While waiting for my divorce to be final, I made out with a woman. Do I have a right to remarry?
Question:
My wife cheated on me last year and I gave her the opportunity to return to me and keep our family together, but she did not want this. She is still seeing the other man.
I filed for divorce roughly nine months ago, but the divorce is not final yet.
Recently, I went on a date with a woman that I met online. We ended up making out and fondling each other with our clothes on. We did not have sexual intercourse, but we touched each other sexually. I have not seen this woman since, and I refuse to do this again with anyone.
I have confessed this to God and I feel terrible about it. I cheated on my wife. What I did is just as bad as what she is doing with the other man.
I want to know if biblically I have a right to remarry after what I did.
Answer:
Yes, what you did was sinful, whether your divorce had been completed or not.
However, the point is that you wanted to keep your marriage together and your wife refuses to leave her adulterous partner. You lapsed into sin during a moment of passion and have repented of your sin. It is because of your wife's on-going adultery that your marriage is ending, not because of your moment of weakness, that your marriage is ending.
"And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery" (Matthew 19:9).
You have the right to remarry, but never the right to commit sin. You need a wife who helps lead you closer to God, not further away. So, take your time looking for a new mate.
