There is enough evidence in the Bible to show that it does not matter as much what I think on the subject but what God thinks. Let me say this right off that the root of any divorce is sin and sin separates us from God and breaks our fellowship with Him. Will God forgive the sin of divorce? Of course He can and will: (1 John 1:9 KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There is so much in that one short verse in the Bible that we could preach on it for years without exhausting its subject. The big condition is in the first word; "if". The word is so small but carries a lot of weight. God knows our mind; He knows whether we are sincere or not. If we are truly repentant and sincere in our confession of sin, then His Word says He will forgive us. The one great attribute of our God is that He is always faithful: (2 Th 3:3 KJV) But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. The Old Testament sacrifices covered the sins of the people but the Blood of Jesus Christ takes it away (as if it was never there), (1 Cor 6:11 KJV) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Many years ago, I stood before a group of men who were questioning me and proving my "gifts" to enter into the Gospel ministry. One of them men asked me that if they were not to grant my ordination, what would my course be. I told them that I was just seeking their approval not their calling for God had already called me. I told them that I had no choice but to preach or face an Almighty God who called me into His ministry. His calling is true and having a letter of recommendation or certificate of ordination from them or the lack of same can not revoke the calling. God makes no mistakes. We may change and our testimony may be marred but God does not change or say "Uh Oh! I made a mistake!" II Cor 3:3:1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. 4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. I had a disagreement several years ago with one local pastor who taught that divorce and remarriage was an "unpardonable sin". Since somewhere between sixty and ninety percent of his congregation had been divorced and had consequently remarried, he held it over their heads like a scepter. He held to the scripture verses that Paul wrote to his (spiritual) son Timothy: I Tim 3:3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; I told him that I agreed with that but what was he going to do with the verses that followed: 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) You see, I knew that his children never attended church and did not have a good reputation in the community. He accused me of meddling and said that his children had nothing to do with his ministering. He gave me the paradox of saying that God may forgive the sin but that it "limits" the sinner's service for God. I told him that when God forgives a sin, it is forgotten. Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. I would hate to have it upon my conscience that I (even in spirit) denied anyone the opportunity to serve God. This certain minister said it was alright for the divorced person to minister just so they were not being "paid" to do so. (1 Tim 6:10 KJV) For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. It is up to the local church to say who they will call or will not call. It is up to the local church to say who will or will not preach behind their pulpit or in their sanctuary. I have no problem with that. The one thing that I do have a problem with is that one man can say he is a better person for a job, position or ministry because his sins are not as great as another's. Divorce is a terrible and grave problem in today's world and our pastors and churches had better learn to minister to those who are suffering through the ordeal with love and compassion. If God takes you through a testing in your life, whether it be spiritual or physical, He will bring you through the trial better equipped to minister to those who will follow: Ps 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. The word Baca means weeping and the tears fill pools that are able to relate to others who are going through the same problem, trial or sickness. The question is: "Can God use such a person who has gone through a divorce and then remarries?" There are churches who will not use a man if he has been divorced whether he is remarried or not. That is their choice. There are other churches who will not use a minister who has been married, his wife died and then he remarried. That is their choice but I think it is silly. But will God use such a person and is He ever in favor of divorce? The Word of God bears witness that He will and He is. (1 Sam 13:14 KJV) ... the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people ... That man was David and what a wonderful thing to be called a "man after God's own heart". But David was married to Michal, the daughter of Saul and to another that he had an "affair" with and then murdered her husband so that he could take her to wife. She was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Did God make a mistake in calling David or does he know all of our hearts and knowing that none of us are any better than a lying, murderous adulterer? Just look at the beautiful Psalms that David wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that has been used to bless us in so many days and ways. I would be hard pressed to remember a funeral service in which the Twenty-third Psalm was not read. Should we tear those verses from our Bibles and never use them again because of the life of the one who penned them? Then there was the son of David and Bathsheba who was named Solomon. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines and God still used him to write Books of our Bible and to build the mighty Temple of God. What a blessing it is to know that if while we are the most vile of men that God can still use us in His ministry. Let us not forget that it is His ministry and not ours. Please read these verses from Jeremiah, Chapter three and draw your own conclusion to what these verse mean: 3:1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? 5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. 6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. 11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. There are those who say that we serve a different God now than the God of the Old Testament. Nothing can be further from the truth. God never changes nor can He lie. (Titus 1:2 KJV) In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; He is the same God who created the world and who promises us eternal life now and in the world which is to come and His Name is Jesus. The Bible is full of illustrations of those who have failed miserably and yet were used greatly of an Almighty God. Is God ever in favor of divorce? Read these verses from Ezra, Chapter Ten: 10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. 5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. I heard recently on my car radio a well respected minister speaking about marriage and he said that: "No matter who the person is, no matter where they are from, no matter if they are Christians or not, even the wildest native from Africa who never heard the name of our God, if they were living together as a man and wife, that God has joined them together. You need to look no further than the above verses in Ezra to know that was not true. Can a man and woman marry outside the will of God? Of course they can. Did God join them together? Of course He didn't. Don't blame that on God! We make many mistakes in life; some hurt us more than others. The sin of divorce hurts so many and leaves innocent people wounded by the way. Many times there is no excuse but many times there are. We will not go into all the details of the causes, reasons or consequences of divorce here. The question was what I think about divorced pastors and that doesn't matter ... God knows. ----------------------------------------------