Matthew 5:27-32 NIV
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Exodus 20:14 NIV
You shall not commit adultery.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 NIV
24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Matthew 19:3-9 NIV
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Summary
- God loves marriage (Matthew 19:4-6)
- God hates divorce (Malachi 2:10-16)
- God permits divorce under limited circumstances- adultery / sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9) and abandonment by an unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:15)
- Even if something is not stated explicitly as grounds for divorce, things like abuse are still sins to be rebuked, corrected, repented of and made subject to ecclesial and civil authorities as necessary.
- Any marriage can withstand sin and unfaithfulness if both partners are willing to be humble, remain accountable and forgive each other (Ephesians 4:32)!
No matter your marital status, choose to honor and uphold God’s design and heart for sex, marriage and family!