Does Matthew 19:9 teach that a christian who commits adultery and is divorced can't remarry? What about when that adultery occurs before one becomes a Christian?

Sincerely, Marriage Matters

Dear Marriage Matters,

Matt. 19:9 does not address remarriage or what happens after divorce. That verse is part of Jesus’ answer to the question the Pharisees asked in Matt 19:3. The Pharisees wanted to know when it was permissible for a man to divorce his wife. Christ’s answer revolves around the question, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause?” Jesus’ answer: It is only permissible in the case of fornication.

Matt. 19:9 is not an answer to the question of what happens after divorce, but it is merely an answer to the question of when is it lawful for a christian to seek a divorce. Jesus is emphasizing that if a christian gets divorced for any reason other than fornication, then that person is going to be committing fornication themselves.

Matt. 19:9 is often used to discuss what happens after divorce, but that is using the verse out of context. That particular verse does not address what happens after divorce; it only addresses when a divorce is lawful. You would have to go to other verses to find out what God says happens after a divorce.

Assuming you were baptized by immersion for the right reasons, is there ever a need to be re-baptized? What if there was a period you feel you were not living as a Christian?

Sincerely, Wanting To Be Sure

Dear Wanting To Be Sure,

If you were baptized right the first time (see this post for proper baptism guidelines) – then you don’t need to be baptized again, even if you fell away for a period of time. Consider the case of the man who got caught up in the disgusting sin of sleeping with his father’s wife (1 Cor 5:1). The church at Corinth was told to withdraw from that man (1 Cor 5:13). Later on, that same man repented and came back to the Lord. Paul told the church that they should forgive him and his prior punishment had been sufficient (2 Cor 2:6-8). If someone can get caught up in that sort of depraved fornication and not need to be re-baptized, I think we can confidently say that no one needs it.

If someone falls away from the Lord, they must repent and return to God (1 Jhn 1:9). When they draw near again to God, He will draw near to them (Jas 4:8).

In the Old Testament, when asked His name, God tells Moses that it is “I Am”, which I understand to mean that He has always been, is, and will always be. Later, He is called Jehovah… what does the name Jehovah mean?

Sincerely, “I Am’s” Servant

Dear “I Am’s” Servant,

‘I Am That I Am’ is the name God gives Moses for Himself in Ex 3:14. In the Hebrew, ‘I Am That I Am’ is a single word. The word is pretty much unpronounceable in our English language. In English, it would be like pronouncing ‘YHWH’ which sounds like jibberish! So Jewish scholars began to transliterate that word as ‘YeHoWaH’… which eventually became translated as ‘Jehovah’. So in fact, ‘Jehovah’ and ‘I Am That I Am’ are the exact same word - and they do indeed mean that God always has been, is, and will be (Isa 44:6, Rev 1:8).

A friend of mine is a recovering alcoholic, and I have heard her speak of it as her "disease", and she has even likened it to cancer (which I privately took offense to).  I have even attended an AA meeting with her to show my support as a friend.  My question is: is it correct to call it a "disease"?  It doesn't seem like a disease to me since you cannot use willpower to conquer cancer or Parkinson's disease.  Also, I noticed that during my visit to the AA meeting, I got the feeling that AA was a substitute for religion for many of the people there… including my friend who is Catholic (she told me that she felt AA took the place of going to church).  It felt very cult-y, and the books they used were bound to look like Bibles, and they read from it as we might read from the Bible in church... I don't know your level of familiarity with this organization, but is it opposed to God's teachings?

Sincerely, Friend Of An AA Member

Dear Friend Of An AA Member,

This topic is one where it becomes very easy to wander into opinions and conjecture.  We will restrict our answer to purely the Bible’s view on the subject.  Is it wrong to think of alcoholism as a disease?  No.  All sinful behavior is a disease that infects our lives and kills us (Rom 6:23, Jas 1:15).  Some sin is so pervasive that it cannot be handled or escaped alone.  That is why it is so important that christians bear one another’s burdens and strengthen each other (Gal 6:1-2).  We also need to realize that certain things like alcohol, smoking, drugs, etc. create a physiological reaction that makes it even more difficult to recover and escape from the sin.  Jesus Himself said that there are times where the spirit of a man is willing to change but the flesh is weak (Mk 14:38).  The weakness of the flesh does not excuse the sin, but it does amplify the burden of removing the addiction.

Alcoholics Anonymous is not inherently opposed to God.  Many, many christians have used AA meetings as a helping hand to recover from addiction.  AA does not profess to be a source of religious knowledge; in fact, they are very careful to remain ambiguous in the area of religion.  Having said that, AA has been used as a replacement for attending church.  But that is nothing new… people use family vacations, fishing trips, television, music, clubs, and any number of other things as replacements for serving God.  That is a problem with the individual person, not a problem with the organization.  Every individual has a responsibility to not forsake the assembly of christians (Heb 10:25).  There is never a replacement for attending church services.

John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” I pray for people who are lost. Does not this verse clearly tell us we must pray for God to draw them to Jesus? Do we think we're special? “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” - (2 Cor 4:4). What are your thoughts?

Sincerely, Praying For The Lost

Dear Praying For The Lost,

It is true that we should pray for the lost, but you misunderstand Jhn 6:44. When Jesus says, “No one can come unless the Father draws him,” you are assuming He means that the Father draws people through some direct miraculous intervention. In the very next verse, Jesus explains that God draws people to Him through teaching and learning. God’s chosen tool to bring salvation to mankind is His Word (Rom 1:16). It is true that the devil has blinded people (2 Cor. 4:4), but he blinds them through deceiving and lying to them (Rev 12:9).

There is an immense need for more prayer among God’s people. We should pray that the Word of God finds good soil in honest and good hearts (Lk 8:11-15)… hearts that are open to God’s Word, so that when they hear it, they will believe and obey (Rom 10:17).