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.
Ask a Follow-up Question
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 §76
...is same idea of one and many. Matthew 30... I think it's Matthew 5:32---31 to begin with. It has been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: [Jesus speaking, the one said, "From the beginning." Now watch.] But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving ... the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: [See?] ... whosoever shall put away his wife, saving ... the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: [Why? She'll marry again....
The Supernatural
56-0129 §47
...to someone the other day about polygamy. I said the nation in whole would be better off if it practiced polygamy. It would. We're the highest rated nation in the world with divorces. Marrying and intermarrying, marrying and intermarrying. Because we try to make the men of the world outside coincide with Christian doctrine, and you can't put the nature of a lamb in a pig. Polygamy would be better off for him. You may not believe it but God would look at polygamy and excuse it a lot quicker than what He would... Now,...
All Things
62-1124E §52
...to separate. They began fussing, spatting, quarreling at one another. They just couldn't get along. They couldn't hardly live in the same house together. So they decided to divorce, and they applied for the divorce. Then they made agreement they'd meet at the house, and would divide their things so it wouldn't have to go through the court. And they met in one room, and divided what was in that room; and the next room, divided what was in that room. And finally, they come to a place that ... they went up in the atti...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §34
Now, listen! Do you see? One interruption spoils the entire program! Now, when human beings was running in continuity with God, with one man and one woman, this woman sinned. And it throwed the whole earthly program out of continuity with God! Therefore, one word added to this Book, or one word taken from, it throws a Christian out of continuity with God, throws the church out of continuity with God, throws the family out of continuity with God! Every believer can be thrown out by not accepting every word of God. T...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §85
Notice, he can put away His wife any time He wants to, but she can't put Him away. He can make me---He can throw me in the dust any time He takes a notion to, but oh, brother, I better not try to throw Him there; I'm finished. Solomon could marry any woman that wasn't married. He could marry any woman he wanted to. A priest could marry only a woman that was a virgin. Solomon, like David, he married... What was her name? Abigail, which was... A man called a fool, he had a nice wife, and he died. And Abigail was marr...