 What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage? Remember, the Bible does say in Malachi that God does hate divorce. As a matter of fact, throughout the Old Testament, we see different laws concerning divorce. In particular, we see laws governing when a person commits adultery. God understands and knows better that the people that he's dealing with are completely unfaithful. Whether we're speaking about believers, Christians, or we're speaking about people who are not believers, people by and large tend to be unfaithful. And I wanna use that word unfaithful for a reason because I wanna see if this is the true meaning of another text that we're gonna look at in a second. All throughout the Old Testament, we see God has his laws concerning divorce, as well as even laws concerning remarriage, even the things that may cause a divorce such as adultery. So to be clear, divorce is a sin. As a matter of fact, to be clear, getting remarried is a sin. And even more so, that's also, to make to the point, having or being in an adulterous relationship is also a sin. Why is that important? Because all three of these things seem to take place throughout the economy from the Old Testament to the New Testament with God's people and even those who are not, even including people who are not believers, who happen to be married to people who are believers, Christians marrying non-Christians, Jews marrying non-Jews. Interestingly enough, God even uses this kind of imagery when speaking to the prophet Hosea and telling him to take a woman of harlotry, an adulterous woman. And the picture of this is God being married to Israel who is an adulterous nation. And so what does he do? He even makes a statement about possibly or potentially divorcing Israel, but we see him being married to Israel, but not just Israel, but also the church. So even in adultery, God is trying to make it clear that reconciliation is of the utmost importance and that even if something has happened in a relationship such as adultery, God still wants there to be reconciliation because after all, we are the adulterous people whom God, even though he doesn't have to or probably shouldn't, out of his love still reconciles us to him. And so it should be understood that more than anything else, God would like for the two that have been joined to stay joined. But however, I say that God recognize that we are unfaithful people. And so what happens when there has been a divorce and then that divorce couple, that divorced person wants to get remarried? Jesus says that it was never intended for a man to divorce his wife. However, he permitted it so under the old, but in the exception of infidelity in chapter five, verse 32 of Matthew, he says, but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, which is the Greek word prenea, which is immorality, sexual morality, makes her commit adultery and whoever remarries a divorced woman commits adultery also. And then the same thing is brought up again in Matthew 19.9. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality and marries another woman commits adultery. So the question is after divorce, if the person remarries, does that remarriage constitute a sin? Well, sure it does. But the question is, is that remarriage, is that an act of sin or will that be a state of sin? In other words, is this remarriage a perpetual act of sin or perpetual sin that God will hold over them forever? Or is there forgiveness and the person can live in peace as long as they have a repentant heart? In 1 Corinthians 7.8, Paul makes this statement. He says, but I say to the unmarried and to the widows that is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry for it is better to marry than to burn it with passion. Does this include the person who is not married but has once been married? Well, let's go a little further and see. Verse 10, but to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord that the wife should not leave her husband, but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And the husband should not divorce his wife. Well, that part is clear. Verse 12, but to the rest I say not the Lord that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who is an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. For otherwise, your children are unclean but now they are holy. Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave. The brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. So the question is going to be what is meant here? What's the full understanding? Well, I want to enter in something that sometimes we may not consider that I think we may want to consider. The word here for believing for the person in the relationship is he speaking of a unbelieving wife? The word that's used here is the word epistas which is unfaithful or unbelieving. The question is, is this in reference to salvation or is this referencing to the marriage? The reason why I used earlier the word unfaithful because again epistas means believe or faith. So the question is, should this be properly taken as the unfaithful person? Because the question is going to be asked what if the person who leaves is a believer? In other words, what if the person is a professed Christian? Does that ever happen? Well, sure, again, we see all throughout the Bible. There are people who are of the Lord who disobey and who are unfaithful. We can think of David. We can think of other people possibly in the scriptures that have made decisions that show that they are not totally faithful but are still called God's children. Because again, that's just how we are naturally even though the Spirit is working in us. And so is it ever possible that a Christian, a believer could leave? Well, if that's the case, then where are the scriptures pertaining to that person? So maybe it could possibly be that first Corinthians seven when it's speaking of the unbelieving, it's probably better to see this or render this as the unfaithful, it's the same word, but the unfaithful. So now let's go back and look at this and see if that makes a little bit more sense. To the rest, I say verse 12, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is unfaithful, I think there's that word, I pissed on, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. So in other words, so let's say if she has been unfaithful or he's been unfaithful, but she decides to stay, the Bible says that he must not divorce her. And a woman who has a unfaithful husband and he consents to live with her. Now, in other words, they agree to stay together, he should not divorce her or she should not divorce him in any way. For the unfaithful husband is sanctified through the wife. In other words, she's kept, set apart, kept, he or she's kept by the one that is faithful. In this case, we're speaking about a spouse who is faithful and one who is not faithful. Now, it could be that it should be taking this unbelieving in terms of salvation. The reason why the different thought can be brought up in this, because again, what about a person who is a believer who is who has sinned? This happens, all believers are gonna sin in some capacity and God knows that we are unfaithful people. Though God is himself faithful, and so maybe he's trying to show us a picture of his faithfulness compared to our unfaithfulness and how he still desires to have this reconciliation. Now, I don't wanna get into all the different reasons for why a person might divorce. Again, the Bible seems to only give an exception for those who have been unfaithful. Sexually speaking, there are those who in Matthew 5 and 19 think that it's only referring to someone who is in the engaging period. I don't think that's the correct application. But a person, now that you see that these divorces, no-fault divorces or irreconcilable differences, those were never ever to be an exception for someone to get a divorce. Again, if you are struggling in your marriage, a person, for most, God wants it to be reconciliation. He does not like for there to be divorce. However, if there is divorce, is there forgiveness in the Lord? Sure there is. Is there forgiveness, however, if a person has been divorced and then gotten remarried? Well, what about a person who's gotten divorced, gotten remarried, gotten divorced, gotten remarried, gotten divorced and gotten remarried? What about someone who has had multiple husbands? Well, we see Jesus literally dealing with someone and showing forgiveness and reconciliation to a woman who had had multiple husbands, the woman at the well in John 4. In John 4, 16, he said to her, go call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said to him, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you have answered correctly, I have no husband. Now, in verse 16, Jesus answers the question and says, as she answers the question, she says, I have no husband. The way she says is, Luke echo under, I would just say, I have no husband. But Jesus' response in the English looks the same, but the Greek is different. He says, Andra, Luke echo. He puts the word Andra, husband or man in the front, indicating that yes, husband, you do not have and the one that you're with now is not your husband. What does Jesus say? Does he condemn her? No, he still wants to be reconciled to her even though not only has she been divorced and remarried, she's been divorced, remarried, divorced, remarried, divorced and remarried. This is a pattern in her. And so we can still see even in this that there is reconciliation and God is not holding her as a perpetual sinner after reconciliation, after repentance. And so what does she do? She understands who he is. As a matter of fact, goes and tells other people in her town, in her village and they come back to him as well. So it should be clear that reconciliation with God is possible for anyone. Divorce is not a perpetual sin nor is remarriage a perpetual sin. Should a person get divorced? Absolutely not. But if they do, it is a sin. But if they do, then what? Should that person who is remarried get divorced from the person that remarried? Well, again, God still does hate divorce, even the second divorce or the third divorce. You don't compound a sin, try to rectify it by doing another sin, which is getting divorced again. Remember, there is no command in the scriptures where God tells a remarried person to get a divorce. As a matter of fact, the Bible doesn't even explicitly say that God hates remarriage. Is that remarriage a sin if it's done in the wrong way? Sure, but what does God want you to do? To be at peace and to continue in the order of being reconciled to him? That's first and foremost. Now, if a person is not reconciled to him, it doesn't matter if they're divorced, remarried or anything in the other sin, because that sin is preeminent. That is that you have not placed your faith in Christ and been reconciled to him. Everything else pales in comparison. But if a person is and they've fallen, they've had struggles, they've sinned, what have you, but they are at a moment in time where they want to be reconciled with an amen. God still grants that. And we look at that in Deuteronomy 4 as we look at some of these provisions when the person has a divorce, but then about a person remarried, God literally gives instructions on how to remarry in Deuteronomy 4 and the way it should be done and how the person should be treated. So is that to say that God is for a person getting divorced if they can handle whatever's happening in the marriage? No, to get a divorce and then get remarried, that's not what I'm saying and that's not what God is saying. However, if this has happened, first and foremost, be reconciled to God, whatever state that you're in, whether you are single, whether you are married, whether you have been divorced, whether you have been divorced and remarried, be reconciled to God and live in a way that is fitting for him that brings him glory. I do not believe that that particular sin is a perpetual sin. I believe that it was an act of sin, but not a state of sin because that would mean that the blood that cleanses us, the cross that reconciles us, is of no effect to people who have been remarried. So I hope this helps those. Again, many people have been divorced, unfortunately. Many people have been remarried. The Bible is clear though that he loves each and every one of those individuals and his only goal is to see us all reconciled to him. Amen.