What God has joined together by Clay Bethea

As we look around our society today, divorce is rampant. What was once frowned upon seems to be an accepted practice today. Incompatibility and personality clashes are enough reason for many couples to put an end to the union God established.

Would divorce be prevalent in our society today, if everyone understood that God hates divorce (Mal. 3:6)? Roman 7:2, 3 states "For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then if, while her husband is living, she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress, though she is joined to another man." (NASV) Here we can see that the true intent of marriage is for life. If either party breaks the bond, then an adulterous relationship results when either of the parties remarries.

This same teaching is reinforced by Jesus in Matthew 19:1-10. Here we have the Pharisees questioning Jesus about divorce, vs. 3 "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?" Jesus replies to the question at hand by stating how God intended marriage from the beginning vs.4-6 "Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and Female, and said, for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." In these verses, we find that God ordained marriage and that only God has the authority to break the bond.

The Pharisees continue to question Jesus about the certificate of divorce that Moses allowed in vs. 7, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?" We find that Christ answers in vs. 8, "Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way." Note that Jesus refers them back to the beginning of time and that the intent of marriage was for life.

But then in vs. 9 Christ gives his command on marriage, "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." So Christ gives only one reason for the marriage relationship to end and that is if one of the mates commits fornication while being married to their mate. Therefore, if a person has divorced their mate for any other reason than fornication, and remarries, this person is now living in an adulterous relationship. But the innocent party in the relationship could remarry and not be living in sin according to this verse.

It is no wonder that the disciples made the statement they did in vs. 10. They thought that this was a hard teaching and that it would be better not to even marry. Christ came and set up a new law in the New Testament concerning marriage and divorce and we must abide by these teachings if we want to be found faithful in the end.

There are two other verses that give the same command and they are as follows: Matthew 5:32, I Corinthians 7:10, 11.

Now that we know that we are to have one mate for life, what should a person do that is divorced for some reason other than fornication and has remarried? The above passage says that this person is living in an adulterous relationship. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us that people that practice such deeds will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, people must repent of this sin, just like any other sin. The question becomes, however, how does one repent of a sin when the sin is an adulterous marriage?

As we discussed in a previous article (Vol. 1 No. 14), repentance is a change of heart that produces a change in conduct. In the Old Testament, we find an example where certain children of Israel had to repent of sinful marriages (Ezra 9:1-10:44). When confronted with their sin, the men of Israel put away their wives and children of the unlawful marriages. Although what made the Jewish marriages sinful is different from what makes marriages unlawful today (i.e., marrying Gentiles as opposed to marrying someone with an unscriptural divorce), the principle to be applied is still the same; turn away from sin, and quit sinning. ("If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." Matt. 5:29, see also Matt. 5:27-32; 18:7-14).

God instituted marriage. When His plan is followed, it will lead a couple to a fulfilled life with many happy moments. The family will prosper and the world will be a better place, due to couples working through their problems and raising their children in a complete home.