What does the Bible say about divorce & remarriage?

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Biblical concepts of divorce, and remarriage...

God created marriage as an integral part of His plan to prosper His world and bless mankind. His desire was; to visualize the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church; to meet men’s and women’s need for intimacy, and finally to populate the earth with people who reflect His image. Because marriage is critical to God’s mission of redeeming the world, satan has made its destruction a priority. His strategy is to undermine the importance of marriage, minimize the effect divorce will have on the family and seduce people to embrace an alternate lifestyle.

 

Because God loves us, He has provided clear instructions on how married couples can experience oneness and fulfill His vision for their union. By means of His empowering Spirit and gospel of grace, He has provided not only the means needed to love and serve each other but also the forgiveness and healing needed when their marriages fall short or fall apart. And through His Church, He has provided a community that can give counsel and support in restoring them.

 

God’s desire and design are for marriage to flourish for a lifetime. But in a fallen world, there will be cases when a person will break their vows and desert their mate. The Lord addresses these circumstances in His Word, providing two clear exceptions to His command to believers, not to divorce. At the same time, they should seek the Spirit’s guidance and the wisdom of the elders and Christian counselors in taking that step, cultivating a heart of forgiveness and an openness to relational reconciliation for the benefit of their family and to keep the door open to God’s purposes in the future. Nevertheless, the aggrieved spouse may come to regard the marriage as irreparably broken and pursue divorce. In this case, the Elders of Fellowship will be supportive of the aggrieved spouse’s decision and minister to him or her without reservation. If God confirms their decision, the church will do everything in its power to stand with them and their family.

 

Whether a Christian who has divorced their mate on biblical grounds is free to remarry is a question of scripture. Their spiritual status has not changed in any way in the eyes of the Lord or the church. What we can know for sure is that it is God's plan for a married couple to stay married as long as both spouses are alive (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6). The only specific allowance for remarriage after a divorce is for adultery (Matthew 19:9), and even this is debated among Christians.

 

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