'Til death do us part?

[Fiosh]

Is marriage " til death do us part" or does the Bible allow for divorce?

If so, under what circumstances?

Please, no opinions, or stories about "poor Aunt Fanny" and the bum she married;

just the Biblical facts.

Thanks,

Fiosh

[RustyAngeL]

The fact is that the only grounds for divorce in a believer is if adultry and taken place, however if there was abuse physical or otherwise I would be long gone and I think God would be fine that that. I do think that it has become to easy,to be divorced. I have been married for almost 22 years and there have been some up's and downs but I heard the same thing, "till do us part" and I aim to keep my end of the deal.

[Leonard]

If you do a word search on 'divorce' and 'putting away' you will find that what God says He hates is 'putting away' a woman, without giving her a divorce. The woman 'put away without a writ of divorce, could not remarry, and would be forced into a life of penury, or worse.....

Still Jesus says that divorce is only permissable 'because of the hardness of your hearts.....' It is hoped our hearts are not hard!

[larryt]

If you do a word search on 'divorce' and 'putting away' you will find that what God says He hates is 'putting away' a woman, without giving her a divorce.  The woman 'put away without a writ of divorce, could not remarry, and would be forced into a life of penury, or worse.....

Still Jesus says that divorce is only permissable 'because of the hardness of your hearts.....'  It is hoped our hearts are not hard!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Leonard you have hit the nail on the head it is because of the HARDNESS OF OUR HEARTS that God ALLOWS divorce.

Interesting fact: there is a correlation between the increase in the incidence of heart attacks and the increase in the divorce rate. Coincidence?

LT

[Guest PistosHuios]

I would like toss in some things to think about.

First, I am a firm believer in that once true Believers get married there is NO reason why they shouldn't be able to get along. God's people should know how to Love, and forgive, and doing that for each other may be difficult but it shouldn't be beyond capability. I agree that Adultery is grounds for divorce, but doesn't mean divorce is a must.

I have heard that there are many ways to "adulterate" marraige. And within that sort of a defintion some people believe that abuse, physical and verbal, as well as "imagined" adultery, that is lust, and pornography. I do not agree with that defintion of "adultery" but never the less I've heard it taught.

Lastly, a situation that has brought interest to me recently is the situation between a saved Believer married to a non-believer. It's great if you know that but in today's quick evangelical, multi-denominational ways in which people "Get saved" we're faced with an interesting situation.

If a believer, marries a "supposed" believer, and then leaves and refuses to come back, does that fall under 1 Cor. 7:15 "Yet if the unbelieving on e leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace"

The problem this poses to the beleiver whose wife or husband has left, when does that believer Stop "trying to make it work"? 6 months? a year? After counseling doesn't work, the "supposed believer" still doesn't show any signs of coming back, and the true believer, is devestated, unsure how to live, should that believer let them go, that is File for divorce? At what point is it better to "let them go" as opposed to fighting for that which the "supposed believer" does not want?

Just some thoughts to ponder.

[nebula]

What I Cor. 7 states is thus:

12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

So, it doesn't say the believing spouse should "try to make it work" if the unbelieving spouse has set in his or her heart to divorce. It just says, "Let him depart."

[Fiosh]

If you do a word search on 'divorce' and 'putting away' you will find that what God says He hates is 'putting away' a woman, without giving her a divorce.  The woman 'put away without a writ of divorce, could not remarry, and would be forced into a life of penury, or worse.....

Still Jesus says that divorce is only permissable 'because of the hardness of your hearts.....'  It is hoped our hearts are not hard!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

With all due respect, Leonard, check your Bible.(Matt 5:32)

Moses allowed divorce.

[Guest PistosHuios]

So, it doesn't say the believing spouse should "try to make it work" if the unbelieving spouse has set in his or her heart to divorce. It just says, "Let him depart.

I suppose the point I was making is that sometimes it is uncertain if the one who left is a believer.

The question was in regards to such a situation. The one who is trying to make it work, because they think the other is a believer, may be doing the wrong thing. But if they hastily divorce the other, and that person was indeed a believer, he has made a great mistake!

I agree, if you know the one who left is an unbeliever, let that person go. The question I have is if the person's faith is "questionable" at best is 1 Cor. 7.15 a copout to not work on it, or is it a valid assumption? Obviously this depends much on circumstances but it ways heavily on the true believer who wants desperatly to do the will of God, but doesn't know if he/she should divorce, and let the person go, or continue to work at it?

It's a toughy, thanks for you response.

[EricH]

The two permissions I see in scripture are for adultery and a believer being deserted by an unbelieving spouse because of faith issues

[FaithfulFollower]

Fiosh,

According to biblical scripture divorce is wrong, unless it is do be done out of a case of unfaithfulness.

What is a marriage according to biblical scripture? What does the Bible say?

Ephesians 5:21-33 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Husbands are to love their wives as Christ did the church. What is the church?

The people, Christ died for the people, believing and unbelieving.

What does it mean to be unfaithful to a husband or wife?

The act or thought of laying with another man or woman. Is it limited to that alone? Can the abuse of a spouse be seen as an act of unfaithfulness to a spouse?

Look again at the scripture above.

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church for we are members of his body.

Can a man truly love his wife if he lays a hand upon her in a negative manner? In truth, it is difficult to understand how a man could love not only his wife but also have any love for himself if he is to lay a hand upon his spouse, or vise versa.

For did Christ not love the church/people enough to give his life for it? Would Christ's sacrifice have held any significance if Jesus were not to love himself enough to treat a woman as many a husband or wife do their spouses today?

A marriage is a sacred union, not only of two hearts, but also two's lives. It is from the moment one says I do that the two people's lives and responsibilities are not only bound to one another, but are also bound together to God as well.

May God Bless You

Danielle