If someone entered a marriage in sin (pre-martial sex, adultery)... and has confessed that sin to God and received forgiveness, are they biblically required to divorce in order to truly repent and turn away from the sin? Or would divorcing be adding another sin on top of it all. I appreciate your strictly biblical answers and scripture references if you have them.

s/n: We are Christians and were both still married when we started dating. We have been married for 5 years, and found out recently that his first marriage was not legally terminated because of a technicality. That marriage has since been dissolved, and now we are praying and studying to determine if it would be in Gods Will for us to annual our marriage or legalize it. We have had a difficult marriage including, infidelity, infertility, and a lot of heartache, but we have both grown in our relationship with Christ. Any BIBLICAL reference to whether our marriage is a blessing or now a curse would be appreciated.

I don't know anywhere in the Bible that covers technicalities of marriage. It isn't clear from what you write whether you 'entered marriage in sin' innocently, because of the technicality, or while you were still married knowingly.
Jesus is all about forgiveness.
I have to wonder, though, if that one little word 'infertility' is causing a huge amount of grief with your current husband, and all this searching for words in the Bible isn't a smoke screen for that. Do you believe that God has a plan for you if you want a child but are childless? Maybe it's to adopt a starving unloved child.

You are legally married. Why are you beating yourself up over past problems? You said you have confessed your earlier sins. Don't you believe God is big enough that He has forgiven you? (He is, by the way, and has.)

Rather than search for references to marriage (they are few and far between), read the passages on how God loves and forgives us -- and take comfort from them. Stop being so legalistic and building fences around yourselves.

Like joypulv, I too wonder if you somehow think God is not blessing your union with children because He is expecting sacrifice and work righteousness on your part.

Thank you for your response. I stated "entering marriage in sin", because we were both married when we started dating (adultery) and although we tried REAL HARD... lol, we did have pre-martial sex as well.

My husband did not find out about his divorce not being finalized until years later... while we were going through the adoption process I might add.

It just seems that there are so many things not going the way they should, and as Bible believing Christians, we can't help but to think that these may be signs from God. But we also know that marriage is a way for God to refine us, and the situations that are occurring have led us closer to God and had a dramatic impact on our character.

We are both trusting God right now, and I myself am trying to not be impatient in the waiting (he has yet to apply for a new license, but has not said he doesn't want to be married... just wants to be in Gods will)... I am praying and studying, and just thought someone might have instances or scriptures that might speak to the situation. Thanks again for your help

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It just seems that there are so many things not going the way they should, and as Bible believing Christians, we can't help but to think that these may be signs from God.

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That's not how God operates.

He knows we, His people, punish ourselves far more and worse than He ever could (if He even wanted to).

Quick question. Isn't divorce also a sin?

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

Just looking at what you wrote it would seem your marriage wasn't legal in either a secular or religious sense, that is the other marriage was still in place and therefore you should remarry to properly formalise the relationship

Signs from God? No. Bad things happen because bad things happen. If you've both sought forgiveness through Christ, you've got it. Put all that behind you and move forward. If you try to go forward while looking backward, you trip over your feet and bruise the back of your head.

Life is a series of ups and downs. Bad things happen to "good" people because bad things happen to everybody. As wondergirl said, God doesn't work that way. Focus on your marriage, and on the present and future, and put the past where it belongs: behind you.