Apparently... The passage dealt with whether a Christian who is to be completely devoted to God should marry - Paul was teaching that they still had the liberty to marry, but that would affect the level of their devotion/service - because now they would be more focussed on their spouse and not as focussed on the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:28-35 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

P.S. Why are you trying to base your understanding of Biblical issues on your reasoning? Let's stick with what the Bible actually says.

[pbiwolski]

Nice try,

The passage, as you put it, doesn't start in verse 28 (again, as you put it). So you may review my previous post and notice the thou with permission to marry is the same thou that has just been loosed from a previous marriage (v27), making it a REmarriage.

Originally Posted by browilder61

This also fits in with the "overall context" - 1Cr 7:10 - And unto the married I command, [yet] not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from [her] husband:

1Cr 7:11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to [her] husband: and let not the husband put away [his] wife.

"the ONLY WAY a Christian is free in a divorce is when the non-Christian leaves the marriage"?? not according to the above verses in the SAME CHAPTER. Notice vs. 11 - "....."let her remain UNMARRIED" which means she became unmarried the moment she left, or deserted and she is to either stay that way or be reconciled to her husband, and the husband is not to put away the wife. There is a big difference in what it says above, and "some others" that read 1Cor7 the way a Roman Catholic would read it, and look down their noses on Christians who have been divorced and remarried as second class Christians.

I guess I'm not sure I agree if you are saying that if a non-believer departs a believer, the believing spouse in not able to marry.

Let's look at the full context:

1 Corinthians 7:8-15 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. 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. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. 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. 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.

Paul says for the unmarried it is better to remain unmarried, but it is better to marry than to burn.

in verse 11, (the bold blue) yes Paul says that if she departs let her remain unmarried. Paul is talking about a saved person, a believer. So if the believing spouse leaves, she is unable to re-marry unless she reconciles with her spouse.

See the But? here comes the exception..... If the unbelieving spouse departs, let him depart. A brother or a sister in not under bondage is such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

So the believing spouse, (that had a non believing spouse depart) is now unmarried, and like Paul says it is better to remain unmarried, but better to marry than to burn. If you are able to remain unmarried with out the desire of a sexual relationship then great, if not, marry.

So just for an example, I am a believer and I would never leave my spouse in obeying the scripture. If for some reason, I had to leave my spouse, (protection) then I would have to remain unmarried. Although, what if my husband committed fornication during our separation? I guess along with Church counsel, I would have to figure that out??

Webster's 1828 Dictionary [A-J]
fornication
FORNICA'TION, n. L. fornicatio.

1. The incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with an unmarried woman.

2. Adultery. Matt. 5.

3. Incest. 1Cor. 5.

4. Idolatry; a forsaking of the true God, and worshipping of idols. 2Chron. 21. Rev. 19.

But, if my unbelieving spouse left me, I would let him leave and I would not be bound to the marriage anymore. God has called me to peace and I don't think this means I have to pay the penalty of my departing spouses leaving and continue to burn.

If my believing spouse left me, then I would also have to seek Church counsel and invite my spouse to join the counsel in hopes of reconciliation. Although, there would be a possibility that my believing spouse would be treated as a Pagan and then I would treat him as an unbeliever.

If we follow the steps just as laid out in scripture, we can't go wrong and can live in peace as God intends.

[George]

Re: Beth (Post #173)

Excellent sister Beth!

You have more of an understanding of this issue than the majority of the so-called "Fundamentalistl" pastors in the U.S.A.

I've enjoyed most of your posts and am in agreement with you most of the time - God bless you and yours.

George

Man, it seems like our friend Jerry reads between the lines too much, 1Cr 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
1Cr 7:28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.

The context of vs. 28 is vs. 27 - that is a REmarriage. If you (thou) are loosed (divorced) from a wife, seek not a wife. BUT - it doesn't stop there - BUT AND IF thou (the one thats been loosed) marry( a REmarriage) thou (the one thats been "loosed") HAST NOT SINNED. So someone who's been scripturally divorced is not doomed to be a perpetual enuch until the "living spouse"( which is unscriptural) dies . Fornication "scripturally speaking" is having sexual relations with someone that is not your spouse , whether you are presently married or not - 1Cr 6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? FOR TWO, SAITH HE, SHALL BE ONE FLESH (Gen. 2:24) - Rom 7:3 " So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be MARRIED TO ANOTHER MAN , she shall be called an ADULTRESS: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man". The physical union makes the bond primarily in the Bible. Thats why adultery is a grounds. See that word "married" ? Did the woman in Romans 7:3 get a divorce before she stepped out on her husband in order to be MARRIED to the man she committed adultery with Jerry? no, I don't think so. So according to you, "fornication" is sexual relations BEFORE marriage, but adultery isn't fornication? Is that verse saying that she had a wedding ceremony with the man she stepped out on her husband with in order to be MARRIED to him? When you step out on your wife, or vice-versa, married or not, and join yourself to another woman physically, you broke the bond between your spouse, and she has a scriptural grounds to divorce you, and the recommended thing would be to stay single, but if you don't have the gift that Paul had to stay that way, and you can't contain yourself, then its perfectly OK to get married as long as you marry in the Lord.

I totally agree Beth, maybe the way I put it sounded the opposite. I was in oppostion to what Jerry was implying, that the ONLY way a Christian is free is when the non-Christian leaves the marriage, and that there's no remarriage unless the spouse dies.

Originally Posted by browilder61

So according to you, "fornication" is sexual relations BEFORE marriage, but adultery isn't fornication?

I'm sorry you have poor comprehension skills. This is what I said:

Generally-speaking, fornication is sex before marriage.

Why speak in "general"? fornication is sex outside of marriage and an adulterer or adultress commits fornication inside of marriage - you have a poor comprehension of 12th grade English.

Originally Posted by George

Re: Beth (Post #173)

Excellent sister Beth!

You have more of an understanding of this issue than the majority of the so-called "Fundamentalistl" pastors in the U.S.A.

I've enjoyed most of your posts and am in agreement with you most of the time - God bless you and yours.

George

Thank you George! The only reason I have an understanding of this topic is because my Pastor preaches on this along with the full counsel of God.

My Pastor and his wife are both divorced. My Pastors first wife left him with the kids to pursue a career. My Pastors wife's first husband left her with the kids, to pursue another woman and alcoholism. Together they put together two broken families and this was done Biblically.

They were turned away from many Churches because of this. They were not able to serve even in the littlest of capacities. Can you believe this? I couldn't. They tried to talk of the scriptures and the reasons why they were free to marry each other, but the Churches would not hear of it. All they knew is that divorce was sin and they just couldn't take the time to put it all together.

Praise the Lord, they started their own Church. The Ministry of the Way of Life directory of Fundamental Independent Churches will not put our Church in the listing because my Pastor has been divorced. What a shame, but praise the Lord I found them anyway.

I know many Churches won't even speak on the topic, so the flock remains ignorant. We can't take verse 11 of 1 Cor ch 7 and just come to the conclusion that if you divorce you are never to remarry except to get back together with you spouse. We must read 1 Cor ch. 7 in it's entirety to get the full picture.

Originally Posted by browilder61

Why speak in "general"? fornication is sex outside of marriage and an adulterer or adultress commits fornication inside of marriage - you have a poor comprehension of 12th grade English.

I do think we mostly agree on this topic, although, I don't think we should talk to our brethren like this. We can reason together.

Jerry has shown himself to be Biblically sound and quite intelligent, even though I don't agree with him on the topic of divorce and re-marriage.