The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7: 3, 10, 39, “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence; and likewise also the wife unto the husband. . . . And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband. . . . 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.”

“The marriage vow . . . links the destinies of the two individuals with bonds which nought but the hand of death should sever.”1

“Wherefore [a man and his wife] are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6).

In the beginning it was God’s plan that husband and wife would be together for a lifetime, as long as both should live. Thus would be established unity and happiness and a stable home into which children could be born.

He who attacked the happiness of the first pair in Eden has continued his work of destruction throughout the centuries as he has sought to destroy the sacredness of the marriage institution. He takes advantage of every opportunity available to bring strife and discord into the life of those who have vowed before God to live in harmony with Him and with one another.

“Satan is ever ready to take advantage when any matter of variance arises, and by moving upon the objectionable, hereditary traits of character in husband or wife, he will try to cause the alienation of those who have united their interests in a solemn covenant before God. In the marriage vows they have promised to be as one, the wife covenanting to love and obey her husband, and the husband promising to love and cherish his wife. If the law of God is obeyed, the demon of strife will be kept out of the family, and no separation of interests will take place, no alienation of affection will be permitted.”2

In Mark 10:2-9 we read the following, “And the Pharisees came to [Jesus], and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

“A woman may be legally divorced from her husband by the laws of the land and yet not divorced in the sight of God and according to the higher law. There is only one sin, which is adultery, which can place the husband or wife in a position where they can be free from the marriage vow in the sight of God. Although the laws of the land may grant a divorce, yet they are husband and wife still in the Bible light, according to the laws of God.”3

Here we find that it was not in the plan of God that divorcement should enter into the marriage relationship, for the two who became joined as one should remain so as long as they both should live. But the question arises, “What happens when divorce does occur; does God permit a remarriage of either or both parties?” Let us study further into this question.

We read in Mark 10:11, 12 that Jesus declared, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.”

As these verses plainly state, whichever spouse does the putting away and then marries another is guilty of adultery.

There are several verses in the Bible which advise the same thing and bear out the same truth. In Luke 16:18 we read, “Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.” This brings in another party: Whoever marries one that has been put away is also guilty of adultery.

“Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man” (Romans 7:1-3).

Thus we are finding that, according to Scripture, remarriage for either party, whether the guilty or innocent one, is unlawful as long as the other is alive. And we know that committing adultery constitutes the breaking of the seventh commandment of the moral and binding law of God. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

The innocent one who has been wronged and cast aside by a spouse guilty of committing adultery will be faced with numerous problems. He or she will need to decide whether to remain or seek a separation.

“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).

“In cases of the violation of the seventh commandment where the guilty party does not manifest true repentance, if the injured party can obtain a divorce without making their own cases and that of their children, if they have them, worse by so doing, they should be free.

“If they would be liable to place themselves and their children in worse conditions by a divorce, we know of no scripture that would make the innocent party guilty by remaining.”4

In whichever decision is made, neither party has the lawful right in the sight of God to remarry if a divorce ends the marriage. This is plainly upheld in the Scriptures.

We are familiar with the account in the Scriptures concerning the call to repentance as put forth by John the Baptist. He had fearlessly admonished King Herod that he was living in an adulterous relationship because he had married his brother’s wife. Matthew 14:3-5 states, “For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.”

“ ‘Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, . . . and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.’ John dealt with him faithfully, denouncing his iniquitous alliance with Herodias, his brother’s wife. For a time Herod feebly sought to break the chain of lust that bound him; but Herodias fastened him more firmly in her toils, and found revenge upon the Baptist by inducing Herod to cast him into prison.”5

In this admonition to the king, John was speaking of the unlawfulness of remarriage as long as the other spouse is alive. As was true of John, we must never be fearful of calling sin by its rightful name.

Matthew 5:31, 32 reads: “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.” How can this act of putting away one from the marriage relationship cause him or her to commit adultery? When one has been cast away from the marriage, that person will more than likely desire to be married again, and would thus be guilty of the sin of adultery if the spouse remains alive when the remarriage occurs. If the one who is being divorced has been already guilty of breaking the seventh commandment, the one getting the divorce is not causing the problem because the unfaithfulness has already occurred.

We read a similar verse in Matthew 19:9, where Jesus declared: “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.” Here we find the same principle. Whatever the reason for the divorce and whoever is the guilty or innocent party, if he or she remarries while the other party remains alive, the sin of adultery is present. Separation is allowed in the case of violation of the seventh commandment but never remarriage.

The Bible does not contradict itself and we must base our understanding about each subject on the weight of evidence from all the texts given on that subject.

“God gave only one cause why a wife should leave her husband, or the husband leave his wife, which was adultery.”7

The study regarding divorce and remarriage brings many questions to mind but, as we have found, we need to base our decisions and teaching upon the weight of evidence given by God Himself through the words of His inspired writers. In the beginning He ushered in the marriage institution and put His blessing upon it; it was to remain a blessing for all humanity throughout the ages of time. The vow, “Till death do us part” is to be upheld and honored by those who take it.

If one spouse should be taken away by death, the Scriptures state that the remaining one is free to remarry, as stated in Romans 7:2, 3 and 1 Corinthians 7:39, which have previously been quoted. Otherwise the only reason for separation of a spouse should be in the case of adultery; but even then the ideal decision would be for a reconciliation of the two if the guilty party repents of his or her sin. In no case is remarriage lawful as long as both remain alive.

Let it be the desire of each one of us, as followers and representatives of Christ, to live out the principles which He has given us and to teach others to do so.