The Gospel of Matthew: Biblical Divorce.

⁹ “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” ¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry” (Matthew 19:9–10 (ESV).  

Like His statements in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus invoked His own sovereign authority in today’s text. He correctly interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1-4, wherein He recognized the biblical authority of the Old Testament. He then heralded an additional truth: “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”  

Sexual immorality (πορνεία; porneia) refers to fornication or any and all sexual sins violating God’s institution of marriage (Gen.1:27; 2:18-25). Therefore, any sexual behavior that is not consensually between a binary heterosexual husband and his wife is sexual immorality. This includes such behavior as pre-marital sex, adultery, rape, child molestation, homosexuality, bestiality, pornography, etc.   

“Immorality is a term that encompasses all sorts of sexual sins. Both here and in Matthew 5:32, Jesus includes this “exception clause,” clearly permitting the innocent party in such a divorce to remarry without incurring the stigma of one who “commits adultery,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

However, even with the exception clause in place, divorce should always remain a last resort between couples and never a first option. The ultimate goal in any marriage is to remain married until death (Romans 7:1-3).

Is there another exception clause providing for the possibility of a biblical divorce? I Corinthians 7:12-16 provides a second scenario for a biblical divorce.

1 Corinthians 7:12–16 (ESV) says, “¹² To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³ If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?”

Within a marriage, if one of the spouses is an unbeliever and both individuals agree to remain married, they should remain married. This is because the believing spouse is a witness of the Gospel before the unbelieving spouse (I Peter 3:1-6). However, if the unbelieving spouse leaves the marriage, the believing spouse is no longer under the bondage of the marriage vows. They are free to marry another in the eyes of God.

“When the bond is broken in any of those ways, a Christian is free to marry another believer. Throughout Scripture, whenever legitimate divorce occurs, remarriage is assumed. When divorce is permitted, so is remarriage. By implication, the permission for a widow to remarry (1 Cor. 7:39–40; Rom. 7:3) because the “bond” is broken, extends to this case where there is no more bondage,” continues Dr. MacArthur.

“Some may have been reluctant to let go of their unsaved spouse, who wanted out and was creating discord in the home—thinking they could evangelize the spouse by hanging on for the purpose of seeing that one converted. Paul says there are no such assurances and it is better to divorce and be at peace (v. 15), if the unsaved partner wants to end the marriage that way.”

“Our emotions can get in the way of biblical decision-making. We therefore need an outside perspective to help us discern how to deal with troubled relationships. Pastors and elders, who are called to look out for our spiritual well-being, must deal wisely with troubled couples, considering the situation in order to apply God’s Word correctly. Life-changing decisions cannot be made independently, they must be made within the church,” concludes Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Soli deo Gloria!