[b]1.[/b] I have thought much over this subject before. I have surveyed the scriptures over it. It is true that it is fornication and not marriage though close in a sense. It says in Thessalonians that we are not to defraud our brother in this manner:
1Th 4:6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
It also says in the Law:
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 "If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
So it is under the Law that they are to marry but it does not say that that is what made them married. Now the question comes up should the man marry the woman. Well I think many factors would come in to play. Under the law you would be killed for that act if it were adultery or the woman were betrothed just look at the context. A woman would not be able to be married if she were not a virgin so that would be very hard. It is not so in our culture. It is an evil thing-yes but would the Lord smite us-maybe but He is gracious. See this law is perfect and God does not always in this age nor then act immediately upon His law He is patient toward us and remembers that our frames are but dust. So if we fear Him and humble ourselves and repent He will have pity on us as a father pities his child. The question is how does this law apply to us. Peter spoke death to Ananias but Paul did not speak death to the immoral man in Corinth though he and the Church handed him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. So I believe that yes it was a sin and he under the law should have married her. But the Lord is merciful toward such things I believe and if people slip up He will give second chances. Do 2 wrongs make a right? no. What if they did marry and it was not there calling? What if they did marry and they really didn't want to but were just so weak in the faith as babes.
[b]2.[/b] The question also arises, "can one remarry after divorce?". Well, I do believe they can if they lawfully divorced in the case of immorality as it says in the gospel account of Matthew:
Mat 5:32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery.
So he "makes" her or causes her because she will most likely have to remarry. It was much harder for a woman to be without a husband in the culture and she may also have not been granted grace to accept a calling of celibacy. So this implies that he does not cause her to commit adultery even though she remarries since it is lawful to remarry. If it is lawful to divorce then it is lawful to remarry.
One would argue that Paul say's in 1Corinthian's 7 that if you divorce then you should not remarry. I would agree but nowhere does he mention if you divorce lawfully. He says you "should not" divorce, but Jesus doesn't say you should not divorce in the case of immorality. So obviously this is something different.
1Co 7:10-11 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
[b]3.[/b] I will also say that in the case of ministry and remarriage I know of a verse in Timothy:
1Ti 3:2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Does this mean that a minister could not have been married twice. Well I would think by my judgment that if he were widowed it would be okay. Or if for immorality. And I would also add things like severe abuse and the like. So, yes, I believe it is true from the bible that a minister can not unlawfully have 2 wives. But as we know in your case the first was not marriage.
It also says of a widow in Timothy that if the Church is to receive her she had to be the wife of one husband. but obviously what if she was widowed well then as Romans 7 says she will no longer be called an adulteress if she remarries if her husband is dead. So we learn from this example that we have to be careful in isolationally literalizing passages without interpreting them in light of the whole counsel of God.
1Ti 5:9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,
Rom 7:3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
