5:11). God had prohibited them from marrying women from any one of the seven nations listed in Deut. Apparently, they took Moses’ statement in Deuteronomy to permit divorce as long as a certificate of divorce was given to the wife (cf. In other words, adultery had been committed before there had been a divorce. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. Some Anabaptists, some Roman Catholics, and The Pharisees thought so, and attempted to rebut Christ’s teachings on this matter by apparently alleging Old Testament scriptural authority for divorce (v. 7; cf. Why? Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible. 6:1-7). …then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord…”. Yes, the blood of Christ will remit all our sins as we are buried with him in baptism (Rom. Interestingly, it is not revealed how the Pharisees reacted. An equally disturbing problem is the tendency so many have to divorce and remarry outside of the parameters of Scripture. They What does the Bible really teach about this difficult issue? How did Jesus react to what his disciples said? Matt. 19:9). Most importantly, more Christian marriages need to heed it. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 2002 Keener, Craig S. And Marries Another: Divorce and Remarriage in the It was not uncommon either. As far as I can determine, the discussion should not center around the role of baptism but rather the meaning of true repentance since it precedes baptism. To these men Jesus said "Whosoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery" (Matt. Are there any exceptions to this rule? It is possible for a couple to be married by the laws of the land, but not joined together by God. For example, Tyndale’s translation of Matthew 5:32 is as follows: But I say unto you: whosoever puts away his wife (except for fornication) causeth her TO BREAK MATRIMONY, and whosoevery marrieth her that is divorced, BREAKETH WEDLOCK…. Remarriage after divorce is not without its problems, either. How true that is. Jesus said that remarriage after divorce is wrong, so that is what we believe (CCC 1614). But it isn't always easy to know the clear cut answer to some marriage and divorce scenarios. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (vs. 5-6). In Matthew 19:3-12, Jesus discussed divorce, remarriage, and celibacy. It is God who joins the couple, and no one has the right to tear apart what he has joined together! Here’s my question, though. Matthew 19, divorce and remarriage is not allowed simply for irreconcilable differences or because one party is no longer happy. The apostle sees the possibility of separation (in a marriage undefiled by fornication) and potential reconciliation, but offers no license for divorce and remarriage under these conditions alone. by Hoyt Houchen Does God Regardless of the circumstances, all divorced persons who … He wrote of the child telling the divorced parent: “I don’t want to meet your friend/I don’t want to start all over again/I just want my life to be the same/Just like it used to be. What I said was that there was no universal and consistent practice, and no single authoritative dogmatic of theological consensus on the matter. According to his disciples, the single life would be preferable to staying with one’s wife, no matter what, her fornication being the only exception! It would certainly lower the amount of hate mail I’ll probably get from writing articles like this. 3:8). 7:1-4). As White points out: “Erasmus preferred bigamy to divorce. Dalton Gilreath at OceanSide church of Christ on April 15, 2015. How foolish and sad to opt for a few years of adultery over an eternity of heavenly bliss! Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously. There are a lot of churches and Christians now that argue that all divorced and remarried Christians should separate. 7:1-3). Because he’s trying to define adultery as the breaking of the wedlock or matrimony. This rules out the Waiting Game played by some today. Fornication IS a sexual word, true. Compelled by instinct? Matt. Yes, divorce is a treacherous, violent act. In John 8 we find the account of the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. Could she go back to the man she was sleeping with? 7:10-11). The prophet reminded them that "the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant" (Malachi 2:14). When you think about it, doesn’t this describe the state of one’s heart when they want to divorce their spouse for arbitrary, unscriptural reasons? Sadly, many pastors and church leaders have sometimes made things worst. See, […] Thus, Old Testament law showed that by remarrying the woman had actually defiled herself by becoming an adulteress because her husband was still alive (cf. Friends, are we simply animals? Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage by David Padfield One of the greatest threats to the survival of this nation is the alarming number of divorces. Jesus showed how his priority was to please God in his answer to their question. Gen. 2:24). If they find themselves in unlawful, adulterous marriage, they still have hope through the forgiving power of the blood of Christ! Christ? 7:3). Some men in the days of Malachi had been unjust to their wives. Divorce was a touchy subject back then, just like it is today. Some of you have suffered enough guilt, rejection and/or suspicion because your marriage did not work out and you have started over. During Moses’ day, the Jews were a very “stubborn people” (Deut. Half of them grew up in settings in which the parents were fighting with each other even after the divorce. Jesus reinforced how the Pharisees had the wrong idea when he then brought out how Moses permitted divorce due to their hard hearts (v. 8). While Hollywood glamorizes open adultery and multiple marriages, let us always remember that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). The Pharisees had many reasons to "put away" their wives, but our Lord stated there was but one reason for a man to "put away" his wife and be married to another, i.e., adultery (Matthew 19:9). 7:15] to this thoughtless person who has forsaken his or her marital responsibilities. They teach that only Christians have to obey what Jesus said in verse 9…even though Jesus said “whoever,” not just Christians. IVP Books, 2003 Instone-Brewer, David. 21:8). Herod was married according to civil law, but John said the marriage was not "lawful." One would have to work very hard to come up with the doctrine divorce = adultery from the Bible. Jesus gives the right to remarry only to those who “put away” their mate for fornication. The early Church pastors said that it was clear from the words of Christ that even if divorce occurred, there was clearly no room for remarriage for Matthew 19:9 says, “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except 1 John 1:7; Eph. In this passage John the baptist told Herod "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." We need to remind them that baptism is "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38), not the remission of marriages. We take the Lordship of Christ very seriously and submit to Him as the only head of the church (Ephesus 1:22-23). The Catholic Church bases its teaching about the indissolubility of marriage on the teaching of Jesus Christ himself. One of the greatest threats to the survival of this nation is the alarming number of divorces.