No 9

(Marriage, divorce and re-marriage)

We are going to discuss a very difficult subject; it is difficult because the Bible does not give many verses and the ones that are given, Bible scholars differ as to their interpretation. The study will be in three parts : 1) The Marriage Bond 2) The Divorce Exception 3) The Remarriage License.

The Marriage Bond Marriage is ordained of God; so here is a good starting point : the Bible says in Genesis 2 : 18 – 24 “..It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help fit for him…therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh”. Jesus commented on this passage and His remarks should help us understand the permanence of marriage – “What, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Mark 10 : 9). Jesus was echoing His Father’s words about marriage. Paul also underscored the permanence of marriage in the book of Romans when he penned these words :“For a woman who hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he livith but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband” (Rom 7 : 2). It can’t be any clearer, right? Paul takes it even a step further when he wrote to the Corinthian church these words : “And a woman who hath an husband who believth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him, for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife” (1 Cor 7 : 13, 14). Can it be any clearer that God wanted this union be “till death do us part”? Of course, there are situations that warrant careful examination : such as abusive or cruel relationships where one partner is compromised. God’s intention was that the permanence of the marriage covenant be crystal clear but when you factor in the sinful nature of man, it some how gets muddled. We will look at the last two parts of this study further on.