 27 years of experience doing ministry as a bivocational minster/professional nurse. I do ministry as a volunteer with ministries that are nonprofit and not able to pay for ministers. I have experience working with youth, children, elderly in different placement settings, mentally ill and mentally challenged in different settings, felons in state prison and county jails, hospital chaplancy, choir ministry, and deacon ministry. I am an ordained SBC minister. I am a Professional Chaplain. I am currently doing hospital minstry, ministry to shut-ins, and a chaplain with Victim Relief Ministry working with victims of diasters and domestic violence. I work as psychiatric nurse in large county jail system.

Organizations
American Association of Christian Counselors, Baptist Nursing Fellowship, Nurses Christian Fellowship, Therpon Institute, Victim Chaplain & Counselor Association of America, International Board of Christian Counselors, American Society of Christian Therapists.

Publications
N/A

Education/Credentials
PhD, Therapon University, USVI, 12/07 in Biblical Counseling, DCC, Southwest Bible College & Seminary, Jenning, LA 04/05 in Christian Psychology and Counseling. ThD, Slidell Baptist Seminary, Slidell, LA 02/04 D.D., Slidell Baptist Seminary, Slidell, LA 07/03 Tyndale Seminary, Fort Worth, TX 2001-2003 BSN, Univ. of Texas in Arlington, Tx 05/93 ADN, Midwestern State Univ., Wichitia Falls, TX 5/77 Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock, Externship 08/04-12/05, 4 units of CPE earned.

Awards and Honors
Board Certified Christian Counselor by International Board of Christian Counselors. Issued 01/24/06.

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