My Husband Deceived Me by Hiding His Impotency Before We Got Married. Can I Leave the Marriage and Remarry?
1) Direct answer
No. Deception is sin and must be repented of, but it does not give you a right to remarry while your husband lives. You may seek separation if conscience or circumstances require it, but Scripture binds you to remain unmarried or be reconciled.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says a wife is bound to her husband “so long as he liveth” (Romans 7:2-3; 1 Corinthians 7:39). That is the plain rule.
- If separation happens, the Lord’s command is, “let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).
- Jesus allowed one scriptural ground that dissolves the union for remarriage: “except it be for fornication” (Matthew 19:9; 5:32). Now notice, that word points to sexual uncleanness—premarital immorality like Joseph considered when he thought to put Mary away privately (Matthew 1:18-19; compare Deuteronomy 22:13-21). Impotency is not fornication.
- God hates “putting away” (Malachi 2:16). He calls marriage a covenant to which He is a witness (Malachi 2:14).
- Conjugal duty is commanded (1 Corinthians 7:3-5). If a spouse fails through weakness or sickness, that calls for prayer, help, and healing—not a new marriage. “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church… and the prayer of faith shall save the sick” (James 5:14-15).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Deceit is wrong. Your husband must repent and walk in truth (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9). But the vow you made is still a vow. The Bible gives no verse that says fraud about health or ability dissolves a marriage so that one is free to remarry.
- The only release for remarriage while a spouse lives is fornication. Impotency is a condition, not fornication. Therefore, the covenant stands.
- If someone says, “Fraud annuls the marriage,” ask them to show the Scripture. The Bible does not grant remarriage for this cause.
- If living together becomes untenable, Scripture allows separation, but not a second marriage: remain unmarried or be reconciled.
4) Short reinforcing statement
Seek God for mercy and healing. Bring it into the light—confession, prayer, medical help, and pastoral oversight. God can restore what is broken. But do not step outside the Word: no remarriage while he lives, unless the biblical ground of fornication is present. Stay with the Word, and the God of peace will guide your steps.
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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.
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §88
...ou ask me those questions, friend, you don't know what that does to me. I've got many friends setting here that's married two or three times. Did you realize I'm talking to my own son, Billy Paul? Would I spare Billy Paul? No indeedy! Billy Paul got married to some little girl, and come up, and said, "Daddy, I'm going to get married." I was washing my car; I said, "Butt your head against the wall," just kept on washing my car like that. He said, "I'm going to get married." I said, "Oh, go on," just kept on like tha...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §98
QUESTION: Brother Branham, what is the meaning of a annulment? Are people free to marry or is this just another word for divorce? I would like some information on this. Sure they're married. As long as they take that vow, they're married. Just like a boy, if a boy promises a girl to marry her under good faith, he's obligated to that girl. He's just as good as married her. The only thing the law does, is give you a bill of rights to live together to keep from being common-law husband and wife. But when a man tells a...
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §11
I know these questions that Jesus said here, "If a man puts away his wife and marries another save the cause of fornication commits adultery, whosoever marries her put away, liveth in adultery"... These things, He had a reason to say that. He was God; that's his Word. Now, let's go back to the beginning and find out what it all means, you see, then we bring it up. But till we do that, just go right on as you are now, just like you always have been doing, if you're Christians. If you are a Christian couple, and you'...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §79
...that. See? Yes, already answered that. Where both parties are, I just... I wish we didn't have to go through these things, people. I got friends sitting right here, out in this audience here that I know... It just nearly kills me to say that, but I got to say it. See? And the world is in such a corruptible condition. Some poor, little, old woman make a mistake and marry some alcoholic and they turn that way, or some poor man married some streetwalker and not know it, and then be bound to that woman or man as long a...
He cares. Do you care?
63-0721 §45
Then what if I come to her with the same irreverence, and say, "Say, old girl, old friend of mine, oh mother of my children, and old sweetheart, you know we been old chums for a long time. Say, what if I put my arms around another woman? And what do you say about it, old kid, would you forgive me?" Imagine how she'd look. She'd think, "What's happened to my husband?" See? Now, the first thing, she's wouldn't know whether I was kidding or whether I wasn't. And you don't go that way to make a confession to your fello...