If a Wife Was a Divorcee and Lied to a Brother About It and They Wedded, Is That Marriage Binding on the Brother?
Direct Answer
No—if her first husband was still living when they wed, that union is not a marriage before God and is not binding on the brother. If her former husband had already died, then she was free to marry and the marriage is binding despite her lie.
Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says a wife is “bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth,” and is loosed only by death (Romans 7:2–3; 1 Corinthians 7:39).
- Jesus said, “Whosoever shall marry her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery” (Luke 16:18; see also Mark 10:11–12). So a civil divorce does not dissolve the first covenant while the spouse lives.
- The “exception” of Matthew 19:9 concerns fornication discovered before the marriage covenant (as with Joseph and Mary, Matthew 1:18–20), not a license to dissolve a true marriage and remarry.
- Fraud or lying does not create or dissolve a marriage. The only decisive question is whether a prior, living covenant still bound her (Romans 7:2–3).
Simple Clarifying Logic
- If her former husband was alive, she was still bound to him; therefore the later wedding did not form a lawful marriage. That means:
- The union should be treated as invalid from the start (annulment).
- The brother is not bound and must cease the conjugal relationship.
- After separation and repentance, he is free to marry “only in the Lord,” because no true marriage ever existed.
- If her former husband had died before this wedding, she was free to marry; the present marriage is valid and lifelong. The lie was sin and must be confessed, but it does not dissolve a valid covenant.
Apply the steps
- Was it valid from inception? Only if the former husband was already dead.
- Does it remain binding? Yes, if valid; no, if invalid.
- Separation permitted? Required if invalid; not permitted if valid (though temporary separation without remarriage can occur for grave necessity, 1 Corinthians 7:10–11).
- Annulment? Yes, if a prior living spouse still bound her; no, if she was a widow.
- Remarriage? The brother may marry in the Lord if annulment applies; if the marriage is valid, neither party may remarry while both live (Romans 7:2–3).
One clear conclusion
- If her first husband is alive, the “marriage” is not binding and should be treated as no marriage at all.
- If her first husband is dead, the marriage is binding for life.
If you can confirm whether her former husband is living, I can state the final binding status immediately.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
For him will I accept
52-0718 §15
When I first saw him, I thought he belonged to the House of David, but he didn't. No, he's a Pentecostal brother. So I went out, and I was ... wife and I were walking down the street, and we seen him standing over on the side, with that white beard a blowing, singing it, "'Tis the old-time religion, 'tis the old time religion," like that, passing out tracts. And when he seen me, he tried to move back. He said ... seen my wife along. I went over there and put my arms around him, out there. I said, "God bless you, Br...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §23
Now, if that be so, we have two schools of thought on marriage and divorce. And that is, one of them says, that a man can only be married once unless his wife is dead. And that's one of the questions. But you go to following that, you go overboard. And then the next says, "Oh, if the wife or the husband (either one) has committed adultery, either one of them can be put away and married again." You find yourself overboard with that. So see, it's neither southeast or northeast; we want directly east. You run out of s...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §93
Notice, now the woman's got her place, and she is a jewel. Solomon, this man that had ten thousand wives ... or, had a thousand wives, rather, he said that a man that's found a wife has found a good thing. He said a good woman is a jewel in his crown, that's an honor; but an unrighteous one is water in his blood. That's his life! He said, "There might be one righteous man found in a thousand [Solomon said this], but," said, "you wouldn't find one righteous woman in a thousand." Solomon said that. Now notice that, t...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §78
Now, you notice in I Corinthians 7:10, notice, Paul commands the wife that is ... that divorces her husband to remain single or be reconciled, not to remarry. She must remain single or to be reconciled back to her husband. She cannot remarry; she must remain single. But notice, he never said about the man. See, you can't make the Word lie. From the beginning, the sex law by polygamy. Now, the Word of God runs true with nature of God, runs in continuity. See how there is one school went east and the other one went w...
God's Word calls for a total separation from unbelief
64-0121 §44
Brother Tom Simpson is sitting present here somewhere tonight ... or should be. He was in Canada and was on his road down, and they bypassed... Said, "Bypass Colorado! Great blizzard!" Are you here, Brother Simpson? Where are you? Yes, sitting back in the back here. They told him bypass Colorado, a great blizzard coming on. So I told Sister ... and another man's wife, Brother Evans. I don't think Brother Evans is here tonight, unless he just come in. Are you here, Brother Evans? I don't think he has gotten here yet...