Divorce and Remarriage

 This post won't be popular and I am not trying to offend anyone but I was asked to share this study concerning divorce and remarriage.  

It's important  to note that these Scriptures and teaching are written for the admonition and instruction of the saved.  Judgment begins at the House of God. (I Pt 4:17)  Hosea 4:6 issues a warning, "My people perish for lack off knowledge..."  We, as Born Again Believers, cannot be ignorant to God's Word.  

A new babe in Christ needs to fed the sincere milk of the Word, focusing on teaching the foundation and essentials of the doctrine (repentance, baptism,  infilling of the Holy Ghost,  then the necessity of living a holy life)

***IMPORTANT NOTE: All definitions are copied from Strong's Hebrew/Greek Lexicon.  They are not my personal interpretation. 

All Scriptures are King James version.  

Let's start by looking at  Matthew  5:31-32

-- It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, SAVING (except ) FOR THE CAUSE OF FORNICATION, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

Jesus is correcting some incorrect teachings in this passage of Scripture.  The Pharisees believed and taught that if a man was displeased with his wife, he could divorce her.  They liked to refer back to the teaching of Moses in Deuteronomy. 

Deuteronomy 24:1-3

When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

Jesus did not mince words when the Pharisees came to him with this excuse, trying to use Scripture to justify divorce.  

Mark 10:2-12

And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 

And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 

And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the HARDNESS OF YOUR HEART HE WROTE YOU THIS PRECEPT. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 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.   

Mark 10 omits the phrase except for the cause of fornication.   

Looking at this one passage of  Scripture in Mark 10 would cause one to question whether anyone could ever be free to remarry once divorced.  This is where you have to study the Scriptures, comparing what each disciple wrote in the Gospels.  A person cannot take one Scripture and make a doctrine out of it.  They must be looked at in its entirety, comparing Scripture with Scripture.   

Mt 5 and Mt 19 can be used to cross reference (compare with) Mark 10 for further explanation concerning Jesus' teachings...

Matthew 19:3-9

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. 

Fornication is more than  premarital sex.   The word translated as fornication is the Greek word "porneia" G4202 meaning:

Harlotry (including adultery & incest)

Illicit sexual intercourse  (adultery,  fornication,  homosexuality, lesbianism, beastiality (sexual relations with an animal), etc)

Intercourse with relatives (Lev 18)

Intercourse with a divorced man or woman (Mk 10:11-12)

Jesus' teachings reveal the only Biblically sanctioned grounds for divorce is unfaithfulness by their spouse.   If the spouse has committed adultery, incest, or turned to some other lewd perversion such as homosexuality or lesbianism or beastiality (which are an abomination to God), then the person is allowed to divorce and is free to remarry.  

When Jesus taught in Mt 5:31-32 and Mt 19:9...

"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, SAVING (except ) FOR THE CAUSE OF FORNICATION, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." He was trying to correct an error in their thinking.   

According to the teachings of Jesus, a married person cannot divorce their spouse just because they decide they no longer love that person, their breath stinks, they don’t like that they're getting fat, going bald, not as attractive as when they first married, or whatever  "reason"  (excuse) they may try to come up with to justify divorce.   Jesus said if a person divorces their spouse for ANY OTHER CAUSE OTHER THAN SEXUAL UNFAITHFULNESS and then remarries, they are considered an adulterer.  And if they divorce their spouse without biblical  grounds, and their spouse remarries,  they are causing the divorced spouse to commit adultery. 

Some err in thinking that marrying the person cancels out the sin and makes it justified in the eyes of God. If this was so, John the Baptist would not have been vehemently chastising  Herrod that it was a sin for him to be married to his brother PHILLIP'S WIFE.  (Mark 6:17)  Notice John still referred to her as Phillip's wife despite Herrodius divorcing him and then marrying Herrod.  Neither of them wanted to be told their marriage was still a sin and not sanctioned in the eyes of God.  Yet John the Baptist felt so strongly against it that it cost him his life.  

Romans 7:1-3

-- 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? 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.

Does this mean the person who has divorced and remarried without Biblical grounds (unfaithful spouse) should divorce their second spouse and return to the first?   Biblically, once someone has remarried,  their first spouse cannot take them back again.   

Dt 24:3-4

And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;    Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord.

Who then is free to remarry? 

Widows are free to remarry.  (Rom 7:1-3 + I Cor 7:39)

The one who has remained faithful to their marriage vows despite the unfaithfulness of a spouse who has broken their vows.  (Mt 5:31-32 + Mt 19:3-9)

Reconciliation is always best, if possible,  but sexual faithfulness is important to God and why He makes allowance for this one cause.  The two become one flesh whenever sexual relations take place.  The marriage bed becomes defiled when someone steps outside of their marriage vows and commits adultery.  They have joined themself to another, violating their marriage partner and the sacredness of their unity.

1 Corinthians 6:16-20

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot (*see def below) is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 

Flee fornication. 

Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Definition of harlot:

any woman indulging in unlawful sexual intercourse, whether for gain or for lust

Hebrews 13:4

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.  

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,    Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

We like to focus on the love and mercy of God (which He is), but we cannot be ignorant to the side of God that requires holiness and righteous living with consequences for those who don't.

As posted on Facebook 12-3-2016