Articles
Divorce for Every Cause?
Is it lawful for a man or woman to put away (divorce) their wife or husband for every (any) cause? Let’s notice that Jesus’ answer is NO.
"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? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 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? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 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. 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" (Matthew 19:3-9).
Marriage is not respected nor given the honor that God gives it. "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). Friend, did you know that "the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away (divorce, NASB)" (Malachi 2:16)? And yet, everywhere you turn, people are divorcing one another for any and every cause.
Notice what the apostle Paul says about marriage, divorce and remarriage, "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. 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" (Romans 7:2-3).
My friend, when you study the Scriptures about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, you will find under the New Testament Law of Jesus Christ, that the only ones that can lawfully (by God’s authority) marry are:
1. Those that have never been married before (Hebrews 13:4).
2. Those whose spouse has died (Romans 7:2-3).
3. Those reconciling that should not have divorced (1 Corinthians 7:11).
4. The innocent one that has divorced their spouse for the cause of fornication (Matthew 19:9).
The New Testament plainly teaches that anyone that divorces their spouse for any other reason than the cause of fornication and remarries, is committing adultery and causes the one they marry to be living in adultery too. If that relationship continues, both will miss heaven (I Corinthians 6:9-10). My friend, God is serious about marriage. Are you?
