Does God Permit Polygamy in the New Testament?
1) Direct Answer
No. In the New Testament God calls us back to His original order: one man and one woman. Polygamy is not permitted for believers.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- From the beginning: “They two shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Jesus restored that standard: “Have ye not read… they two shall be one flesh?… What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:4–6; Mark 10:6–9). Notice He said “two,” not three or more.
- Moral order for believers: “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). Singular on both sides.
- Marriage bond: “The woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth” (Romans 7:2–3). The passage assumes one husband, one wife.
- Example for the church: Overseers and deacons must be “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6) This command suggests that there were people who came into Christ with multiple wives, however God sets the pattern in the leadership for the whole body. They could worship, but could not be leaders in the church.
- The type of Christ and the Church: “They two shall be one flesh… This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31–32). One Christ, one Bride—monogamy is the God-given picture.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Jesus did not point us to what was tolerated under Moses; He pointed us back to the beginning. What God joined as two becoming one flesh cannot be multiplied without breaking the very pattern.
- If polygamy were acceptable now, the “two shall be one flesh” and the Christ–Church type would be contradicted, and the New Testament commands in the singular would make no sense.
4) Reinforcing Statement
God may have “suffered” certain things in earlier times, but in Christ He restores the perfect will: one man, one woman, faithful for life.
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.
Oneness
62-0211 §87
The disciples, even walking with Jesus, they didn't have no oneness. They didn't have any unity. No, they argued, "Who's going to be bishop after this. Who's the greatest among us?" They couldn't even believe Jesus. They couldn't understand Him. "Thou speakest in riddles. Tell us plainly what You mean." There was no unity between Jesus and the disciples, or disciples to Jesus, and the disciples among one another. No matter, that goes to show you, brother. Listen close now; I want this to stick real deep down in you...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §73
You notice, Abimelech would have took her for a wife. He fixed hisself to have this new Hebrew girl. And he said, "This is my..." she said, "That's my brother." He said, "That's my sister." And Abimelech said, "I'll just take her for a wife then." Could you imagine a man doing a thing like that? But he did it. And then that night while he went to sleep, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Abimelech, you're as good as a dead man." He was protecting that stream of Jewish blood there, you see. He said, "You...