Divorce / Remarriage

Matthew 5:31-32 31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Matthew 19:3-9 3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning (Gen. 1:27) ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, (Gen.2:24) ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ ? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” 8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

Mark 10:11-12 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Luke 16:18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Romans 7:1-3 1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

1 Corinthians 7:10-16 10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

     God’s law grants only one reason for a divorce, sexual immorality (fornication). The innocent spouse can divorce the guilty spouse (fornicator) and remarry with God’s approval. The guilty spouse cannot remarry with God’s approval. If a divorce takes place for any other reason (irreconcilable differences, not in love anymore, can’t get along) it is unlawful in God’s eyes. This is not politically correct in our society but it is God’s will. Marriage is a sacred covenant of love for life and God hates divorce (Mal.2:16).

     The command to repent demands that an adulterous marriage must end (Luke 13:1-3; Acts 17:30). Time spent in an unlawful relationship along with children does not make the marriage valid in God’s eyes (Ezra 10:1-17; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). Water baptism will not change an unlawful marriage into a holy marriage since repentance comes before baptism (Acts 2:38). We truly sympathize with anyone who is in an adulterous marriage, however that person cannot be accepted into our fellowship while they remain in that condition (1 Cor. 5). While this is a difficult situation, Jesus said we must “deny” ourselves if we wish to follow Him (Matt. 16:24). We stand ready to answer any questions and/or help anyone who wishes to make the hard decision to remove themselves from an adulterous marriage.