Marriage and divorce in the Bible
The union of two people in marriage forms one body, which, like in nature, does not cease until death.
“The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 7:39
In the Gospel of Mark, the Pharisees asked about divorce. Jesus replied by asking them what Moses had said. They truthfully answered that “Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away,” Mark 10:4. However, Jesus further explained that this law was given because of their hardness of the heart, meaning people desire the easier way of divorce rather than changing their hearts to be loving and working through their difficulties. The Lord Jesus emphasizes that “from the beginning it (divorce) was not so,” Matthew 19:8. “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate,” Mark 10:9 (ESV).
Another aspect of divorce is addressed by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. He describes the marriage of a Christian with an unbeliever. “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace,” 1 Corinthians 7:15. Paul points out that the spouse of a Christian may not be inclined to stay in marriage, and then it is obvious that the Christian can not stop him. But it should be emphasized that this only applies to the marriage of an unbeliever with a believer and not a Christian with a Christian.
The Bible about re-marriage to the same man or woman
There is a case in the Law where man A was married to woman B and divorced her. Next woman B marries man C, but man C divorces her or man C dies. Then woman B cannot remarry man A. This is an abomination to God.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (NLT), “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes her a letter of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house. When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man. But if the second husband also turns against her and divorces her, or if he dies, the first husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled. That would be detestable to the LORD…”
The principle involved in this situation is one of personal responsibility for choosing your spouse. The chosen person is “until death do you part.” Irresponsible divorcing and re-uniting indicates serious problems with the people involved and a lack of appreciation for the gravity of the marriage union.
