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 §103
...lfth and fifteenth verse, in the New Testament prophet, Paul, who met the same thing in the church, and spoke this: "This is I, not the Lord." Is that right? Because of the divorce condition. It wasn't so from the beginning. But Moses was permitted it, and God recognized it righteousness! And Paul also had a right when he found his church in that condition. Now, you believe this to be true and believe it to come from God. And by the vindication of His cloud and His message that's brought me this far, should not God...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §23
Now, if that be so, we have two schools of thought on marriage and divorce. And that is, one of them says, that a man can only be married once unless his wife is dead. And that's one of the questions. But you go to following that, you go overboard. And then the next says, "Oh, if the wife or the husband (either one) has committed adultery, either one of them can be put away and married again." You find yourself overboard with that. So see, it's neither southeast or northeast; we want directly east. You run out of s...
From the beginning it wasn't so
59-1125 §14
...God is eternal and infinite, His Word is just like He is. So therefore, Jesus referred back on this subject. As we know they were teaching, giving people ... men rights to divorce their wives and so forth. And Jesus said, "From the beginning it wasn't so." They said, "Moses told us that we might have a writing of a divorce if we wish to put our wife away." Jesus said, "Moses did it because of the hardness of your hearts. But it wasn't so from the beginning. Because God said at the beginning, 'For this cause a man...
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §10
Just remember this! To you people who are married, and divorced, and remarried, promise me one thing. See? You've put your confidence in me. (I guess this is not taped. I don't...) You believe me as your prophet sent from God, your servant, then you take my word for this, will you? Go on living just like you are. Don't you try anything else like it, but live, just go ahead, just live happy. You got... You're saved. If you're Christians, you go ahead living for Christ; He had a reason to save you. Now, when I come b...
Wedding Ceremony
65-0116W §4
...pray that You will bless them, and bless their home. Make them an example, Lord, in the neighborhood to where they will make their home. In this day that we live, when the divorce courts are so crowded and overrun with divorces, may it never be so with this young man and this young woman. God, grant that they will be happy, healthy. Make them fruitful, Lord, and multiply, to replenish the earth, as Thou did commission us to do, at the beginning. And as Thou did bless Isaac and Rebekah, and they brought forth their...