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What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?

God’s design is one man and one woman in lifelong covenant, and He says plainly that He hates divorce. Yet Scripture acknowledges covenant-breaking realities — adultery and desertion — and it meets those already wounded by divorce with restoration, not a scarlet letter.

Start where Jesus started: the design

Asked about divorce, Jesus went back to creation: "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female ... What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:4-6). Marriage is covenant, not contract, and Malachi records God’s heart bluntly: "the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away" (Malachi 2:16). So the first biblical question is never "when may I leave?" but "how do we keep covenant?"

The exceptions Scripture itself names

The Bible does not pretend covenants are never shattered. Jesus allowed divorce "except it be for fornication" (Matthew 19:9) — sexual unfaithfulness that breaks the one-flesh bond. Paul adds desertion by an unbelieving spouse: "if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases" (1 Corinthians 7:15). Reformed churches have historically recognized these two grounds, with remarriage open to the innocent party. Where there is abuse and danger, protecting the victim comes first — separation for safety is not covenant-breaking.

For those already on the other side of it

Jesus met a woman married five times — and offered her living water, not a stone (John 4). Divorce is not the unforgivable sin, and the church must not treat divorced believers as second-class members. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away" (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you are in a struggling marriage now, the biblical order is to exhaust every road of repentance, forgiveness, counsel, and community help before ever considering the exit (1 Corinthians 7:10-11) — many marriages that felt dead have been resurrected on that road.

Related Bible Verses

Frequently Asked Questions

  • My spouse committed adultery and we divorced. Is remarriage a sin for me?

    Adultery is the exception Jesus Himself named (Matthew 19:9), and the historic Reformed position does not treat the innocent party’s remarriage as sin. Wisdom still counsels healing first, and remarriage "only in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:39).