Matthew 19:9 States The Facts Of The Case; Romans 7:2-3 States The Reason

Jesus states a moral and theological fact in Matthew 19:9a – “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery.” But how could marrying a second wife in this case result in adultery? Doesn’t Vine’s define an “adulterer” as “denotes one who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another”? If a man divorces his wife for say incompatibility and marries another, how could it be adultery for him to be married to the second wife? Isn’t the second his current spouse?

The answer lies in Romans 7:2-3 – “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. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: 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 reason it is adultery for a man to divorce his wife for any reason other than fornication and marry another, is because that man is still bound (obligated) to his original wife as long as she lives, and the unscriptural divorce and remarriage doesn’t change that fact.

So if she is still alive, he is still obligated to her even though the state of Alabama may say he is free to marry another. The original wife is supposed to be his spouse according to God. Since he is still obligated to her, if he has relations with another (even within human legal marriage), that makes him an adulterer because he is cheating “against” his original wife (Mark 10:11).

Conclusion: Matthew 19:9 states the fact that if a man divorces he wife (other than for fornication) and remarries, he commits adultery. Romans 7:2-3 states the reason for that fact: He is still bound (obligated) to his original wife even though he is married to a second. Romans 7:2-3 states the reason “divorce followed by remarriage” results in adultery.

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