Spring Warrior Church of Christ

7432 S. Red Padgett Road

Perry, FL 32348
584-5176

Prove All Things Vol. 1 No. 21

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

What God has joined together

by Clay Bethea, csbethea@digitalexp.com [6/27/01]

As we look around our society today, divorce is rampant. What was once frowned
upon seems to be an accepted practice today. Incompatibility and personality clashes are
enough reason for many couples to put an end to the union God established.

Would divorce be prevalent in our society today, if everyone understood that God
hates divorce (Mal. 3:6)? Roman 7:2, 3 states “For the married woman is bound by law to
her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law
concerning the husband. So then if, while her husband is living, she is joined to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress, though she is joined to another man.” (NASV) Here
we can see that the true intent of marriage is for life. If either party breaks the bond, then
an adulterous relationship results when either of the parties remarries.

This same teaching is reinforced by Jesus in Matthew 19:1-10. Here we have the
Pharisees questioning Jesus about divorce, vs. 3 “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife
for any cause at all?” Jesus replies to the question at hand by stating how God intended
marriage from the beginning vs.4-6 “Have you not read, that He who created them from
the beginning made them male and Female, and said, for this cause a man shall leave his
father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?
Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined
together, let no man separate.” In these verses, we find that God ordained marriage and
that only God has the authority to break the bond.

The Pharisees continue to question Jesus about the certificate of divorce that Moses
allowed in vs. 7, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and
send her away?” We find that Christ answers in vs. 8, “Because of your hardness of heart,
Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this
way.” Note that Jesus refers them back to the beginning of time and that the intent of
marriage was for life.

Bibleweb.com, Copyright © 2001 Clay Bethea All Rights Reserved

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 But then in vs. 9 Christ gives his command on marriage, “And I say to you, whoever
divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
So Christ gives only one reason for the marriage relationship to end and that is if one of the
mates commits fornication while being married to their mate. Therefore, if a person has
divorced their mate for any other reason than fornication, and remarries, this person is now
living in an adulterous relationship. But the innocent party in the relationship could
remarry and not be living in sin according to this verse.

It is no wonder that the disciples made the statement they did in vs. 10. They
thought that this was a hard teaching and that it would be better not to even marry. Christ
came and set up a new law in the New Testament concerning marriage and divorce and we
must abide by these teachings if we want to be found faithful in the end.

There are two other verses that give the same command and they are as follows:
Matthew 5:32, I Corinthians 7:10, 11.

Now that we know that we are to have one mate for life, what should a person do that
is divorced for some reason other than fornication and has remarried? The above passage
says that this person is living in an adulterous relationship. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us that
people that practice such deeds will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, people
must repent of this sin, just like any other sin. The question becomes, however, how does
one repent of a sin when the sin is an adulterous marriage?

As we discussed in a previous article (Vol. 1 No. 14), repentance is a change of heart

that produces a change in conduct. In the Old Testament, we find an example where certain
children of Israel had to repent of sinful marriages (Ezra 9:1-10:44). When confronted with
their sin, the men of Israel put away their wives and children of the unlawful marriages.
Although what made the Jewish marriages sinful is different from what makes marriages
unlawful today (i.e., marrying Gentiles as opposed to marrying someone with an
unscriptural divorce), the principle to be applied is still the same; turn away from sin, and
quit sinning. (“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is
more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be
cast into hell.” Matt. 5:29, see also Matt. 5:27-32; 18:7-14).

God instituted marriage. When His plan is followed, it will lead a couple to a fulfilled
life with many happy moments. The family will prosper and the world will be a better place,
due to couples working through their problems and raising their children in a complete
home.

Bibleweb.com, Copyright © 2001 Clay Bethea All Rights Reserved

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