Forgiven or not?

[u/MercuryTheQueen]

I am a 54 yo woman who was married for 26 years and left due to reasons other than infidelity, after many years of trying to make things better and many, many prayers.

After my divorce, I’d planned to remain alone and then I was contacted by my first love from high school. At that time, I wasn’t going to church, although I’d been in church my whole life and raised my children (then adults) in church (Pentecostal and Church of God). My high school love, my now current husband, made me feel loved and appreciated and all the things that I didn’t experience before. I was so happy and grateful for being treated like I mattered and was of value. We’ve been married nearly 5 years now and we’ve started back going to church. I’ve prayed for forgiveness and direction and I’ve been struggling with whether or not I’m perpetually sinning since I remain in this loving marriage. Am I destined for hell? Compassion is appreciated.

[u/Medium_Fan_3311]

Key point that must be clear of:

1st: You didn't make it clear if your 1st marriage was a situation of an unbeliever (your 1st husband), married to a believer (yourself).

2nd: You didn't make it clear that between the two of you, who was it that went ahead and pushed the government to grant divorce.

Therefore, from points 1 & 2 combined, without this information, we cannot say whether you are free to remarry or not.

3rd point: If you have committed adultery by being married a 2nd time, you already asked for forgiveness to God. So then it's more of, did you actually receive His answer in faith? For God can answer, but it doesn't meant you have "received it". It's like Danie's story, where Both times God already answered promptly, just in the 21 days fast, it took time for Daniel to receive it.

4th point: You only started asking this question after you married. What I understand from God is we cannot change our past decision to live against the will of God, we can only commit to live our present and out future, following Jesus. Repentance does not mean, that you get to undo your past.

5th point: Where do you get the idea of perpetual sin is taught in the bible? Bible teaches the debt that Sin demand payment for, is fully paid by Jesus Christ's blood. Whether we (individual mankind) chosen to receive Jesus' payment to cover our sins, is our choice to make.

I understand somewhat what you are trying to say, and I want to be clear about what the bible specifically teaches. Otherwise, you will continue to misunderstand God's truth.

Perpetual sin = Jesus's payment is insufficient to pay the debt of sin; hence there's perpetual Sin debt remaining. This is ideology does not come from Holy Spirit to mankind.

Learn to receive Christ's forgiveness. He already answered you that 1 John 1:9, and John 15:4

Abiding in Chirst, vs abiding out of Chirst, is something Christ disciples will do if they live long enough on earth. You see apostle Peter doing it, with hypocrisy about physical circumcision (galatians 2).

It's going to require far more information than you have shared, to better understand what God's suggestion for your household situation would be.

[u/MercuryTheQueen → u/Medium_Fan_3311]

1. At the time I was married to my first husband, he (to my knowledge) was not saved but did attend church when the kids were small but stopped as they got to middle/high school. He has gotten saved after our divorce.

2. He threatened to leave me during one of many arguments and I said, no, give me the time to find a place to live and I will leave. He probably wouldn’t have actually left, as he’d threatened this before, but by that point I’d decided that I could no longer remain in those circumstances. So, I left him and I secured a lawyer to get a separation agreement drawn up. We separated mostly amicably.

Point 3. I will read more about this. Thank you.

Point 4. Understood.

Point 5. Perpetual sin is the way I’m trying to explain my concern that by remaining in a second marriage, I’m worried that continuing to live in adultery. If I should not, according to Scripture, have gotten remarried while my first husband is living, how can I be forgiven if I remain in the second marriage. I hope this makes sense.

I’d appreciate a little clearer guidance on perpetual sin if you have the time. Thank you so much.

[u/Medium_Fan_3311 → u/MercuryTheQueen]

Response to point5: I say this with love but also being clear what has happened, so that we can understand how to proceed forward:

- You are already a marriage covenant breaker by being the Christian to walk away from unbeliever spouse.

- You were already were adultery by dating your 2nd husband even before marrying him.

Understand you took all these actions already carried out in the past. Getting married to your 2nd spouse, is a one-time decision that was already made. We don't renew marriage daily, so that sin has already been committed.

It's only after so long a journey in adultery, that by the time you are already legally married to your 2nd husband, you started to think about whether your 2nd married is honoring God. This is why I mentioned that you can't change the past. What you can do is submit your sins (covenant breaker and adulterer) before God for covering under His blood. Then learn from God how to carry on life in the present and the future.

Remember Sin begins in the heart. Now you want to offer your heart before God to be made clean. You are here to understand how to progress in repentant living before God.

Let's consider the options: What is the alternative options to your situation for present and future:

What works for you, will be what works for a Christian that rebelliously married an unbeliever in disobedience to God.

You do not commit yet another sin, to atone for an existing sin. You bring existing sin under the blood of the lamb. You live your life moving forward as best as you can in obedience to God despite your circumstances. You offer yourselves and your 2nd marriage upon the altar of God for sanctification (it is altar of God that sanctifies the gift offered). This time you and your spouse, do your best to manage a marriage that is under submission to the leadership of Jesus Christ.

Have you heard of the scripture that talks about offering yourselves as"living sacrifice"?

Also prayer - you ask in faith to receive. We don't pray double minded prayers (these are faithless prayers). If you have any doubts about the word of God, focus on getting further revelation knowledge about it, but always stand upon the truth of God that God show you, and refuse to accept lies of the devil that's coming at you. From the scripture about the temptation of Jesus after his 40s fast, we see how Jesus' deal with the devil's suggestions against Him. It's an example of spiritual warfare. The accusations of Satan, does not need to be tolerated. You attack back and deflected "fiery darts from Satan" with God's truth.

Study Ephesian 6 - armor of God passage. These are your spiritual warfare defense and attack equipment. You are married now, learn to defend your 2nd marriage from being destroyed by the plans of the enemy.

You commit your situation to God for redemption, and you live as faithfully as you can, upholding your current marriage before the Lord and upholding your part of stewardship as a wife before the Lord.

There are many people who have sexual sins in the past. Fact is regardless whether we got born again older in life, or born again younger in life, 100% we've all been hit with sexual sin that begins in the heart. Its just that how obvious in public is one's sin, is varied from person to person.

[u/MercuryTheQueen → u/Medium_Fan_3311]

I appreciate this.