“And [Jesus] 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 10:11-12) Clearly, marriage after divorce is adultery, and the Bible unequivocally states that adulterers are not a part of the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
In our culture, as it was in Jesus’ day, this is a hard saying. Marriages are now disposable, and serial divorces and remarriages have become quite commonplace. But, as Jesus said, “In the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:8) He explicitly stated, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mark 10:9)
Divorce often occurs when only one of the marriage partners doesn’t want the marriage to continue. Many see this type of divorce situation as a release for the other party to marry again. Whatever the circumstances that caused a divorce, the New Testament never grants permission for a subsequent remarriage. There are no exceptions. Clever human explanations aside, God has given clear direction on the topic: marriage after divorce is sin.
Should divorced persons be extended charity? Certainly, they should. They should be cared for by their families and the church. They should experience genuine love and be given Godly counsel. They need biblical support in their challenging circumstances. But they do not need justification for wrong choices or nudged into any kind of carnal and sinful relationship.
Divorce is painful. Christians are called upon to fulfill the law of Christ by bearing each other’s burdens. (Galatians 6:2) Compassionate care must rule the day; divorced persons, as all others, are to be directed to walk in the light. One is never alone when walking with Jesus.
4 Responses
As in far as I know, only one major denomination still teaches that divorce is impossible wrong and unacceptable (except as a legal civic matter). The only reason Jesus said that adultery was an exception was because the penalty for it was death. That being said, if someone enters into marriage without fully committing to the four F’s, then the marriage is invalid.
These are: Forever i.e. until death, Faithful i.e. no others, Freely i.e. no coercion, and Fruitful i.e. open to children. This is the nuanced basis for annulments in the Catholic Church (caveat: the devil is in the details).
Thank you for your comments. Marriage is a God given covenant for a man and a woman for life. Due to the fact that God instituted marriage, all marriages are under His jurisdiction and counsel. We find many New Testament scriptures on this topic, Matt 19:5-9, Mark 10:4-12, Romans 7:1-3, 1 Cor 7:8-17, and 1 Cor7:5 showing that reconciliation is what God desires when difficulty arises. Please contact us at 83FORTRUTH and speak to a phone team member.
I drove past a billboard today – “Marriage after divorce is sin”
PLEASE consider to just not put any more billboards in my neighborhood. I have no idea how that is helpful information to any non believer. and I feel like it’s giving Jesus a bad rep. Of all the important messages in the bible, Jesus preached so much about love and forgiveness. There are so many more impactful ways to spread the gospel. This one feels aggressive.
Jordyn, thank you for responding to one of our billboards. Our purpose is to share the truth given in God’s Word. Mark 10:4-12 presents one of the gospel accounts concerning marriage after divorce. If you would like further discussion, please call 833 678 7884. My name is Brenton. Blessings today in the name of Jesus.