Are Adulterous Marriages Washed Away At Conversion?

Recently a denominational believer wrote to me trying to justify couples staying in adulterous marriages by saying “Judgement begins at salvation. Every sin before that is washed away.” But the issue is not "are sins forgiven" at salvation?; instead, the issue is – are all marriage relationships undone by salvation? If they are, then every couple that is ever converted (even if in a scriptural marriage for both) would have to redo their marriage vows just after conversion.

Rom 7:2-3 says a wife is “bound” (obligated) to her husband as long as he lives. Is that obligation released/forgotten when one obeys the gospel? To the contrary – when one becomes a Christian, we are to double down on meeting our obligations and responsibilities. That would be the very opposite of … baptism gives one a license to sin. Is Acts 2:38 just “be baptized for the remission of sins” or is it “repent, and be baptized …for the remission of sins”?

Having said that, I don’t think I have ever met someone who was consistent with this argument and would say divorce and remarriages contracted after conversion must be terminated. Does anybody know if Homer Hailey or James Bales were consistent and therefore demanded termination of such marriages? Me thinks this position is usually just a way of framing an argument. An unsound argument as we are showing.

The issue is not are sins washed away at baptism; they are (Acts 22:16). The issue is – does a man after baptism have the right to sleep with a woman he is not bound (scripturally married) to?, that he has no right to? I Cor 6:11 says “such were (past tense) some of you” about “adulterers” (verse 9) and other sinners after they had been converted. They had ceased being adulterers; they had stopped sleeping with any woman they were unlawfully married to, so they terminated such marriages (Mark 6:17-18, Matt 19:9). Isn’t that the necessary implication?

My whole series of articles on Divorce And Remarriage (as published in “MOTT”) can be read here:

http://www.bibledebates.info/Articles/DivorceAndRemarriageMOTT/indexArticlesMOTTmdr.htm

And my last debate on the topic can be heard here:

http://www.bibledebates.info/DebatesAudio/MDR-BakerDonahueDebate20240321/index.htm

hear Bible Crossfire Sundays at 8:00 pm central on SiriusXM national radio Family Talk 131 & 62 local stations across America or at www.BibleDebates.info

Patrick DonahueNovember 6, 2025