The Bible addresses the topic of divorce in several places, giving guidance on when it may or may not be permitted. Here is an overview of the biblical grounds for divorce:
Adultery
Adultery is explicitly allowed as grounds for divorce by Jesus in Matthew 19:9: “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” Sexual immorality here refers to adultery, which violates the marital covenant.
This exception is also mentioned in Matthew 5:32: “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Abandonment by an Unbelieving Spouse
Paul addresses the matter of abandonment by an unbelieving spouse in 1 Corinthians 7:15: “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”
Here Paul says if the unbelieving spouse leaves the marriage, the believing spouse is not bound and may permit divorce. The abandonment by the unbeliever frees the believer from the marital tie.
Bible is Less Clear on Other Grounds
The Bible does not as explicitly address other potential grounds for divorce such as physical abuse, addiction, neglect, or other damaging behaviors. Some principles may be inferred regarding divorce in destructive marriages, but overall the Bible is less direct on these situations.
Old Testament Permission
The Old Testament law permitted divorce under certain circumstances. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 refers to a man divorcing his wife if he finds “something indecent about her.” This passage regulated remarriage for divorced people, but does not define what qualified as grounds for divorce.
It does not appear this passage provided free reign for men to divorce wives for any reason, but rather divorces were already occurring for just cause on a case by case basis. This passage sought to bring order to the practice.
Jesus’ Teaching in the Gospels
Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels demonstrates divorce should not be taken lightly. When questioned by the Pharisees about divorce, Jesus points back to God’s ideal for marriage: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).
Jesus affirms marriage is meant to be an lifelong covenant not easily broken. However, Jesus does permit divorce in cases of adultery or immorality as the exclusive grounds.
Principles on Divorce from Biblical Passages
While the Bible does directly address some grounds for divorce, especially adultery, some principles can be derived from biblical passages:
- God designed marriage to reflect Christ’s love for the church as a lifelong union (Ephesians 5:22-33).
- God hates divorce as it breaks the marital covenant (Malachi 2:14-16).
- God permits divorce in some situations because of human sinfulness (Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Matthew 19:8).
- Those who divorce and remarry commit adultery, with some exceptions (Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:9).
- Believers should not initiate divorce from their faithful spouses (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).
- Severe unfaithfulness allows divorce, but forgiveness is preferable (Matthew 18:21-22).
- Believers should seek peace in difficult marriages (1 Corinthians 7:15).
- God redeems and restores broken marriages when there is repentance and healing.
These principles provide a biblical framework for considering divorce, even in situations not explicitly addressed in Scripture. However, prayerful wisdom is needed in applying them.
Differing Church Traditions on Grounds for Divorce
Within Christianity, churches hold different stances on the permissibility of divorce and acceptable grounds. These views derive from their interpretation of the relevant biblical passages:
- Catholic Church: Permits annulments but not divorce. Very limited annulment grounds exist such as lack of intent or capacity to contract marriage.
- Orthodox Church: Allows divorce for adultery and possibly desertion. Remarriage is discouraged but permitted depending circumstances.
- Protestant Views:
- Conservative Protestants: Allow divorce in cases of adultery, abandonment by an unbeliever, and sometimes physical abuse.
- Mainline Protestants: Divorce permitted for broader range of reasons including emotional/physical neglect.
- Liberal Protestants: Divorce accepted for variety of reasons if the marriage is considered irreparably broken.
While perspectives differ, most Christian traditions uphold marriage as intended for life and only support divorce for serious marital breakdown.
Remarriage After Divorce
The permissibility of remarriage after divorce also represents an area of diversity. Conservative traditions tend to only allow remarriage after divorce if adultery/abandonment were the grounds, while more liberal churches accept remarriage after any biblically-permitted divorce.
Some prohibitions on remarriage after improper divorces come from Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels warning against adultery for those who remarry after divorces not on biblical grounds (Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:9).
However, perspectives vary on whether these statements should be taken as permanent prohibitions against all remarriage after divorce or contextual principles not applicable to all modern situations. This represents another area churches differ on.
Counsel for Those Considering Divorce
For Christians considering divorce, these biblical principles offer guidance:
- Pursue every effort toward reconciliation and restoration (Galatians 6:1).
- Separate if needed to pursue individual healing and clarity (1 Corinthians 7:5).
- Seek pastoral counsel and mentors for wisdom and accountability (Proverbs 15:22).
- Act to protect yourself and children if the situation involves substance abuse, violence, or crime.
- Consider separation or legal actions if needed to spur repentance and change.
- Aim for forgiveness and restoration if genuine repentance occurs (Luke 17:3-4).
- Trust God through the process, as He promises to redeem even the most broken of situations (Romans 8:28).
While divorce should never be pursued lightly, those who go through it can have hope in God’s love and sovereign ability to rewrite stories of heartbreak into testimonies of healing.
