Marriage and Divorce There Are Many Divorced

Marriage and Divorce

There are many divorced (and also many remarried) Christians today, but Tom and Jane want to know what the Bible really says about the issue before they make what they consider to be a life-altering decision. Generally, there are four schools of thought on divorce and remarriage into which Christians fall. These are:

Divorce and remarriage are both acceptable

Divorce is acceptable but remarriage is not Divorce is acceptable but remarriage is only acceptable in certain circumstances

Divorce - and by extension remarriage - are never acceptable (Beck, 2011)

Despite the fact that the Bible is very clear on what it says about divorce and remarriage, there are still different interpretations of that information depending on the Christian who is asked the question. Some denominations are also more liberal in their teachings than others, and that can greatly affect what a Christian thinks and believes when it comes to divorce and remarriage (Strong, DeVault, & Cohen, 2011). In Biblical times, marriage was a covenant that was considered holy. It was a representation of Christ (the groom) and the Church (His bride). This is far different than the civil ceremony marriages that are seen today, and even different from many of the marriages that are held in church facilities. The Biblical teaching on marriage was very clear that it was to be for life, but it did also make some concessions as to when a man could divorce his wife. It did not make concessions as to when a wife could divorce her husband. They most common reason cited by Biblical scholars for acceptable divorce is marital unfaithfulness - in other words, cheating (Beck, 2011). However, what is cheating, specifically? Different Christians have different opinions on the issue.

Many Biblical scholars also cite abandonment by one spouse as a reason for the other spouse to seek a divorce (Beck, 2011). Again, however, there is no agreement as to what abandonment means and whether it must be physical in nature in order to be acceptable from a Biblical standpoint. Since there are provisions in the Bible for divorce, it appears as though it is possible to divorce. Additionally, the New Testament states that man is no longer "under the law" because of what Christ did for humanity. The NT is focused on love, and how that love and belief in Christ is what a person is supposed to address in his or her life. Divorce is not the unforgivable sin, and, therefore, could theoretically be forgiven even if it is done for the "wrong" (i.e. not in the Bible) reasons (Beck, 2011). This opinion does not sit well with some Christians who feel as though that is "watering down" the Bible's message, but ultimately the decision to divorce (and remarry) for any reason has to come from the hearts of the couple in question.