Will Divorced & Remarried Protestants Go To Hell?

[sabrinaofmn]

Protestants don’t have annulments.

Matthew 5:32 says “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

Basically, it says that a person who marries a divorced woman commits adultery with her.

Galatians 5:19-21 says, " 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

When I was a Protestant, my Sunday school class was filled with people who fit into the category of remarriage after divorce. Because Protestants don’t have annulments, does anyone have any thoughts as to the eternal destination of these people?

 

[geezerbob]

I find it odd that most protestants say that scripture is the word of God and their only source of authority, then pick and choose those portions by which they wish to live. Regardless, though, Jesus is the judge of all men and it is up to Him, not me, to determine where each of them will spend eternity.

 

[DavidFilmer]

The question in a protestant marriage is whether God ever joined them together in the first place. If the marriage is not Sacramental then God is not involved. Simply because the marriage takes place in some sort of church doesn’t mean its sacramental. It may be no different in the eyes of God than a civil ceremony.

It’s POSSIBLE that a protestant marriage is sacramental because the minister of this particular Sacrament is not the guy in front, but the man and the woman. If the couple possess correct intent at the time then they can administer this Sacrament to each other.

However, what constitutes proper “intent?” Usually this means the intent to conduct the Sacrament in the manner understood, taught, and proscribed by the Catholic Church - anything less is partial intent (and invalidates the Sacramental nature of the act). It would be unusual for a protestant couple to both have this intent.

A couple in a non-sacramental marriage may technically be guilty of fornication, but do not have intent to commit fornication so they are not accountable for this. If this couple divorces and “remarries” it doesn’t change the nature of their situation. They cannot be guilty of adultry because they were never married in the eyes of God in the first place (and still aren’t).

An annulment, by the way, is a formal declaration by the Church that a marriage was defective in some manner and thus was never Sacramental. An annulment cannot ever “undo” a Sacramental marriage - only death can do that. A Catholic who enters a Sacramental union cannot ever marry again unless their spouse dies.

 

[SPOKENWORD]

geezerbob:

I find it odd that most protestants say that scripture is the word of God and their only source of authority, then pick and choose those portions by which they wish to live. Regardless, though, Jesus is the judge of all men and it is up to Him, not me, to determine where each of them will spend eternity.

Hi Geeze, Have you ever looked upon a women[man] with lust in your heart? I know I,ve had. Jesus say that any man who looks upon a women with lust in his heart has committed adultery.Are we any more or less guilty then they are? Thank God for forgiveness and a repentant heart.God Bless

 

[Genesis315]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi Geeze, Have you ever looked upon a women[man] with lust in your heart? I know I,ve had. Jesus say that any man who looks upon a women with lust in his heart has committed adultery.Are we any more or less guilty then they are? Thank God for forgiveness and a repentant heart.God Bless

The difference is that most Protestant churches approve of divorce and remarrying and do not consider it a sin, while commiting adultery in the heart is still considered sin.

 

[geezerbob]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi Geeze, Have you ever looked upon a women[man] with lust in your heart? I know I,ve had. Jesus say that any man who looks upon a women with lust in his heart has committed adultery.Are we any more or less guilty then they are? Thank God for forgiveness and a repentant heart.God Bless

Spoken, we were all born with some degree of lust and it is a sin which I have fought all my adult life. It’s one thing to be tempted and to have a brief mental failure but quite another to deliberately and consistently ignore God’s word. Yes, I would say that there are degrees of guilt. For my mind to wander to a lustful thought is bad; to go back days later and deliberately dwell on whoever caused that lustful thought is much worse. But, I’m not the judge of anyone else. Just passing on my thoughts on how I try to live.

 

[trogiah]

The breaking of the union of a man and a woman (whether by adultery or divorce) is very often a painful experience. It can and does destroy lives. Those it doesn’t destroy it most certainly slows down in significant ways. The damage to life is what God would protect us from with the commandment “Do not committ adultery.”

The union is in the hearts of the two people - created by God. Even within the Catholic Church, the union is not created by the sacrament but rather the sacrament is a witness and sign of the union. The union can certainly be real even if it was not witnessed in a Catholic ceremony.

Anyone who experiences the breakup feels the loss. But it is a loss in this life. Not in eternal life. Condemnation or forgiveness ultimately depends on whether or not we condemn or we forgive.

Peace

-Jim

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

sabrinaofmn:

Protestants don’t have annulments.

Matthew 5:32 says “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

Basically, it says that a person who marries a divorced woman commits adultery with her.

Galatians 5:19-21 says, " 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

When I was a Protestant, my Sunday school class was filled with people who fit into the category of remarriage after divorce. Because Protestants don’t have annulments, does anyone have any thoughts as to the eternal destination of these people?

Since the Protestants don’t have an Annulment process. I guess that some could have been in invalid first marriages, and others in valid first Marriages. Those who were in invalid first marriages and then married again would not be in a adulterous relationship. Those who were would be. I guess that they will find out at the end of their life when they realize the elevator only goes down? I’m not sure I’d like to live my life not knowing. But then most don’t care because they have convinced (read deceived) themselves into thinking that they have done nothing wrong. Because they are happy in their relationship and God would want them to be happy.