These days you hear and see many men of God divorce and remarry at the speed of light. My observation is that many people disregard the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles when it comes to Divorce and Remarriage. People flaunt the law of God and hide behind the Grace of God. Disobeying the word of God is sin and the Grace of God is not a wildcard to indulge in violating the law. It is therefore important to know what Jesus and the Apostles taught concerning Divorce and Remarriage.

Concerning divorce, this is what Jesus taught: “It hath been said , Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery“, (Matthew 5:31-32, KJV).

So, it is very clear that divorce is allowed only under one condition and that is fornication. When the Pharisees tempted Jesus and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause“, (Matthew 19:3, KJV) Jesus made it very clear to them that God did not intend for divorce from the beginning. It was due to the hardening of their heart that Moses gave the law concerning divorce. Even that, Jesus again emphasised that divorce is only allowed under “adultery”, (Matthew 19:9) but also emphasised that what God has put together, no one should put it asunder, (Matthew 19:6).

In the teachings of Jesus Christ, anyone who divorces a wife other than on the basis of fornication commits adultery. And anyone who marries that woman also commits adultery. “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her“, (Mark 10:11, ESV). So, this is very clear. This same principle applies to women as well.

Now, on the issue of remarriage, this is what the Bible teaches. “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife“, (1 Corinthians 7:10-11, KJV).

It is also very clear that if you divorce because of adultery, you are not permitted under the Law to marry another person. You have only two options: remain single for the rest of your life or be reconciled to your partner.

You are allowed to remarry only if you lose your spouse to death. Paul therefore said, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord“, (1 Corinthians 7:39, KJV).

In summary, it is important to note that the Pharisees were very clear in their question and Jesus was very clear in His answer. The Pharisees asked, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause“, (Matthew 19:3, KJV)? Note the phrase, “for every cause“. Jesus’ response was “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication“, (Matthew 19:9, KJV). And the Holy Spirit through Paul said that if you divorce because of fornication, remain single otherwise be rejoined to your spouse. Marrying another person while your spouse is alive is a sin because you’re flouting the Word of God with impunity. You are only allowed to remarry if you unfortunately lose your spouse to death. And that also means, you can only marry someone who has never married before or who is also a widow(er).

Certain men of God of our day are trying to project their words above the word of God and that’s unfortunate. The devil can also perform miracles and do certain wonders, so the fact that your pastor performs miracles and healing doesn’t mean that his words are above the word of God. It is always important to stick to what the word of God says other than what your pastor, bishop or whoever is in charge of your church says. If something contradicts the teachings of the Bible, ignore it. “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!“, (Galatians 1:8).

Amen!