Divorce and remarriage remain some of the most challenging and sensitive topics within the Church today. While modern culture has become increasingly permissive regarding the dissolution of marriage, Scripture upholds a high view of the marriage covenant.
We are conditioned to view marriage as disposable. We receive these messages through public figures such as popular actors and actresses, celebrities, and even politicians. However, Jesus’ teaching in Luke 16:18 provides a sobering warning:
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”
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These words underscore the permanence of marriage and rebuke the widespread misinterpretation of God’s law by the Pharisees. To fully understand what Scripture teaches about divorce and remarriage, we must examine the historical context, the biblical framework, and the theological implications of Jesus’ words.
The Pharisees’ perversion of divorce and remarriage
During Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees had established themselves as interpreters and enforcers of the Mosaic Law. However, they often distorted the law to fit their own desires. In many ways, the Pharisees revised the law of God to be reshaped in their image. The issue of divorce was no exception. They had developed an overly permissive view that allowed men to divorce their wives for nearly any reason. Their misinterpretation was based on a skewed reading of Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which they used to justify easy divorce.
The primary debate among Jewish scholars revolved around the phrase “some indecency” (ervat davar) in Deuteronomy 24:1. Two prominent rabbinical schools, the School of Shammai and the School of Hillel, had different interpretations:
- The school of Shammai held a strict view, permitting divorce only in cases of sexual immorality.
- The school of Hillel took a more liberal stance, allowing divorce for almost any reason, including trivial matters such as a wife burning food or becoming less attractive.
This debate formed the backdrop of the Pharisees’ question to Jesus in Matthew 19:3, where they asked, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” In Matthew 19, the Pharisees were seeking to trap Jesus. They wanted him to either teach in contradiction to the Mosaic Law or to uphold it to the point that Herod would do to Jesus what he did to John the Baptist. Jesus confronted them by asking if they had not read — implying that they had apparently read Rabbi Hillel rather than God’s law!
God’s original design for marriage
Marriage is foundational to God’s creation order. In Genesis 2:24, we see the first divine institution of marriage:
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
From the beginning, marriage was intended to be a permanent, covenantal union. This covenant reflects God’s own faithfulness and love, particularly as it relates to Christ’s relationship with the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Jesus affirms this divine institution in Matthew 19:4-6, stating, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” This statement directly contradicts the Pharisees’ approach to divorce and underscores the seriousness of breaking the marriage bond.
Biblical allowances for divorce
Though God’s ideal is lifelong marriage, Scripture does provide two explicit grounds for divorce: sexual immorality and willful desertion by an unbelieving spouse.
The exception clause: Divorce for sexual immorality
Jesus provides the clear and explicit exception for divorce in Matthew 19:9, “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” The Greek word for sexual immorality here is porneia, a broad term encompassing various forms of sexual sin, including adultery, fornication, and other violations of marital faithfulness.
The Pharisees had misrepresented Deuteronomy 24:1 as a justification for no-fault divorce, but Jesus clarifies that only serious marital unfaithfulness constitutes legitimate grounds for divorce. However, even in such cases, divorce was permitted but not commanded. Before rushing through the doorway of divorce, reconciliation should always be pursued if possible.
The desertion clause: Divorce due to abandonment
The Apostle Paul provides another legitimate ground for divorce in 1 Corinthians 7:15, “If the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.” This refers to an unbelieving spouse who chooses to leave a believing partner. In such cases, Paul states that the believing spouse is no longer bound to the marriage. In such cases, the abandoned spouse is free to remarry. This is concluded by the language Paul uses in the text that suggests that the innocent party is not “enslaved” to the spouse who abandoned them.
In many ways, this serves as protection from abusive spouses who would keep their spouse under marital obligation after abandonment — treating them as property to be used rather than a spouse under a marriage covenant. In similar ways, the text in Deuteronomy protected women from that type of abuse in the Old Testament where men of Israel would leave their wives and take Gentile women leaving their wives vulnerable and with no legal support that their marriage had been severed. The giving of a bill of divorcement was a means of protection.
Remarriage after divorce
Often, one of the most controversial issues to reconcile is centered on remarriage. Can a person be remarried if they’ve been divorced? If a person has been divorced on biblical grounds, is remarriage permissible? This must always be considered on a case-by-case basis through the lens of Scripture. In some cases, it may be that a person has engaged in a sinful divorce and should be given the counsel that they should remain single. In other cases, a Christian may be counseled that remarriage is an option.
The majority of Reformed theologians have affirmed that remarriage is allowed for the innocent party. Theodore Beza, the successor of John Calvin, affirms:
“We do not allow divorce except for two causes: namely, adultery and malicious desertion. Both of these dissolve the bond of marriage. And when this happens, we say that it is lawful for the innocent party to remarry.”1
In a similar manner, William Perkins writes the following as he stands in the long line of the Reformers and their position on the issue of divorce and remarriage.
“In the case of adultery, the bond of marriage is broken, and the innocent party has liberty to remarry.”2
Thus, if a person has been divorced due to sexual immorality or desertion, remarriage is a legitimate option for the innocent party. Given the high view of marriage in Scripture, the church has a responsibility to uphold the sanctity of marriage. The church also bears the responsibility of ministering to those who have suffered through divorce.
1. Church accountability and discipline
Marriage is a covenant before God, and churches should be actively involved and engaged in marriage. If anyone should be upholding the holiness of marriage, it should be the church of Jesus Christ. Members of the local church should not view marriage as a private decision or a family matter that is disconnected from the local church. In other words, the local church should be far more engaged in marriages than merely guests at a celebration.
- Premarital counseling should be engaged to prevent hasty or unwise marriages and prepare couples for marriage.
- Church discipline should be applied in cases of sin and unbiblical divorce.
- Encouraging reconciliation should be the common counsel from the beginning when sin threatens a marriage.
- Shepherding for successful marriages should be the goal of regular ongoing pastoral ministry within the local church.
2. Grace for the divorced
For those who have divorced sinfully, God’s grace abounds. The Gospel assures us that no sin is beyond the reach of Christ’s redemption.
- 1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”
- Romans 8:1 — “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Divorce is not an unpardonable sin. Those who repent and seek Christ’s grace will find restoration and renewal. The local church should not view members who have divorced to be branded with a “scarlet D” and treated as second-rate church members. Furthermore, Christians who come to the conclusion that their divorce and subsequent remarriage were unbiblical should not be gripped by the false idea that they are engaged in perpetual adultery for life. They are to be encouraged to run to the cross where they receive forgiveness and assurance in the finished work of Jesus! We are reminded of this truth in the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul” penned by Horatio G. Spafford:
“My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”
Marriage is a divinely instituted covenant that reflects Christ’s love for His Church. While divorce is permitted in limited circumstances, it should never be taken lightly. As a Church, we must uphold the sanctity of marriage while extending grace and support to those who have experienced its brokenness.
Ultimately, Christ is the true and faithful bridegroom, whose love and commitment to His people never fail. May we, as His followers, seek to reflect that same faithfulness in our own marriages for the glory of our great God.
References
1. Theodore Beza, A Confession of the Christian Faith, 167.
2. William Perkins, Christian Oeconomie, 78.
Originally published at G3 Ministries.
Josh Buice serves as the pastor of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church, a 180-year-old church where G3 Conferences began. Josh is the husband to Kari and father of four children: Karis, John Mark, Kalli, and Judson. He studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his MDiv and DMin in expository preaching. He also serves as Assistant Professor of Preaching for Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas. Josh has a passion for biblical preaching, missions, church planting, and the local church. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, running, hunting, and spending time with his family.
