There are many people who become Christians after they
were divorced. Obviously some have also been remarried
before they became Christians as well.
God forgives all sins and this includes any involving
divorce and remarriage. A person is a new creation
when they become a Christian. Ezekiel 36:26 says, "I
will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I
will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a
heart of flesh."
As Christians we are called to repent of past sins and
not repeat them. This doesn't mean that a person who
is remarried and is guilty of adultery because of it should
leave their current spouse. But it does mean that a
divorced person should remain single if they have not
remarried.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:17-24:
17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life
that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called
him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was
a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not
become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was
called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is
nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's
commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the
situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a
slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble
you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he
who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's
freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was
called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do
not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as
responsible to God, should remain in the situation God
called him to.
There are numerous reasons for divorce. In the
article "Should I Get Remarried?"
the times when remarriage is appropriate is discussed.
There are very few times that it is clear from scripture
that remarriage is acceptable. This applies to a
person who was divorced before they became a Christian as
well.
Even though the sins of the past are forgiven and a
Christian is a new creation, there are still consequences of
past actions. This is no different from a prisoner who
becomes a Christian. Their crimes have been forgiven
but they must still serve the sentence they have been
handed.
We cannot change the actions of our past. God has
forgiven them and they are behind us. But they are
still a part of our history for better or worse. We
are responsible for our current actions however. No
matter what we may have done in the past, it is the
decisions that we make today that matter most now.
This is why Paul tells the Corinthians to remain in the
current situation. All of 1 Corinthians 7 is about
marriage which is why we know that Paul is addressing
marriage in the passage above. It is because the past
is past that we should remain in our current situation.
We can't change it no matter how much we may like to.
We are responsible for our actions now which is why we must
make the best choices we can and to live for Christ.
A person who was divorced before they became a Christian
has consequences of their past actions just as everyone who
becomes a Christian must deal with consequences of their
past actions. A Christian must strive to not repeat
sins of the past and instead strive to live their life
according to the Word of God.
