Marriage and Divorce: A Biblical View
Like Tom and Jane, many believers are facing hard times in their marriages, and they want to consider their options. Before making any life-altering decisions, they want to get the proper perspective on the issues involved and know what the Bible says about such things. It is wise and good that Tom and Jane have turned to a student of the Word for help. These issues can be addressed by answering the following questions. What is the biblical teaching on marriage? What is the biblical teaching on divorce? Is it ever acceptable for a Christian to remarry? According to the Bible, marriage was instituted by God in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the world. After creating everything including the first man, Adam, God observed that all that He had created was good with on exception. God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone”. So, God made a woman from one of the man’s ribs and gave her to Adam to be his wife. Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19: 5-6, Mark 10:7-8, and Ephesians 5:31 say, “therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh”. All other human ties are to become secondary to the relationship between a man and his own wife. The marriage relationship is the only one in which those involved are to experience a total unity, intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually as expressed by the physical bond between them. Even more than in any other relationship, it is within marriage that priority is to be given to sharing the self-giving love and presence of God. [1] Marriage is the only relationship that the Bible uses to symbolize the relationship between God and His chosen people of Israel or that between Christ and the Church, His Bride. The unity and exclusiveness of marriage point to the unity of Christ with His Church. Members of the Church are positioned in Christ, and Christ dwells in them by His Spirit. Members of the Church are one in Him, and
Bibliography: [1] Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition, Grand Rapids, MI Baker Book House Company 1984, 2001, p.744 [2] Ibid., p.743 [3] Ibid., p.348 [4] Ibid., pp.345-346