What Scripture do Protestants cite to support divorce and remarriage?

[rwoehmke]

Protestant marriage is not sacramental as is Catholic marriage; that has a lot to do with it.

Protestants may say and teach that marriage is not a sacrament, but the Catholic Church teaches that any marriage between two baptized persons, who have not had a previous marriage and divorce, or some other impediment, are indeed in a sacramental marriage whether they believe it or not. Non-Catholics are not bound by the law that requires the presence of a priest or deacon. They can be married any time in any place before any person legally authorized to officiate at a wedding.

I also tend to agree with Penitus. The idea that “love” conquers all is epidemic in our society.

 

[coffeelover]

Something that gets to me is the whole “loop de loop” Protestants go through to support/defend their divorces and remarriages. I’ve heard some say that not only is divorce and remarriage OKAY, but God must have wanted them to be together just because they “found each other” or some weird statement like that. My dad said something like this, I think, to support his affair.

God clearly states in the Bible that he doesn’t like divorce. Some Protestants do get married before justices of the peace, but most of them probably still get married in church and take the vow before God to be with each other “for better or worse, till death do us part.” If you’re married, God will not send you another person to be with! Your partner in life was sealed, once again, for better or worse, till death do you part. The vows do not say, “For better or worse, until I get upset or disappointed, and the next person comes along.” It really irks me when they think they have God’s approval to enter a new relationship, just because they met in the first place or something! God wouldn’t do that…bet Satan would though!

Have any of you heard this line of thought from Protestants too, to defend an affair and subsequent divorce and remarriage to the adulterer/ess? Because I’ve heard quite a few claim that their meeting and marriage was the will of God, and every time I hear it, I have to be peeled off the ceiling!! Or maybe I’m the only one who encounters people like this.

 

[RobHom]

I found this thread quite interesting…because I know “so-called” christians who say there is no prohibition against divorce, and used their rationale to get divorced and remarry… and yet on the other hand… I have a couple of friends who are very religious “protestants”, one of who is a “Pentacostal”…who calls himself a “holy roller”, and another who comes from the “Church of God”, though he is non-denominational…and their beliefs are totally different.

I had asked them both about this subject and they emailed me their answers:

First:

Question: What is my interpretation of divorce according to the bible?

My interpretation is based on Mathew 19:06, “ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

In general I believe that god does not favor divorce. As far as God is concerned, marriage is to be a once and final thing for a lifetime! Circumstances are brought up regarding divorce in I Corinthians Chapter 7, describing what the Christian should do in the instance of divorce. Not favoring it, but the actions a Christian should take! Such as not fighting a divorce which would free up a lot of courts time, costs, and children despair. The reasoning is that Christians should promote peace and not strife. But again, when letting courts deal with issues, you are letting man in essence “separate” a man and a woman, which is commanded against! When strife is in a marriage, prayer and fasting are God’s way of dealing with it. In the example of a man and wife not evenly yoked. God states that if the non believer is willing to stay with the believer, then the believer should be obeidient to the lord by staying in the marriage.

Back to Mathew 9:8-10, an example of Moses allowing for a divorce. Christ himself did not state, that this was okay because Moses allowed it. Instead he focused on the circumstances of hardening of the heart towards each other that the man and woman allowed in their lives. Again an example of man’s feelings or anger getting in the way of what god has intended. Christ goes on to state, “it was not this way in the beginning,” which I can only assume was meant to be at the beginning of the marriage.

In the lords view, he joined the two and nothing should be allowed to take apart what has been joined. Does this mean that if someone who has involuntarily been divorced from cannot get married? Actually yes if you follow what God has stated above. It is not a point system with god! Man makes many contingencies for things. If you do this, then you must pay by doing this. God does not make deals in this regard, except one. He sent his son to pay for our mistakes. He grants grace for those who lived in and for sin! And I truly believe that those that repent and bring their sin to the lord are released from that sin in Christ! But, this does not mean that it is an excuse to get divorced.

There are other examples of when and why divorce is allowed. But they are all given in terms of stating, God doesn’t like it, it’s not his plan. The allowances he does make for it require forfeiture of future marriages. My view on marriage follows a New Testament guideline. Not that Christ changed the law that he came to fulfill, but if one is to believe that the “word” is alive and not just printed words, then one can also conclude that God deals with each of us individually and differently when he resides in us. Yet at the same time, never contradicting himself.

I will post the other view next.

 

[RobHom]

This is the second one’s views:

My view on this subject as a Christian is founded by the scriptures that simply say it is not to be done. A man is to leave his mother and father and become “one flesh” with the woman. I see that as an inseparable situation. That same scripture also implies that the two were married within Gods spiritual realm and the two people believe that God has brought this marriage to be. “What therefore God hath joined together.” Now question would be if they were not in that spiritual realm when the marriage took place what then? They are still bound to the law. Marriage was devised by God and therefore anything to do with it has Gods law attached already. You can’t reinvent your own law on marriage. God already done it.

As you can see in the scriptures below, that Jesus in no way condoned the divorce decree, EXCEPT for unfaithfulness.

I think that this is a pretty simple case here. The scripture say “no” no divorce.

1 Corinthians 7:10-11:

To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

Summation

Simply put, divorce is a no-no except for unfaithfulness or abandonment from Gods perspective. But remember, a man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. If he doesn’t and becomes abusive, that is a whole new area to consider. I would say there comes a point when no one should have to tolerate another’s unwillingness to be the husband\wife has called them to be.

Mark 10
2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.
6 “But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female.' 7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.
11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Matthew 19
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female,' 5 and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 7 “Why then,” they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

1 Corinthians 7
10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.” - Ephesians 5:25-31

As you can see…not all “protestants” disagree with us!!

 

[Janet_S]

Matthew 19:9 is the Biblical exception some Christians use to justify divorce and remarriage.

The parallel verses in both Mark and Luke contain **no exceptions **for divorce and remarriage.

Also, notice the different versions of Matthew 19:9

I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery. (NAB)

Note, the NAB is a Catholic translation of the Bible. The original Greek word **porneia ** is translated as unlawful.

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery. (NIV)

Note, the NIV is a Protestant translation of the Bible. The original Greek word porneia is translated as marital unfaithfulness.

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. (KJV)

Note, the KJV is a Protestant translation of the Bible. The original Greek word porneia is tranlated as fornication.

What is the most accurate translation of the Greek word porneia? We can look to other verses of the Bible to see how the word porneia is translated. In Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-22; Acts 15:28-29 porneia is translated as unchastity.

Also, in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, **porneia ** is translated as immorality, actually a particular type of immorality–incestuous or unlawful marriage.

So we see in other places in the Bible porneia is translated as unchastity, immorality, particularly incestuous or unlawful marriages.

None of these translations imply adultery per se, yet the NIV uses the term marital unfaithfulness to mean porneia.

The Catholic position is this–while adultery is a grave sin, it is a forgivable sin. Just because a person has committed adultery does not mean his or her marriage is automatically null and void, and the two parties are free to marry others. The only time one is free to divorce and remarry is when the marriage was never lawful from the beginning.

You can read more about the marriage exception clause here:
members.aol.com/johnprh/marriage.html