Divorce and Remarriage

What Scripture Says

• Jesus said, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6).
• He said that whoever puts away his wife, "except it be for fornication," and marries another commits adultery (Matthew 19:9). This exception does not appear in Mark 10:11-12.
• Paul wrote that if the unbelieving spouse departs, "let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases" (1 Corinthians 7:15).

Views

• Divorce is permitted, but remarriage is not: This view holds that the marriage bond continues until one spouse dies (Romans 7:2-3). It is said to have been the majority view of the early church, and it is close to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage.
• Divorce and remarriage are permitted in two cases: a spouse's sexual immorality and desertion by an unbelieving spouse. Chapter 24 of the Westminster Confession of Faith sets out this position, which is the traditional Presbyterian view.
• Broader grounds: This view holds that the permissible grounds also include cases in which the marriage covenant has effectively been broken, such as violence, abuse, and desertion. It reads Scripture as providing principles rather than listing every possible case.

All of these views regard divorce as a painful departure from God's original intention, and all urge reconciliation first wherever it is possible.

Pastoral Issues

• Churches have reexamined the past pastoral practice of telling victims of domestic violence to "endure it." The recognition that safety comes first has become more widespread.
• Whether to officiate at the remarriage of divorced church members, and whether such members may hold church office, varies by church and by minister.
• Whether a divorced or remarried person may become a pastor is bound up with the interpretation of "the husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2), and regulations differ from denomination to denomination.

In a society where divorce has become more common, there is broad agreement that the church must both teach the sanctity of marriage and embrace those who have been divorced.