I got married at 18 to a man who beat me. Once I was put in the intensive care unit my family begged me to leave my husband and I did. We have been divorced now for 2 years. I have no children. Can I get married again? Is that acceptable to God and the Bible? I have fallen in love and I wish to marry this man and have a family, but not at the expense of my faith and my religious family or my relationship with God! Are there Bible verses I’m just not finding that may contain my answers?

I’m sorry to hear what happened to you at the hands of a man. You were right to leave him. God doesn’t expect anyone to stay in a physically abusive situation. Concerning remarriage, the Bible says, “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.” – I Corinthians 7:10-11. The reason a spouse should remain unmarried is because there’s always hope that the other spouse may come to Christ and be changed. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” – II Corinthians 5:17. Even though you have gotten a divorce there is still hope that he could come to Christ. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting you should reconcile with a wife beater. I’m simply pointing out that when a person comes to Christ their whole life is changed. This could happen to your husband, but there are no guarantees. The Bible says, “How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” – I Corinthians 7:16. The question is, how long should a person wait? There are many who believe that remarriage is not permitted in the Bible and that a person should remain single. As an unmarried man the Apostle Paul wrote, “I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” – I Corinthians 7:6-9. In other words, it’s good to remain single and serve the Lord, but not everyone can live unmarried. Therefore, I believe that a person must prayerfully seek the Lord concerning remarriage. They must be careful not to hear what they want to hear, but to receive guidance and wisdom from God. There’s some who believe you don’t need to seek God for direction because it’s already given in the Word of God – remain unmarried. However, in light of what Paul said, not everyone can accept this. Either way, we never need to be afraid to ask God for wisdom when we don’t understand. The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5. Personally, if your husband has remarried and you want to do the same, I would have no problem marrying you if I was your minister.