COVENANT WARRIORS - Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage

COVENANT WARRIORS
CHRISTIANS STANDING FOR THE TRUTH OF MARRIAGE

He [Jesus] told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her.
And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.” - Mark 10:11-12 (NLT)

1 Cor 7 - Deconstructing ”NOT UNDER BONDAGE”

Many in the church try to provide comfort to those abandoned by an unfaithful spouse by quoting the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 7, specifically verse 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. - 1 Cor 7:15 (KJV)
It is often cited as a verse that allows an abandoned spouse to remarry while a covenant spouse still lives, even in the face of the other verses that a marriage vow is lifelong regardless of circumstances (Luke 16:18, Mark 10:11-12, Romans 7:1, Galatians 3:15, 1 Cor 7:39, etc.).
In all truth, the premise that "not under bondage" or "no longer bound" allows one to remarry--as some interpret--is false. (Even if that is what Paul meant--and we will show it is not--however, it would not release a person in the situation most Christians face, as it requires the presumption of unbelief regarding one's spouse, when that spouse claims to be a believer. The people leaving their covenant husband or wife for others are sitting in the pews next to you professing faith in Jesus Christ! Only God knows if these people are believers, but they claim it for all to hear, often going to the "church" to be remarried, so the supposed exit clause of non-belief has no bearing in most cases to begin with. That red herring aside...)
Searching translations:
“But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace” (NKJV).
“But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace” (NIV).
“And, if the unbelieving doth separate himself--let him separate himself: the brother or the sister is not under servitude in such cases, and in peace hath God called us;” (YLT).
“But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace” (ESV).
“But if the husband or wife who isn’t a Christian insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is not required to stay with them, for God wants his children to live in peace” (NLT).
“But if those who are not believers decide to leave, let them leave. When this happens, the Christian man or woman is free. But God called us to live in peace” (NCV).
These translations contain some glaring differences concerning the translation of “not under bondage.” We have a variance that goes from "not under bondage” / “not under servitude” / "is not enslaved" to "is free" / “is not bound” / “is not required to stay with them.”
These translations all differ to some degree from one another and inject confusion into what is a simple and clear directive from the Apostle Paul, a command buttressed in large measure by verses from Mark, Luke, Romans, Thessalonians, etc., as well as the entirety of 1 Corinthians 7.
So what did Paul mean? One thing he did not mean was that an abandoned spouse is free to remarry. To begin with, the Greek tense of the word for bondage (douloo) makes all of this moot (we will come back to this). No matter what Paul means by bondage, it is *not* marriage.

So What Do "Under Bondage" and "Depart" Mean?

Depart is translated from the Greek "chorizo" which is also used in Mark 10:9 and Matthew 19:6 when Jesus says "let no man *separate*." Thus Paul is making it clear that the party departing is seeking a divorce.
Also, thanks to lazy and biased Bible translators the distinct and unique Greek words douloo and deo are BOTH translated into "bondage" in Romans and Corinthians.
In Romans 7:2 Paul uses deo (translated as "bound") to indicate a marriage bond. Deo means "bind, fasten, tie" and in this context is intended to convey the PERMANENCE of the marriage bond ("to be bound to one, a wife, a husband").
For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. - Rom 7:2 (NASB)
It is clear Paul is referring to the marriage bond, which he argues is in effect until a spouse dies. (note that he repeats this in 1 Cor 7:39, just a few verses after the one we are focusing on in this article). The marriage bond exists even after a legal civil divorce and, while the world may recognize a divorce and remarriage, the person who does such is in adultery for he or she is still bound (deo) by the covenant vow to the true husband or wife--the one in which a covenant has been established and ratified.
So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. - Rom 7:3 (NLT)
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. - 1 Cor 7:39 (ESV)
Note that Paul uses DEO (bound as in marriage) here as he does in Romans 7:2, rather than the word DOULOO used in 1 Cor 7:15. This is an important distinction. Douloo literally means, "to make a slave of" or "reduce to bondage" i.e. "to give myself wholly to one's needs and service, make myself a bondman to him." It is in the perfect passive indicative tense which literally means, "You are not a slave of, were not a slave of, and have never been a slave of."
So what is Paul trying to tell us by saying that we are not enslaved? It seems clear that he is releasing the abandoned spouse from marital duties (sexual intercourse, financial support, subjugation, washing the departed one's laundry, etc.). Colloquially, "Your spouse is gone. You don't have to clean up after them any more."

"Let Him Depart"

This is possibly the most difficult part of Paul's instruction to understand and obey because it is so subtle in its presentation. In short, Paul is providing contingency law. Contingency law is given by God to tell us what to do if a certain situation arises. God is not granting approval of the situation but is simply providing guidance for how to handle it.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 is one example of contingency law. In it God gives guidance for what must be done if a man commits rape. The perpetrator must pay 50 shekels of silver, marry the woman in question, and never separate from her for the rest of his days. Cleary, God is not approving of rape provided the proper price was paid and a marriage entered but giving set-in-stone guidelines for how to deal with it.
1 Corinthians 7:15 is contingency law at most. It can't be anything else, lest Paul is bipolar and full of contradicition within his own paragraph.
Paul states that a believer and unbeliever are not to divorce. He then instructs the believer on what to do *if* the unbeliever departs anyway. This is a violation of God's commands by the departing spouse but the believer is told to do one thing: let him depart.
Paul is telling us not to scratch and claw to keep the person from leaving. We don't have to pack their bags, but at the same time we must not cling to them. As many of us have experienced firsthand, clinging desperately to a departing spouse only serves to drive them away faster.

"We Are Called to Peace"

Being called to peace has nothing to do with remarriage. Instead, Christians are called to peace in that they must remain with a non-Christian. If the non-Christian refuses to stay, you cannot try to make them. You cannot fight with them or sow discord, but rather, you must be calm. Let God handle the situation and remember that there are worse things than being abandoned by a spouse. As Paul told us in 1 Cor 7:28, "Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that." (ESV)
It seems almost humorous, but marriage does bring with strife. Seek the peace in your life that being alone provides. Never give up on your mate but take the time, the PEACE in your life, to grow in your relationship with the Lord.
"In Conclusion"

It is clear that 1 Corinthians 7:15 is not a release from our covenant marriage vows. Only four verses prior Paul tells us to "remain single or be reconciled". If remarriage were authorized here in verse 15 that would be a massive contradiction. Also, if "bound" in this case meant "married" (which we have shown it does not) internal consistency must be maintained. Because of the verb tense of the word douloo Paul would be saying a person being divorced by an unbeliever "is not married, was not married, and never will be married." A bit of a stretch.
Indeed, Paul tells us in the very next verse that the spouse that has left us may be saved!!!
For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? - 1 Cor 7:16 (NASB)
Paul, like Christ, did not use words loosely. Sadly, ungodly bible translators have done us all a disservice by allowing their bias to creep into the truth of God and turn it into a lie as written in Jeremiah.
"How can you say, 'We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us'? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie. - Jeremiah 8:8 (NASB)
Paul warned us to pay attention to the SOUND words. Words that have not been undermined or altered, but the truth as intended and written. A sound boat floats. A sound building stands. The reverse is also true and the house of cards that the modern church has built is collapsing as families are destroyed by adultery, divorce, remarriage, and wickedness all disguised as grace.
Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. - 2 Timothy 1:13 (NASB)
Jesus was a lion not a shrinking violet. He said that if you loved Him you would obey Him. He said it plain and straight: remarriage while a covenant spouse lives is adultery. If you love Him you will stop. It will never be any more plain than that.

To God be the glory.

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Godly Advice For Husbands Regarding Their Wives

(A wife regarding her Godly husband.)
"His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend"
- Song 5:16 (NLT)

For Neona, Ira, and Charlie... I love you. I will never leave you.