Is there redemption for a person who has been in multiple marriages?
Question:
What's the fate of a man or woman who has married twice, have discovered the church of Christ, and are convinced it's the only true way? Can the person be baptized? Brethren in my congregation says there's no redemption for such a person because of the person's past marital life.
Answer:
Redemption is available to everyone, but not everyone is willing to do what God requires. "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" " (Acts 2:38-39). One requirement to become a child of God is to repent or turn away from your past sins. I don't know the circumstances of this person. A person can marry again if their former spouse has died. If a former spouse had committed fornication and there was a divorce, then the innocent spouse is also allowed to marry again. But if there was a divorce for reasons that did not include fornication, then there is no allowance for another marriage. That means the current marriage is adulterous. "For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man" (Romans 7:2-3). In order to become a Christian, the person has to give up his sin, which means leaving the adulterous marriage. Many are unwilling to make such a commitment, but I've known people who have done so.
