Can Christians Divorce?
1) Direct Answer
No. God’s will is one man and one woman for life. A Christian is not to divorce. If separation must occur, the believer is to remain unmarried or be reconciled. Remarriage while a living spouse remains is adultery.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- From the beginning: “They two shall be one flesh…what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6).
- God hates putting away (Malachi 2:16).
- Jesus restored the original standard: “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:8).
- The “exception” Jesus named is fornication (Matthew 19:9; 5:32). Now notice, Scripture itself shows what that means: Joseph “being a just man…was minded to put her away privily” when he thought Mary had been unclean before they came together (Matthew 1:18-19). That deals with discovering unchastity at the start of the union—not granting a license to dissolve a consummated marriage.
- After marriage is joined, Jesus said plainly: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery” (Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18).
- Paul confirms: “Let not the wife depart… but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11). A believer is “not under bondage” to force an unbelieving spouse to stay (1 Corinthians 7:15), yet this does not open the door to remarriage; he later says, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth” (1 Corinthians 7:39; Romans 7:2-3).
- Leadership standard: an overseer must be “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2). That’s why men who came into the faith already with more than one wife were received as believers but not placed in church office.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- God joins; man must not tear apart what God joined.
- Moses permitted divorce because of hardness of heart; Jesus lifted it back to God’s first intent.
- If divorce were allowed for any later offense or convenience, Jesus would not have called remarriage “adultery,” nor would Paul have commanded separated believers to remain unmarried or be reconciled.
- If an unbeliever departs, the believer is called to peace; but Scripture still binds the marriage bond while the spouse lives.
4) Short Reinforcing Statement
Come as you are, repent of past wrongs, and walk clean from now on. Don’t break up more homes. If you’re already entangled, stay as you are and live faithfully to Christ; but do not seek remarriage while a living spouse remains. God honors His Word and heals where we submit to it.
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §102
...gypt to bring the children out of Egypt to put them in the promised land; and Jesus said here that Moses seen the people in this condition, and he granted them a writing of divorcement because the situation was what it was, Moses found such as... "Let him suffer..." God permitted Moses, that prophet sent to the people, to grant this writing of divorcement to them.
Questions and Answers
62-0527 §17
If they're willing, say "Now, you go on to church. If you want to go down there, that's your business. You want to go to your church, you go ahead. For me, I don't believe it. And I'll do anything for you, I'll not stand in your way, you go ahead." Then you just remain there, knowing not that your sanctified life will sanctify that believer, cause them to believe, see. Either side, man or woman, see. But now just to say, "Brother Branham, I got married and my wife's an unbeliever, and here's a sister over here I ca...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §18
...neducated condition to show my appreciation of His love to me, my love to Him, and our love to the people. Therefore, in sincerity, I approach this subject of "Marriage and Divorce." May God have mercy on us all. And now, listen closely. And sisters, don't get up and go out; sit still just a little while. Brothers, do the same. Don't turn off your sets out there that's coming in on this hookup. Don't do that. Just sit still for a few minutes until it's over. Listen close. If you disagree, put down the Scriptures th...
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 1
57-0915E §71
...say, "Meda, I did wrong," do you think I'd do it? If I love her right, I won't do it. That's right. Now, what if I'd say, "Oh, I can't do it, because I tell you why. She'd divorce me, and I got... Oh, I'm a preacher. See what that'd do? That'd take me out of the pulpit, if she'd divorce me; a divorced man. Oh, I got three children, I couldn't think of that. But, boy, I..." Well, if that's the way it is, you're still legal. It's not legal basis that I married her upon. It's not legal basis that makes me live true t...
The Queen of the South
60-1127E §79
...in our midst in the form of the Holy Ghost, with us here, moving in us, doing the same things. And the evil generation, adulterous generation, marrying, giving in marriage, divorce courts, perversions, sex perversions, all kinds of evil. "Show us a sign." You're doing it---the resurrection---but they won't believe it, Father. Now, these in here... And as I said about the colored slave, how that he didn't have to be whipped. No. No matter how tough it was for him, he still knew he was a king's son. He kept the moral...