Jesus speaks clearly on the covenant and commitment of marriage in Matthew 5:31-32 and Matthew 19:3-9.
[Matthew 5:31-32]
31 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’[m] 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
[Matthew 19:3-10]
3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’[a]” 5 And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’[b] 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?”[c] they asked.
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.[d]”
A marriage covenant based on God’s word is to be taken very seriously. When there are difficulties, we are called to work through them in a godly way, not to harden our hearts and seek divorce.
Jesus also highlights in both scriptures how damaging adultery is to a marriage, by calling it out as an exception to His statement. Do not misunderstand this though, many who have suffered through adultery in a marriage can, with the help of Jesus, overcome that sin and betrayal and still build a godly marriage from it based out of true repentance.
The Bible provides insight in building godly marriages, even when husband and wife do not both know God equally. At www.HearingFromJesus.org, we also provide some links on our website to ministries and to resources (e.g. books, etc.) that focus on godly marriage.
One more important reminder… work proactively to build a godly marriage even before you experience trouble in your marriage.
—-
Help us to share the good news of the gospel! Please visit our Support Us page at HearingFromJesus.org to find out more.
