1st Corinthians 7:1-3, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.” 1st Corinthians 7:25-28, “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.” 1sr Corinthians 2:16, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
As a Fundamentalist Baptist preacher I am frequently asked about divorce and remarriage. This is one of the most debated, heated and pursued subjects in the Scriptures. I do not claim to have all the answers, nor do I don't think anyone can be dogmatic in this matter. Where the Bible is silent we ought to be silent (Proverbs 30:5-6). Some preachers prefer to “play it safe” and say that divorced people cannot remarry. Albeit, I do not think that is Biblical nor reasonable. Our God is a sensible and reasonable God. Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” People often get the impression that it's God's way or the highway, and He is closed-minded. The truth is that God is very caring and understanding, inviting us to “reason” with Him. You reason with God by searching the Scriptures (John 5:39), rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2nd Timothy 2:15).
The Bible teaches in 1st Corinthians 7:1-3 that everyone should be married, to prevent fornication. The exception is if someone believes God has given them a “gift” of being single (1st Corinthians 7:7). Sometimes people ask me how to deal with sexual sins. I simply tell them to get married. That is God's remedy! 1st Corinthians 7:9, “But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” The Apostle Paul says in 1st Corinthians 7:13-15, “And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” That means if you get saved, but your spouse rejects your faith, you shouldn't divorce them; but if they divorce you, so be it.
Now, you can talk to ten different preachers and get ten different interpretations of the Scripture. Being as honest as I can, and true to the Scriptures, I don't think God ever wants anyone to get divorced. God hates divorce (i.e., “putting away” - Malachi 2:16; Jeremiah 3:20). I do not believe that there are any legitimate grounds for a divorce. Pastor Jack Hyles and Dr. John R. Rice believed that in the case of adultery, divorce was permitted. I humbly and respectfully disagree. Matthew 19:9, “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.” Now, I could be wrong in my understanding of the Scriptures, but this verse says “fornication,” not adultery. I agree with Pastor Steven Anderson that Jesus was simply reiterating the Old Testament teaching, that if a man married a woman, but then found out she wasn't a virgin, the marriage was a fraud and could be nullified because of fornication. If Jesus allows divorce in cases of adultery, then what about other sins like murder, bank robbery and serious crimes that result in life imprisonment? By the way, that is one reason why God never instituted prisons. God's way always involved immediate justice. You either were beaten publicly, fined or executed (and then the spouse could remarry). Our ungodly prison system in America is of the Devil, locking people in cages until they lose their sanity, destroying people's lives who are innocent.
I am not telling anyone who is divorced that it is okay to get remarried. I don't want that blood on my account in eternity if I'm wrong. A lot of divorced people feel guilty, which is natural, so they seek out a man of God (in their estimation) to sanction their desire to remarry. Dear friend, you had better seek approval FROM GOD ALONE (search the Scriptures). Getting divorced and remarried is serious business. It is evil how this wicked generation treats the sacredness of marriage as a trifle matter. People don't even think twice these days about filing for divorce. Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:37-39 that in the end times, conditions would return as they were before the flood of Noah's time, when people flippantly went from one failed marriage to another. Divorce is a very horrible sin! Our ungodly U.S. government ought not permit divorce. In places like the Philippians and Vietnam, divorce is not permitted. I say Amen!!! Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
There is the perfect will of God, and then there is the permissible will of God. Please look again at Jesus' Words in Matthew 19:9, “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.” Most people overlook the last part of this verse. When a man divorces his wife, she WILL very likely remarry, which is adultery. I have met some hardcore preachers who condemn anyone who remarries after a divorce, if their spouse is still alive. I simply do not agree. That is my opinion. I think each situation is difference. Jesus made it very clear that from the beginning God never intended for anyone to divorce. Matthew 19:8, “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” Only a hard heart causes divorce! I do not believe ANYONE ever has Biblical ground for a divorce. But if you are divorced, I don't believe God wants you to be alone and miserable for the rest of your life. Moreover, God does want you to live in sexual sin (1st Corinthians 7:1-2). The ONLY way you can avoid that is to GET REMARRIED!
Preachers all have their pet Scriptures, cherry-picking the Bible to support their particular opinion, but what I just showed you is my humble opinion. I think it is as wicked as hell when someone files for divorce, and either of the couple remarries right away, without at least giving the difficult situation some time, to see if there can be reconciliation. God knows a person's heart, and their true intentions. Proverbs 24:12, “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” Divorce is always a sin in my humble opinion. DON'T DO IT! But if you are divorced, I think there is a permissible will of God, which is not His perfect will for you. God gives second chances, but many people will not. Let them go fly a kite!
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