1 Corinthians 7:39
The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
Marriage binds husband and wife together for as long as both are alive, as a lifelong cleaving that cannot simply be set aside. Death alone ends that bond, so a widow or widower whose spouse has died is free to marry again and is not forbidden to remarry. That freedom is limited to marrying only in the Lord, which means choosing one who belongs to the Lord, a believer who loves and fears God. A Christian is therefore forbidden to marry an unbeliever even when that person is otherwise worthy, for such a union disregards God's direction, endangers the soul, and draws the heart away from loving and serving God. While a spouse still lives it is wrong to center affection on another or seek another marriage even after leaving home or obtaining a divorce, breaking the promise to love and cherish for life.
Lifelong Bond and Remarriage
The wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, and husband and wife are bound to each other while both live, as a lifelong bond that cannot simply be annulled. Marriage therefore must be carefully considered, for it means cleaving to one another through life's changes for as long as both shall live. A person with a living spouse acts wrongly by letting affections center on another woman or seeking another marriage, even if he has left home or a divorce has been obtained. Such a course breaks the promise to love and cherish for life and dishonors God by recklessly disregarding the marriage relation.
Having violated God's law to obtain the first marriage, such as by surrendering the Sabbath to obtain it, does not make a person free to pursue another wife while the first wife is still alive. Death ends the bond, so a widow whose husband has died is free to marry again whomever she chooses within the verse's limit, and likewise a widower whose spouse has died is free to marry again. The verse does not forbid such remarriage. When a wife left her husband, obtained a divorce, and married another man, and the husband did not remarry until after that marriage, he was free from the prior bond to marry again in the Lord. Scripture gives no ground for breaking up his new marriage or for forbidding him to remarry.
Choosing to remain unmarried may nevertheless be best when it helps a person carry out work entrusted by God without another person sharing its burdens or influencing that responsibility.
Only in the Lord
The freedom given after a spouse's death to marry whomever one chooses is limited by the words only in the Lord, meaning the new partner must belong to the Lord. A believer is to marry a believer, one who loves and fears God and understands responsibility to God. This is the same prohibition once given to ancient Israel against intermarriage with idolatrous nations, now forbidding Christians to marry the ungodly.
It forbids a Christian to marry an unbeliever even when that person is otherwise worthy. That includes joining with one who rejects God's claims and has not accepted the truth for this time. To enter such a union disregards God's direction and Word. It is exactly contrary to what Jesus commanded and is never the will of God. It endangers and imperils the soul.
Such a marriage draws the heart away from loving and serving God. It places life under influences that make it hard to stem the current sweeping souls to perdition. By contrast, marriage safely formed in Christ is where deep, true, unselfish affection can flourish.