What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?
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“What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?”
Dr. Thomas Schreiner answers in Honest Answers | Episode 82
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God doesn’t approve the divorce and the second marriage is not valid . Period
Why interpret doubt about what scripture means to the liberal view and allow divorce and remarriage? When you admit that divorce is a bad thing, he does admit that, then why not default to the view that if scripture is not completely clear then one should NOT give licence to sin?
Genesis 2:24 gives us a picture of the marriage bond before sin entered the world: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, NKJV). “One flesh” echoes the language of the preceding verse when Adam first meets Eve and exclaims, “This one is bone of my bone, and flesh from my flesh!” (Genesis 2:23, NLT). Two becoming one in marriage involves uniting two whole and separate people into a new, God-designed and God-purposed life.
The two shall become one flesh clause expresses the original purpose of marriage: to seal a permanent relationship between a husband and wife. Jesus spoke of this union in a conversation with the Pharisees about divorce: “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:6–9; see also Matthew 19:4–6).
He quotes the Bible about being abandoned by a non believer, but what if you are abandoned by a believer?
This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
Jeremiah 17 : 5
Pray and seek God on this matter. This video gave a man’s perspective, and I respect that. However, it did not address abuse and many other issues. Gods love and grace are enough.
The hurtful truth is this guys is ASSUMING that letting your deserting spouse go, opens the by default the option of remarriage. Truth is this is a dangerous assumption because as he said you can’t keep someone that wants to leave or one that commits adultery but you will be "committing adultery if you remarry another woman" Matthew 19:9. And he also says this was changed because as opposed to the original scripture where divorce wasn’t even allowed as god created one woman and one man for a reason. However, because men were unyielding to the idea of one for eternity the exception clause was added, but remarriage isn’t mentioned as an option in the bible. Read Matthew 19: 4-11.
This is crap sir how exception to be engagement. How you are going to divorce when there is no contract.
What if you came to faith after the divorce?? I have to be alone forever?
This guys a false teacher gives mutiple choice.. he tells how he thinks or how he feels, he never even cracks open a Bible but loosely quotes scripture just like satan did to Jesus.. Marrige is until death.. Divorce is not the problem remarriage is never acceptable as long as you covenant spouse lives Romans 7 1-3 .. according to his warped interpretation is if a person wants free from his covenant spouse alls they have to do is go commit adultery then they are free marry a new spouse .. John the baptist was thrown in prison and had his head chopped off for telling king herod it was unlawful for him to have his brother phillips wife because he had married her.. this man is leading many to hell with his warped interpretation.. read the bible and pray. Luke 16:18 romans 7:1-3 mark 10:11-12 matt 5 matt 19 malachai 2 1 cor 7.. READ YOUR BIBLE its spelled out clearly.
I’m at the 4 min mark. You don’t think that "fornication" was the betrothal period? Let’s look at the old Testament. Deuteronomy 22
13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
16 And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.
26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Jesus Himself had a marriage covenant with Israel and His death broke that covenant. But His resurrection drew ALL men unto Himself.
It’s one man, one woman until death.
It’s adultery to divorce and remarry, unless you spouse has died. The traditional Protestant or Catholic view is irrelevant
at a certain time one has to bypass, all these so called experts and make a judgement call….on our own….that divorce and remarriage is adultery, and leads to eternal judgement…..
contex it the key……there are two types of sexual sins….one for the married, and one for the unmarried…..it is not what is being done, but who is doing it…
Can someone explain to me then Deutronomy 24 ?
The passage in Matthew 5 is NOT about the engagement period. In fact, it is not even primarily about divorce and remarriage. That is the vehicle subject to address the Pharisees’ hypocritical silence about what was going on with Antipas and Herodias. Read the account in Josephus book 18, ch. 5. Further, it is horrible hermeneutics to use what Joseph was going to do to Mary to say that this verse is about the betrothal period. That’s a complete non-sequitur. This guy needs to sit down before he hurts himself.
All these questions and problems are answered in the Church aka Catholicism
You don’t sound sure
We live in a broken world. There are to be exceptions but they must be firmly applied strictly with counselling n repentance. And yet christian leaders..
Answer to this question would be no because God is married to the backslider The prodigal sons in scripture if your spouse goes straight you stand in the office of Jesus Christ and pray for your wit for mercy and Grace no matter what even if you separate from them you standing praying be faithful to God until he delivers them back to you faithfully they shall be people have no fear of God anymore
What if you’re wife just hates you and tells you and shows you she doesn’t love you… What if you’re wife is telling I don’t love you everyday and wanting to leave for no reason 😭😢😢😢
When ye divorce women, and they fulfil the term of their ( ‘ Iddah), either take them back on equitable terms or set them free on equitable terms; but do not take them back to injure them, (or) to take undue advantage; if any
one does that; He wrongs his own soul. Do not treat God’s* Signs as a jest, but solemnly rehearse God’s favours on you, and the fact that He sent down to you the Book and Wisdom, for your instruction. And fear God, and know that God is well acquainted with all things.
Holy Quran, chapter 2 ( Al Baqarah) The Heifer) verse 231.
* Allah Subhana Watala; Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Here’s what I’ve thought over the years…I don’t condemn people for remarrying…especially when that is being taught to them by pastors…but I am sad that pastors play a part in the remarriage ceremony…if it was harder to get remarried after divorce, people would be forced to consider what marriage is truly about…would possibly consider things more carefully before getting married…and then marry more carefully thereby deceasing the “need” for remarriage.
I hear "i" too much from this man.
And the Pharisees came with the same question about divorce and Jesus said it wasn’t written that way you changed the laws
God is an amoral sycotic deviant that has always hated humans
God hated humans from the beginning
christians are angels of Lucifer
What the Bible says….
Many of you are wondering what are the grounds of divorce and remarriage…
Moses gave the certificate of divorce for the hardness of man’s heart but individuals were not permitted to remarry. Divorce and remarriage is only permitted through death or fornication Not adultery/sexual immorality( Read the most accurate translation KJV). These are two different words(definitions). Fornication is sex before marriage, Adultery is sex outside your marriage.
In those days a man was under the assumption that he was marrying a virgin. A nurse would stand outside the tent with a towel as they consummated(had sex) the marriage, if blood was not present and the female hymen was not broken she was found not to be a virgin. Because he married her under false pretense he was allowed to divorce her and remarry. Anyone else who divorces there spouse is to remain single or reconciled back to there spouse if they haven’t remarried. If they enter into another relationship they are living in Adultery…
Matt 5:32-But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Matt 19:9- 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.
Mark 10-12-And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Luke 16:18-Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from [her] husband committeth adultery.
1Cor 7:39-The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
This is a sensitive topic. There are so many viewpoints and even after you do a lot of research, you have to be careful to make sure that the scriptures that are quoted are being used in context. If you want to hear the hard truth David Pawson does an excellent job of explaining the scriptures and using them in context and giving the background behind them. All the others have put their own spin on the subject as far as I’ve seen.
GENERALLY,I WOULDN’T TRUST DENOMINATIONALLY INSTITUTIONALIZED VIEWS ON SCRIPTURAL INTERPRETATION.
I think the third reason you listed is the most popular viewpoint because it’s the easiest viewpoint to believe. It’s very difficult to turn to close family that you love and tell them they are in an adulturous "marriage." Marriage is a gift from God to us. I truly don’t think it would make any sense for us to be able to marry, divorce, and remarry (outside of death).
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." – Genesis 2:24
I’m not sure (except through death) that it would make any sense that we would be permitted to divorce our spouse at all, let alone remarry. One flesh doesn’t mean one flesh just while the marriage is working out. One flesh means through thick and thin. It’s not to say one can’t separate from their spouse in specific situations when needed, but I still don’t think we would be permitted to divorce. And again, even if we were able to divorce for sexual immorality, I do not think the Bible gives us any ground to remarry.
I am surprised Dr. Shreiner did not discuss the importance of the verb “apoluo” and the prevalent practice in Roman culture which allowed men (or women) to simply “send away” their spouses without a certificate of divorce. He speaks of the Traditional Protestant viewpoint and misses the Traditional Biblical Translation “viewpoint.” It wasn’t till the mid-19th century that “apoluo” became translated as the word divorce (although it seems that Erasmus originally attempted this same mistranslation of the Latin). The same applies to Shreiner’s clumsy explanation of “porneia.” The real difference between fornication and adultery is that the former involved non-married couples. (Compare Deuteronomy 22 with Deuteronomy 24.) (Note: the Hebrew “shalach” performs the same way as “apoluo” and is probably behind Jesus’ quotation of Deuteronomy 24 as opposed to his use of the LXX.) Dan Knight
"what God, then, has joined, let not man put asunder. 7 Why then, [the Pharisees] said, did Moses enjoin that a man might give his wife a writ of separation, and then he might put her away? 8 He told them, It was to suit your hard hearts that Moses allowed you to put your wives away; it was not so at the beginning of things. 9 And I tell you that he who puts away his wife, not for any unfaithfulness of hers, and so marries another, commits adultery; and he too commits adultery, who marries her after she has been put away. 10 At this, his disciples said to him, If the case stands so between man and wife, it is better not to marry at all. 11 That conclusion, he said, cannot be taken in by everybody, but only by those who have the gift. 12 There are some eunuchs, who were so born from the mother’s womb, some were made so by men, and some have made themselves so for love of the kingdom of heaven; take this in, you whose hearts are large enough for it."
Alright, but the second clause after the semicolon in line 9 is the key phrase "and he too commits adultery, who marries her after she has been put away", it is specifically the remarriage of another innocent man to an innocent divorcee that Jesus himself describes as adultery because the guilty husband divorced her to marry another unlawfully, and we may deduce the goal of a godly society in total must be still to reunite the original couple. This is a conclusion so preposterous that, despite being mid-conversation with the Pharisees, they are rendered speechless, and it is rather Jesus’ own disciples who comically interject to complain about this novel (to Jews), stricter, anti-Mosaic rule. Therefore, via sola scriptura and the preeminence of the words of Jesus himself in clear context, I don’t see how this particular traditional Protestant interpretation ever got off the ground. Even if you really stretch the context in order to interpret 9 as saying two things — that a husband commits adultery by divorcing a faithful wife and remarrying, and that anyone who remarries an unfaithful wife who was divorced by her innocent husband commits adultery — first of all, that still says nothing about the guilt of the new partners, rendering the entire sentence a useless rumination, but mainly you’re still left with a practically permanent ban on remarriage for all divorced once-unfaithful spouses, for even if the unfaithful divorcee were forgiven by former husband and church, any new and hitherto innocent suitor would still commit a sin against her innocent former husband if he tries to marry her, and I don’t see anything here in the text to suggest that even if her innocent former husband has remarried in accordance with the spirit of 9, that she is then free to remarry, unless natural human reason and our natural body of common sense interpretation therefrom be supposed to always elucidate Scripture to be interpreted in such a way that we must presume it is indeed absurd to either cheat and later repent to dissolve any marriage without any interfaithful penalty whatsoever, or plot a murder to be spared the charge of adultery. Indeed, we are left no wiser with respect to the sort of issues that really matter to us, such as whether a wife may seek a divorce from an abusive husband, or whether an impoverished divorcee with children may remarry to save her children, or whether genetically stupid or especially inexperienced people must be held to such high standards in our modern society without arranged marriages, or for that matter whether arranged marriages are themselves to be regarded as inviolable if the overarching individualism of the Christian doctrine is to obtain. On nearly every point of practical life, we are left completely baffled by the word of God. To think that God’s sole communique to mankind is less readable than a Chinese instruction manual. Surely, God intended all these conspicuously missing pieces right in the middle of the jigsaw puzzle to be sketched in ad hoc by disagreeing and disagreeable human authorities till kingdom come, leaving us exactly nowhere new following that titular testament. The only really interesting part of this exchange is the corollary finale, indicating a special role in society for people who choose or have been compelled by necessity to serve all by giving up family life. Yet, it is precisely on this point where the Protestant tradition protests, and that’s as jarring to me as the permissive reading of the prior two lines.
Mystifying …
Why not mention Ezra 10?
Im married to an atheist, narcissist that has repeatedly been unfaithful. Ive prayed for years for his salvation and forgiven him 70 x 7. Now Ive changed my prayer to deliver me.
Thank you for clarifying this issue, it’s very well explained. God bless
I’ve a question sir.
What shall one do when it’s way more brutal than just cheating? What shall one do when one have to go through all the disrespect, abuse, torture, pain almost every single day of life. (along with getting cheated but put blames on the partner of cheating just to cover up one’s fault)
I’ve a friend who’s married to a man with NPD. That man has been torturing her, abusing her mentally, physically, emotionally and in every single way almost every single day since last 13-14 years. She’s been treated so brutally, cruelly, inhumanly.
She’s beaten up without any clothes on her body, her private parts are also hurt brutally, She’s been spit at all over her body and her face, her neck is wrapped by belts so hard till she starts loosing breath. And what not, she’s hurt, harmed, tortured, beaten up without a single fault of her in such a way I can’t even described it all. I’m getting tears in my eyes while writting this.
She’s living in none less than a hell.
Does GOD still wants this kind of marriage/relationship to be maintained?
Divorce is not permissible.
This is false teaching
Question that’s not answered: does it mean that divorcee people especially when adultery involved and those people abstain from remarriage are not saved?
Mankind should stop liberalization of GOD’S WORD because simple fact is we change, bend, compromise, manipulate, pollute, etc. But GOD never changes. His WORD will not come back void…PERIOD.
JESUS DIED ONCE FOR ALL OUR SINS ROmans 6:10 wow alot of hate here
Did you forget the part about the woman at the well who was divorced from 5 husband’s that Jesus was wait on? What’s in the missing books that the catholic said should be in because it wasn’t important?
divorce is allowed for a variety of reasons….as in 1 Cor 7.10-11 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
If you can help me by answering the questions below, I would appreciate it.
1) I have not found a text that says that a MAN abandoned (passive) by his wife commits adultery if he marries another woman or that he should remain alone;
2) a woman abandoned, even for an unjust cause (Deut. 24), could remarry (she was not to be stoned as an adulteress, Deut. 22), except to priests (Lev. 21). After the coming of the Lord, the woman unjustly abandoned can no longer marry? Was there more freedom for the abandoned woman before? Jesus said that he would not repeal the Law given by His Father.
3) Why does the text about "divorce" (or separation) appear in Luke in the middle of texts about money?
4) Why is it believed that the union of one flesh is something ontological, and there are several passages in which it is demonstrated that this does not occur (Abraham and Hagar, marriage with foreigners, relations between relatives, Ex. 22,17, I Cor. 5, I Cor .6, Deut. 24…)
5) The verbs allow and command are interchanged in Matthew 19 and Mark 10. Why does almost everyone who preaches Matthew 19 ignore this interchange in Mark 10?
6) Why do people ignore that the procedural question of the divorce certificate has value? Think with me: what was the penalty for adultery? Stoning? Not always. If there were no witnesses and she was guilty, the penalty for the same offense would be different, according to Num. 5. Why is it not noticed that God made this point in Isaiah 50 when asking where the divorce certificate would be?
7) if an unbeliever leaves his believing spouse and disappears in the world. In a short time, no one knows the whereabouts of the person, and not even if he is alive (the Brazilian Civil Code even regulates absence, by the way), the believing spouse would be prohibited from getting married permanently, because how would he know if the other died?
8) do you think that in Corinth there were no divorced people? If in Israel the concept of marriage was no longer there, in the Greek environment there was no divorce? Paul did not give the Corinthians any divorce decrees.
9) Paul told Timothy that doctrines of demons would arise: prohibition of marriages and food. Do you know anywhere banning food only to leaders? I am not. So why interpret that the ban on marriages that would arise would only be for leaders (as we usually interpret it, understanding Catholics in that position)?
10) Paul said in Romans 7 that the wife was bound to her husband unto death by the LAW, not by an indissoluble Neoplatonic ontological bond. The woman could be required by the man if he did not give her a certificate of divorce. But if he gave it, even if unjustly and because of the hardness of heart, she was not bound to him by the LAW. Paul used the rule to use a metaphor.
God bless you!
Who gives you the authority to be the Jesus Christ says call nobody orso apparently Jesus didn’t give you the authority to be a teacher and if Jesus didn’t give you the authority to do that that must make you a Satanist get out of paying what Jesus taught
The only remarige the bible condema is to go back to your former husband if you marry another.
this guy is just talking in circles. He’s trying to make something OK but just simply flat out is not OK. If you are divorced you’re on your own with Christ that is it PERIOD. This guy is just blowing smoke.
They make a vow to God and take it very lightly where is the fear of the church you supposed to ssve souls not condemned them somebody got to stand up for God their marriage is not about you it’s about God be as God unto your spouse forgiven them pray through in the Lord
I think the answer is clear in Jeremiah 3:8, where God speaks of Israel by saying, "I had sent her away with a decree of divorce." God still offered reconciliation. He did all He could for the Covenant, but Israel was not willing, and in the New Covenant, God has the Christian church as His bride now. Marriage is a covenant; divorce breaks the covenant. God Himself reinstituted a New Covenant after the old was broken. At the very least, the person who is blameless when the original covenant was broken is clearly at liberty to get into a new covenant later.
So in Mark 3:28-29 when Jesus clearly stated ALL SINS, shall be forgiven unto the sons of men (BUT ONE) whosoever shall blasphemy against the Holy Spirit hath no forgiveness.
Blasphemy is explained this this same chapter where they acused Jesus of being a prince of demons and using demonic power to perform miracles. Another words, uttering words that would state THE MIGHTY SPIRIT OF GOD is something of evil. That is unforgivable! In Luke it says whosoever shall UTTER words against the Holy Spirit is in great danger of eternal hellfire.
God is very clear… If you repent he will BLOT IT OUT (it never happened), THROW IT IN TO THE SEA OF FORGETFULNESS. Though your sins are scarlet if you repent…I SHALL MAKE YOU WHITE AS SNOW!
This isn’t free reign to commit adultery or to keep getting divorced. Jesus told the adulteress…I CONDEMN YOU NOT, NOW GO, AND SIN NO MORE!
Anyone who truly seeks forgiveness and understands they have failed God, their spouse, their family, and truly asks for his forgiveness he shall restore you. Anyone who says anything other than that is not quoting scripture.
IF YOU REMARRY YOU COMMITT ADULTERY. So true. The word of God does not lie. However it doesn’t erase all the verses that explain ALL OF OUR SINS AND TRANSGRESSIONS can be erased if WE TRULY repent.
DO NOT LET SOME MAN OR WOMAN IN THE COMMENTS CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR HOPE IN SALVATION because they are still holding a bitter grudge against someone who wronged them. I feel for their pain. However any person who wishes to cause someone to lose their hope in salvation is a MIGHTY evil thing indeed.
If you repent if your divorce…ITS BLOTTED OUT it is in the sea of forgetfulness….I will remember it not. It is gone
You have to seriously have a deep talk with God. It is not as simple as saying God forgive me of my divorce and poof. You have to have a heart to heart. He is your father and anyone suggesting the father will torment someone for anything other than Blasphemy isn’t quoting scripture. He will forgive and forget