What Does the
New Testament Teach On Divorce?
By Bob W. Lovelace
Anytime that one desires to study the matter
of scriptural divorce they should consider the applicable passages from the New
Testament. My advice to anyone is that they read these verses first, and do so
without getting into philosophical discussions that do not take these
scriptures to heart. God's word is truth (John
1.
Matthew 5:31-32 (KJV)
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away
his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: [32] But I say unto you,
That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced
committeth adultery.
2.
Matthew 19:3-12 (KJV)
The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting
him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every
cause? [4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which
made them at the beginning made them male and female, [5] And said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and
they twain shall be one flesh? [6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one
flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. [7]
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement,
and to put her away? [8] He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of
your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was
not so. [9] And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be
for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth
her which is put away doth commit adultery.
[10] His disciples say unto him, If the
case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. [11] But he said
unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. [12]
For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and
there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs,
which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is
able to receive it, let him receive it.
3.
Mark 10:2-12 (KJV)
And the Pharisees came to him, and asked
him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. [3] And he
answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? [4] And they said,
Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. [5] And
Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you
this precept. [6] But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and
female. [7] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave
to his wife; [8] And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more
twain, but one flesh. [9] What therefore God hath joined together, let not man
put asunder. [10] And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same
matter. [11] And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and
marry another, committeth adultery against her. [12] And if a woman shall put
away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
4.
Luke
Whosoever putteth away his wife, and
marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put
away from her husband committeth adultery.
5.
Romans 7:1-3 (KJV)
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them
that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he
liveth? [2] For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her
husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from
the law of her husband. [3] So then if, while her husband liveth, she be
married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband
be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be
married to another man.
6.
1 Cor. 7:10-11 (KJV)
And unto the married I command, yet not I,
but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: [11] But and if she
depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not
the husband put away his wife.
7.
1 Cor.
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.
8.
Mark 6:17-19 (KJV)
For Herod himself had sent forth and laid
hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother
Philip's wife: for he had married her. [18] For John had said unto Herod, It is
not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. [19] Therefore Herodias had a
quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
Consider Jesus'
Teaching in Matthew 5:32:
One of the things that I was taught, early
on, was to simply read the verse and put down who commits adultery should they
divorce and remarry. I'll do that now with Matthew 5:32 where Jesus said,
"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for
the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall
marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." In this verse Jesus says
the wife who is put away by her husband, without the cause of her having
committed fornication, commits adultery should she remarry. The last part of
the verse also teaches that a third party who marries the woman who is divorced
(put away) commits adultery. Thus, both the wife who is put away by her husband
and the one who marries her commits adultery. Dear reader, I do not see how
this could be a complicated or difficult thing for anyone to understand.
Consider Jesus'
teaching in Matthew 19:9:
Let's do the same thing in Matthew 19:9 that
we did with Matthew 5:32. Having stated in Matt. 19:6 that man is not to put
asunder what God has joined together (referring to a man and woman who have a
right to each other and thus have been joined together by God in marriage),
Jesus says: " And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife,
except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and
whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Jesus teaches
us here that the one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of her
fornication (her adultery), commits adultery whenever he marries another.
Moreover, whoever marries a wife who is divorced commits adultery. The
exception ("except for the cause of fornication") would allow him to
marry another, assuming she has the right of marriage herself before God, if he
puts away his wife "for the cause of
(her) fornication." Dear reader, you will notice that in both of
these scriptures (Matt. 5:32; 19:9) that the person who marries one who is put
away commits adultery, thus the one put away commits adultery should they marry
another. Jesus gave the innocent mate
the right to divorce his or her mate for the cause of their adultery and
remarry. Note that every person commits adultery upon remarriage except the one
who, being innocent, puts away their mate for their adultery.
Consider Jesus'
teaching in Mark 10:10-12
Again, using these texts, let's mark down
who commits adultery should there be a divorce and subsequent remarriages. Hear
Jesus, "And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and
marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away
her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery." Notice that the man who puts away his wife
and marries another commits adultery against her. Thus both the man and woman
he remarries are living in sin. Also, when a woman puts away her husband and
marries another, she commits adultery. Thus both the woman and the man she
remarries are living in sin.
Consider Jesus'
teaching in Luke 16:18:
Hear Jesus, "Whosoever putteth away his
wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her
that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." In this verse,
where there is no mention of the exception offered in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9,
the man who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery. Since he
commits adultery the woman whom he marries likewise is living in sin. And the
man who marries a wife who is put away from her husband commits adultery. Since
he commits adultery the wife who has been put away and marries him is living in
sin. Thus, without the exception being applied for the person doing the putting
away, ALL who remarry commit adultery.
Read Paul's statement in Romans 7:3
above and consider how it fits in here. A woman, Paul said, is bound by law
(God's) to her husband as long as he lives. So then if, while her husband
lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. Also read Paul's statement in I Cor. 7:11 above and see how it fits in here. If
a wife departs from her husband, she is to remain unmarried, or else be
reconciled to her husband, Paul said. Dear reader compare Paul's statement in I Cor. 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." Notice the animosity
towards John when he told Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his
brother's wife (Mark 6:17-19, above).
A list of those
who commit sin in divorcing and adultery upon remarriage with another:
1.
The one bound by God in marriage who chooses to divorce for any reason other
than their mates adultery (Matt. 19:6).
2.
The one bound by God in marriage who divorces for some reason other than their
mate's adultery and marries another.
3.
The person whom one remarries when they (as one bound by God) have divorced for
any reasons other than their mate's adultery.
4.
The mate (one bound by God) who is divorced when they marry another.
5.
The person who marries one (one bound by God) who is divorced.
6.
The mate (one bound by God) who is divorced for their adultery when they marry
another.
7.
The person who marries one (bound by God) who is divorced because they
committed adultery.
*
Note: Everyone is said to commit adultery upon remarriage except the innocent
one who puts away their mate for adultery and marries another whom they have a
right before God to marry.