The word divorce only appears 33 times in the entire
Bible but few topics are as controversial in the church.
The Bible discusses divorce in clear terms in the Old
Testament, in the teachings of Jesus, and by the Apostle
Paul. Despite thorough instruction on divorce in the
Bible, there are still some questions that people have.
Far more than a lack of knowledge concerning divorce is
the problem of the emotional side of divorce. Marriage
is the closest personal relationship with family coming
second. Anytime divorce is discussed it raises intense
personal feelings on the topic because it affects the two
deepest personal relationships in life. For this
reason we will stick strictly to what the Bible says on the
topic.
There are three main passages in the Bible that address
the subject of divorce. Malachi 2 addresses how
divorce had affected the Israelite's relationship with God.
Throughout the gospels Jesus addresses divorce and
remarriage. We'll examine Matthew 19 as it contains
all of Jesus' teaching on the subject.
Finally Paul speaks on the subject of marriage in 1
Corinthians 7. This is the most thorough examination
of the rules of marriage in the Bible and ironically comes
from a bachelor. Nevertheless, Paul is writing with
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and his words should be
considered as coming from God.
All three passages are looked at in more depth on the
following pages.
Malachi 2:13-16
Matthew 19:1-12
1 Corinthians 7:10-11, 39
