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.
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §40
But Paul said that as long as they---unbelieving husband has an unbelieving---or believing wife or so forth, let the believing wife remain with the believing husband, as long as it's not contrary now to God. If he's pleased to dwell with her ... "Go ahead, Honey, if you want to go to church, that's all right; but I ain't going. I don't believe in it; don't have nothing to do with it. But you go ahead; that's all right." But when he says, "You can't do it," now there's a different thing. You're not bound to that the...
Life
58-0519 §46
...couldn't be taken into the church with short hair. It was wrong in the first place, it's wrong yet. The Bible said that if a woman cuts her hair, her husband has a right to divorce her and get away from her. Exactly right. What do you do it for? To follow fashions. Now, you're not going to like me after this, but at the judgment bar, you're going to find out something. The Bible said if a woman cuts her hair, she dishonors her head, which is her husband. If she's a dishonorable person, she should be put away. It us...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §80
Now, look. In the final analysis, look, there is one Jesus Christ. Is that right? One man, God Immanuel. Do you believe that? But the members of His wife are many, thousands times thousands of thousands. Is that right? His wife, the bride, the church. You understand now? That's why He said to Adam before sex was ever induced ... or, introduced, "Multiply to replenish the earth"---when he was yet in the beginning, when he was yet both male and female in himself! There it shows then that the bride's got to come from...
Hebrews, Chapter 6, part 2
57-0908E §30
...ays did just what I wanted to. And if I serve the Lord 'cause I'm afraid I'm going to hell, I'm not serving Him right. If I live true to my wife because I'm afraid she will divorce me, I'm not a very good husband. But I wouldn't hurt her for nothing, for I love her.
Questions and Answers on Genesis
53-0729 §31
Now, I think that would get that man, and woman. Now, a woman is... Let me get this in right good now, so you can see it, see. Woman is subject to her husband. And the Bible said that a man should rule over his wife. But how they've changed that! The woman rules over the man. "Now, you stay home, John! You're not going!" That settles it. "Yes, my dear," see. But let me tell you something, mister. You are going to have to answer for your wife, but your wife is never going to have to answer for you. You are the head...