Divorce in The Bible

                                 Divorce among Christian believers*

 Unfortunately divorce has become not uncommon among Christian believers, so what is the biblical doctrine regarding this important matter.

It is clear that divorce always stems from sin. However the point is made clear in 1 Corinthians 7:10, 11, also from other passages from the wording of the Lord Jesus Himself in Math 19:6 and Mark 10:9 that, “What God has gathered together, nobody must separate.”  So , in the eyes of God the divorced couple are still married. But they are required to remain unmarried and to abide with the earthy divorce.  All rights and privileges as well as the obligation of married couple are no longer pertaining. And all the effort must be made for reconciliation of marriage. However there is one exception which is committing adultery by one partner. The divine reason is clear, which is, another person has come in-between the couple and made the marriage void in the eyes of God and the divorce in this case is legitimate.

But even in the latter case, there is room for forgiveness and reconciliation of marriage. We live in the time of grace; the blood of Jesus forgives all sins including adulatory. But the sinful partner needs to confess his/her sin to the spouse whom sinned against and to God as  David says in Psalms 51: 4, “Against You God, You only, have sinned, And done this evil in Your sight,” and to repent promising not to retune to this sin again, with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Another case mentioned by Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians: 6:  when a believer (either husband or wife) got married an unbeliever (or discovered after marriage that he/she is unbeliever).In this case, the marriage should continue, as the believer sanctifies the unbeliever. However, if the unbeliever wants to go, so the believer lets him/her go. In this case the divorce is legitimate.

• Adopted from Jay Adams’ book, “Marriage, Divorce, And Remarriage in the Bible,” Zondervan publication. 1980.