Under What Condition Does God Permit Divorce in the New Testament?
1) Direct answer
Only one condition: fornication. The Lord permits putting away “except it be for fornication.” Outside of that, from the beginning it was not so.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Jesus said, “Moses suffered you to put away… but from the beginning it was not so… whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery” (Matthew 19:8–9; see also Matthew 5:32).
- The Bible shows what that exception looks like: Joseph, being espoused to Mary and not yet come together, “was minded to put her away privily,” thinking she had been unchaste before they joined (Matthew 1:18–20). That’s the very setting—betrothal/at the start, before consummation.
- Once joined, the Word says a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives (Romans 7:2–3). If she departs, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled; and the husband is not to put away his wife (1 Corinthians 7:10–11). If an unbeliever departs, the brother or sister is “not under bondage” to force the cohabitation, but this does not cancel the life‑bond (1 Corinthians 7:15 compared with 7:39).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- From the beginning God made them one flesh. You don’t break what God joined by later sin; you deal with it by repentance and forgiveness. That’s why Jesus did not say “except for adultery,” but “except for fornication”—uncleanness discovered at the start, which shows the union was not cleanly entered.
- So the only God‑given ground to put away is fornication discovered at the beginning. Otherwise, no divorce, and no remarriage while the spouse lives.
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice, the Bible says it plainly. One exception—fornication at the start. Beyond that, remain as you are or be reconciled.
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.
At Thy Word, Lord, I'll let down the net
54-1207 §21
Now in this, but God hath set in the church, gifts; first, the Bible. Now I'm strictly a fundamentalist. If anything doesn't come from this Bible, it isn't true. I believe that this is God's truth. And everything, every doctrine must be based upon this New Testament, the New Testament church. And now, we see in the Bible that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when He came to the earth, He came to rid sin and sickness, divorce it, put it away forever from His people. And claimed that He would return again. But in His ab...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 4:E-2
Introduction In order to refresh your minds I want to point out again how we arrive at finding the names of the messengers to the various ages. God in His sovereign will has seen to it that the history of the New Testament church was not lost, even as He saw to it that the history of Israel would not be lost by placing it in the Bible and corroborating it today from multitudes of scrolls, earthen vessels and other artifacts that archaeologists have discovered and interpreted. We actually have a running commentary o...
It wasn't so from the beginning
60-1127M §14
Turn with me for just a few moments. I want to read a little Scripture here to see if I can draw from it some context for the next fifteen to twenty minutes. Let's turn to Matthew the nineteenth chapter as we read. And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan; And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. And the Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put a...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §79
QUESTION: If Jesus in a second... (No!) If Jesus---if you in a second marriage where both parties are divorced, the ... it r-e-p-e-n-... repentance---it... Is repentance enough, or do you have to end, do you have to end your marriage relationship to be right? "If you're in a second marriage where both parties are divorced..." I think I've already answered that. See? Yes, already answered that. Where both parties are, I just... I wish we didn't have to go through these things, people. I got friends sitting right her...
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...