The biblical perspective on divorce

 The biblical perspective on divorce

By: James Linders

This article addresses Christian couples; specifically Christian believers. However, non-believers are welcome to read the article for educating purposes, should they wish to do so.

South Africa, a predominantly Christian country, has some of the highest divorce rates in the world. Among these numbers we MOST often find believers as well who opted for divorce, rather honoring their nuptial vows which was made before God.

The question we as Christian believers should ask ourselves BEFORE we take such a DRASTIC measure, is whether hardships, unhappiness, misunderstanding, turmoil and trials; all growing pains, are sufficient reason to justify divorce as a solution, ESPECIALLY if there are children involved.

Let’s turn to the to the word of God, after all, when all else fail for us as believers, we should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit who will lead us in ALL truth (1 Corinthians 2:13 “... we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words”).

Are we as believers ALLOWED by God’s law to divorce from each other? The answer would be an emphatic “No”. We DON’T have the option open to divorce. However, the Apostle Paul has this to say about divorce: If a believing wife is married to an unbelieving husband, and he wants to divorce her, she’s ALLOWED to grant him a divorce because she has NO guarantee that he would become a believer (1 Corinthians 7:15-16).

In Romans 7:2-3 Paul makes the statement that a married woman is bound to her husband in marriage for life by God’s law. However, when her husband dies, she’s released from God’s law that binds her to him. Likewise, should a woman have sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she called an adulteress. But should she marry another man AFTER her husband died, she is NOT an adulteress.

Paul, a legal expert himself in HIS time, ADMITS that divorce may legally end a marriage according to the laws of THAT country, but according to GOD’S law the marital bond is only terminated by death. However, if she DOES divorce from her husband, she must REMAIN unmarried or reconcile with him. The same applies to the man. So, on the question of whether God’s ALLOWS married couples to divorce from each other, Matthew makes THIS statement in Matthew 19:6: “...Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”