Mark's Blog

The terrific pain and trauma surrounding any divorce should be enough to convince everyone that it is not what God wants for anyone!  The only proper response when we meet those who are scarred and damaged by divorce is to weep with those who weep! I’m truly sorry for the suffering, also for the anger, for the guilt, and for the deep sense of loss that you may have suffered with as well.

Divorce is not a fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—these are the fruit of the Spirit of God in us!

Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness…and the like, this sounds more like Divorce, doesn’t it! Paul says that these are acts of our sinful nature. Divorce definitely belongs on that side of the ledger.

No wonder God hates Divorce! Can we agree that if God hates Divorce that we should also hate Divorce?  Can we teach our children to hate Divorce? Can we teach our churches to hate Divorce?

Can we show enough love to divorced people that they know they are loved by us and by God even if God and we hate Divorce?

So what should the spouse do who is battered, or abused, or betrayed, or humiliated, who is disrespected?  Is divorce an option? 

Much I don’t know, but here is what I do know from God’s Word. Let’s look first at Jesus’ words in the Gospels (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:1-12, Mark 10:1-12,  Luke 16:18)

1. When asked about Divorce, Jesus said that the plan from the beginning of time was that what God has joined together, no man should separate!
2. Jesus acknowledges that God allowed divorce because of the sinfulness of God’s people, even though it was not what He wanted for His people.
3. Jesus says that to divorce your spouse to marry another is adultery.
4. Jesus allows divorce in the case of adultery.  (Other translations of porneia include unchastity, sexual unfaithfulness, fornication, sexual immorality, even incest.)

So Jesus hates Divorce, but allows for it. 

The Apostle Paul mentions another exception: if a person becomes a Christian, but the spouse does not , if the unbelieving spouse leaves, the other is not bound. (1 Corinthians 7:15). I know that we have argued about this verse, but usually it is over the question of remarriage, not over divorce.  Paul says clearly that the believing spouse is not bound!  The divorce here, it should be noted, is instigated by the unbeliever, not the believer. That is important!  God hates Divorce!

I need to mention also that God Himself divorced Israel. Read Jeremiah 3 and Isaiah 50. He divorced Israel for adultery (Jeremiah 3:8) and for her sins and transgressions (Isaiah 50:1). In both cases, He longs for reconciliation, but there is no doubt that He has divorced her!

God hates Divorce—but He Himself has been through divorce. No wonder He hates it!

I really didn’t want to start with Divorce. I wanted to start with Marriage, but so many of us Christians are already divorced that I needed to let you know where I was coming from—and that I’m not advocating a return to law. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath!

I would have much preferred to start with Marriage because Marriage is made for us! The place to stop Divorce is in marriages full of life in the Spirit, in marriages where the Spirit bears fruit. 

We will talk about Marriage next.