I hear preachers and teachers say that God may forgive divorced people and bless their second marriage if they do “certain” things but I can’t find this in the Bible. I know you have to repent and then get out of the sin. If you do not have to get out of the sin then why should anyone stop their acts of sin if they confess and repent? I believe you have to remove yourself from the sin in order for it to be true repentance. I can steal and then ask God to forgive me but if I still continue in the sin how have I repented?

The Bible says that a man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery and that no adulterer will enter into heaven. I can’t understand how He can forgive the sin of a second marriage when they continue in their adultery and then allow these people into heaven.

I am not eager to challenge you, as I see God has given you much wisdom and insight into Scripture, which I am grateful you share with so many. However your response to the question regarding married or not was bewildering, and I’m not sure Biblical.

You make a point of saying we are to honor our legal authorities on all points unless is causes us to deny Christ. And yet you would help justify someone’s marital status based on their motives and level of commitment and not what even the law would recognize. And more importantly, did not Jesus himself even make a distinction to the woman at the well as her being with a man, and yet He refused to acknowledge the man as her husband because they were not indeed married?

Surely God does not love anyone less because of certain choices made, but I think He says His expectation is for us to be above reproach, particularly if we already know right from wrong. And shouldn’t our motive for obedience to God and what He might be asking always be “for His sake”?

Recently, I read something I can’t seem to figure out. In 2 Chron 11:20 it says, “And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.” Also in 2 Chron 13:2 it says, He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.” What I don’t understand is who is the mother of Abijah, Michaiah the daughter of Uriel or Maachah the daughter of Absalom?