For a number of reasons, questions about marriage are among the most interesting and important to human beings. And, among the most important of those questions is this: who can marry without committing sin in so doing? The Bible answer is plain. The Bible makes clear that, ideally speaking, God intends that marriage is to be a lifetime contract (Romans 7:1-4). Jesus gave one exception. He sets out one ground upon which one may put away his companion and marry another: that of marital unfaithfulness (fornication, Matthew 19:9). God joins together two people in marriage only when both parties to that marriage are eligible (according to Bible standards of eligibility) to be married. Even if a person is eligible to be married, if he/she marries someone who is not eligible, then he/she commits adultery. With the above introductory matters in mind, may each reader prayerfully consider those who, according the Bible, are eligible to be married (and who, therefore, can marry without committing sin in so doing).

1. Those who have never been married previously may, without sin, marry – so long as they themselves marry an eligible (in the sight of God) partner. “But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned” (1 Corinthians 7:28; cf. 1 Corinthians 7:9).
2. Those who have been previously married but whose former companion is dead. Paul stated the matter in this fashion: “For the woman which hath a husband is bound by law to the husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of the husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if the husband be dead, she is free from the law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man” (Romans 7:2, 3).
3. Those who have been previously married but whose former companion was guilty of fornication (unfaithfulness to the marriage vow). Here, our text (Matthew 19:9), shows plainly that Jesus gave to the innocent party the right to seek another marriage partner. If Jesus had given no exception, his language would have taught that every person who puts away his companion and marries another is guilty of adultery. But Jesus did not do that – he did give an exception, making it clear that those whose companions have been guilty of sexual unfaithfulness may put them away and marry another, not being guilty of adultery in so doing. This means physical unfaithfulness – the actual act of sexual intercourse – not merely lusting in one’s heart (Matthew 5:28).

The negation, put in simple terms, is a setting forth of those who cannot marry without sinning in so doing. Or, it might be stated as follows: those who do sin when they marry. Just who are these? 1. Those who have a living former companion who was not put away because of fornication. According to Matthew 19:9, Jesus forbade divorce and remarriage except on the ground of marital unfaithfulness (fornication). 2. Those who marry anyone who has a former companion (still living) who was not put away because of fornication. In Matthew 19:9, Jesus said, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away committeth adultery” (compare Matthew 5:32). 3. Those who were put away because of their marital unfaithfulness (fornication) (Matt. 5:32; cf.19:9). The guilty party (that is, one who has been put away because of fornication) is not free to marry. The teaching of Jesus on this matter is too plain for denial. It was with infinite wisdom that God has set forth the privileges and the bounds of marriage, divorce and remarriage. It is by God’s wisdom that fornication has been designated the one and only ground for divorce and remarriage. It was God who instituted marriage. It was God who has protected it by setting the limitations.

While our hearts ache for those who are involved in marriages which the Bible makes clear are not pleasing to God, it would not be the loving thing to counsel those so involved to stay in sinful relationships. The wise and loving counsel is always, “Obey the Lord. If you do, He will never leave you or forsake you.” Let each of us remember: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

– Thomas B. Warren, The Spiritual Sword, April, 1984 (adapted)
—submitted by Jerry D. Sturgill

We often highlight how by inspiration God gave the very words of the Scriptures to the men who wrote the books of the Bible (1 Cor. 2:11-13; 14:37; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). But how do we know that what God originally gave is preserved in the Bible today? Some make the charge that the Bible has been corrupted over the centuries, but can that be substantiated? While space prevents an exhaustive answer, the evidence indicates that we can be confident that the Bible we read today is the faithfully preserved word of God.

While all the autographs (the original writings of each book of the Bible whether it was on stone, clay, papyrus, etc.) no longer survive to this day, an abundance of copies have been made of the originals beginning soon after the time of their composition. Beginning with Moses and Joshua his successor, reference is made to the book of the law (Deut. 31:24, 26; Josh. 1:8; 8:31, 34; 23:6). A copy of the book was to be made for Israel’s leaders (Deut. 17:18). The scribes throughout OT times were very serious about preserving the words of God. This can be seen from the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include copies of the OT books dating as far back as the second century BC. The Isaiah scroll is amazingly preserved and shows negligible variation from the Isaiah we have in our Bibles today. When the Ethiopian eunuch was reading from Isaiah in his chariot, he no doubt had a copy­—not the original autograph—of Isaiah, yet what he read was the scripture (Acts 8:32).

When we open the New Testament, we can see early copying took place. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was not written to one congregation, but multiple congregations in the region of Galatia (Gal. 1:2); thus, it would be necessary for each to makes its own copy. That Paul’s letters were thus circulated is seen in his instruction to the church at Colossae, “And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16). Peter alluded to the fact recognized among first-century Christians that Paul’s epistles were part of the body of inspired Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Paul referenced the Gospel of Luke as Scripture, thus he had access to at least a copy of it just as he had to the Old Testament (1 Tim. 5:18; cf. Lk. 10:7; Deut. 25:4). Certainly, early Christians would make copies of writings they regarded as inspired Scripture. This copying has continued throughout the centuries and many fragments and large portions of these copies still exist and can be seen today in libraries around the world. There are more than 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the NT that have been catalogued. Additionally, over a million quotations of the Scriptures can be found in the writings of men known as “church fathers” who lived from the late first century to the middle ages. These “church fathers” obviously quoted extensively from the books of the Bible for they regarded them as inspired of God and authoritative. Their quotations corroborate the accuracy of the Bible text we now possess in line with the manuscripts from each century.

People do not question whether we have the words of Homer, Herodotus, or Shakespeare, yet the Bible has so much more evidence of faithful transmission than these writings. Take some time to investigate and you will find the Lord has kept His promise: “my words shall not pass away” (Mt. 24:35).

-Mark Day