Does God count marriage if it didn’t happen in a church?

[Lybrah]

Is it adultery to date someone who is just separated but not divorced, however, they weren’t married in a church?

 

[d taylor]

Is it adultery to date someone who is just separated but not divorced, however, they weren’t married in a church?

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I personally would not. As for being married in a church, a church is just a building and that is it. No special attributes, should be given to a wood, brick, etc building.

 

[NBB]

if you follow biblical meaning, marriage is when 2 get together, and make vows to stay together, and they have sex.
you supposedly don't need to legally affirm that, or in a church.

I think the Bible also says that if your spouse cheats sexually on you, you are allowed to divorce and remarry.

 

[ZephBonkerer]

In Scripture, marriage is marriage regardless of whether the ceremony took place in a chapel, the beach, or the mountains.

As for dating, I would consider how far along this person is in their divorce process. You don't want to be left out in the cold if this person decides to get back with their spouse. I would at least want evidence that there is a clear plan to dissolve the marriage.

And no, it is not adultery to date or marry someone solely because they were once divorced. That misconception is based on a misapplication of Matthew 5:32, 19:9 and other verses. It was the abuse of divorce and remarriage for selfish reasons that Jesus has a problem with, not these things per se.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

Is it adultery to date someone who is just separated but not divorced, however, they weren’t married in a church?

Personally I would avoid like the plague - they are still married in the eyes of the law and biblically, and should be either striving to be reconciled with their spouse or carrying out the divorce. Both requires them to heal before jumping into another relationship. The fact that they would be seeking to date while separated would be a huge red flag for me.

 

[trophy33]

Does God count marriage if it didn’t happen in a church?

Yes. How else would people get married before Christianity?