Can Christians Divorce?
1) Direct Answer
No. God’s will is one man and one woman for life. A Christian is not to divorce. If separation must occur, the believer is to remain unmarried or be reconciled. Remarriage while a living spouse remains is adultery.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- From the beginning: “They two shall be one flesh…what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6).
- God hates putting away (Malachi 2:16).
- Jesus restored the original standard: “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:8).
- The “exception” Jesus named is fornication (Matthew 19:9; 5:32). Now notice, Scripture itself shows what that means: Joseph “being a just man…was minded to put her away privily” when he thought Mary had been unclean before they came together (Matthew 1:18-19). That deals with discovering unchastity at the start of the union—not granting a license to dissolve a consummated marriage.
- After marriage is joined, Jesus said plainly: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery” (Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18).
- Paul confirms: “Let not the wife depart… but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11). A believer is “not under bondage” to force an unbelieving spouse to stay (1 Corinthians 7:15), yet this does not open the door to remarriage; he later says, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth” (1 Corinthians 7:39; Romans 7:2-3).
- Leadership standard: an overseer must be “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2). That’s why men who came into the faith already with more than one wife were received as believers but not placed in church office.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- God joins; man must not tear apart what God joined.
- Moses permitted divorce because of hardness of heart; Jesus lifted it back to God’s first intent.
- If divorce were allowed for any later offense or convenience, Jesus would not have called remarriage “adultery,” nor would Paul have commanded separated believers to remain unmarried or be reconciled.
- If an unbeliever departs, the believer is called to peace; but Scripture still binds the marriage bond while the spouse lives.
4) Short Reinforcing Statement
Come as you are, repent of past wrongs, and walk clean from now on. Don’t break up more homes. If you’re already entangled, stay as you are and live faithfully to Christ; but do not seek remarriage while a living spouse remains. God honors His Word and heals where we submit to it.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Seals 9: Questions and Answers on the Seals
63-0324M §46
QUESTION: Now. Brother Branham, is there any scripture permitting marriage after divorce? This is very important. It says "important." Well, that's the reason it wasn't pertaining to this. As far as I can see, my brother or sister, whoever it may be, there isn't, unless your companion is dead, because the Bible said we're bound to them as long as they live. So, as far as being any scripture, that's what was asked here: "Is there scripture, see. Is there any scripture?" Not as I can find, see. Not as I can find, bec...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §36
Now, it was then man was made to rule over the woman by God's Word. She was no more co-equal with him. She was co-equal in nature, you know. But when she broke God's Word, God made a man to be a ruler over her. Genesis 3:16, if you want to put it down. She was no more equal with the man. She was a breaker of God's Word. Don't you see "she"---"she," the church down here, the breaker of God's Word? That throwed her completely out of continuity, and that's what the church has done; it's throwed spiritual death upon th...
Questions and Answers, Part 1
64-0823M §111
QUESTION: Brother Branham, would the Lord permit you to instruct us on the marriage and divorce question at this time? Question: Can a man marry a woman and be divorced by her and then marry another? If both of them marry another, are they both committing adultery? You mentioned it would tie into serpent's seed. How so? Now, here is one of the most treacherous questions that we have in these bunches, and it's the most questioned in the world today. Now, hear me, and I have a reason for this. If I really brought to...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §94
Look at Jacob, out of whom came the patriarchs. He had at least a dozen wives. He married two sisters and had concubine wives besides that (common law women that he lived with), and those patriarchs was born right out of those concubine women. Is that right? See you have to make the Word run smooth. Oh, I got pages on them. If a clergyman ever questions me on it and if we could get together, we can talk it; but surely if he's got any spirituality at all, he could see right here it's the truth. There's no question t...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §24
It's just like today, there is two great schools of doctrine in the church: one of them is Calvinism, the other one is Arminianism. One of them is legalist, and the other one's grace. And we come to find out that the people who believe in grace (the Calvinists), they say, "Bless God, it don't hurt me to smoke, it don't hurt me to drink. I can do these things; I've got eternal security." Then we find the other side (on the legalists) said, "Oh, I would like to bawl him out, I'd like to show him a piece of my mind; b...