Position on Divorce

Position on Divorce

In “You’re Divorced—Can You Remarry,” the author discusses several issues related to marriage and divorce in the Scriptures. One, he covers the question of why Moses permitted divorce. The author quotes Jesus’ answer to this question from the Scripture saying, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality and marries another commits adultery.” The author states judgment is placed not on remarrying but on remarrying after pursuing an illegitimate divorce. “Two, he discusses when a spouse is “not bound” to a marriage. The author refers to Paul’s saying in I Corinth 7:12 that Christians should not initiate divorce because their spouse is an unbeliever. However, Paul also says that if the unbelieving spouse deserts the marriage, the innocent spouse must work on reconciliation, but is not bound to the marriage. Three, the author discusses what “the husband of one wife” means. The author reveals Paul does not necessarily mean here that the man is not divorced but Paul may have been referring to polygamy or a man with concubines. The author concludes by stating, “The New Testament tells us that marriage is to be seen as a divinely instituted relationship between a man and a woman. It should be monogamous and permanent. However, there are two exceptions where divorce is valid: when a spouse is unfaithful and when an unbelieving spouse deserts the marriage.”[1]
I agree with the position on divorce and remarriage in the above article concerning unfaithfulness and the unbelieving spouse deserting. I thought the author explained it very well and succinctly. However, I am not sure that “the husband of one wife” does not also encompass divorce.
In “Marriages are made in Heaven”, the author states that when the Pharisees tested Jesus about divorce in Deut. 24:1, Jesus responds by quoting the creation story in Gen. 1:27. Jesus said “from the beginning God made them male and female” and “the two shall become one flesh.” The author states that even though Jesus presents a vision of what marriage should be, he does not condemn the divorced.[2]

Bibliography

Burge, Gary M. “You’re Divorce—Can you Remarry?” Christianity Today. Vol. 43,
No. 11, 4 Oct 99.

Donahue, John R. “Marriages are Made in Heaven.” America. Vol. 183, No. 9, 30 Sept
2000.

[1] Burge, Gary M., “You’re Divorce—Can you Remarry?” Christianity Today, Vol. 43, No. 11, 4 Oct 99, pg. 82-83.
[2] Donahue, John R., “Marriages are Made in Heaven”, America, Vol. 183, No. 9, 30 Sept 2000.