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.
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 §70
Now, you see, then after the beginning it was---something else was introduced. Now, this is going to shock you. (Are you tired? Just sit still just a little longer.) Then when the double covenant was made by man and woman through sex (another covenant altogether; not the original covenant, but another covenant), now what's introduced? Polygamy in all. Then after the beginning, polygamy was introduced both in man and in beast, after the beginning, the fall. God now secondarily sets a new nature again by sex. God cre...
We would see Jesus
62-0727 §18
Some of you brethren, remember in the Old Testament they had a way of finding out whether a prophet was telling the truth, or a dreamer was dreaming right, his dream was from God. They taken him to the temple where the breastplate of Aaron was hanging, and it was called Urim Thummim. Many of you people know about it, reading in the Bible. And when this prophet begin to prophesy, and those supernatural lights didn't register back off of that, like a rainbow across that... , making the Urim Thummim from that breastpl...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §58
She was made to deceive like she did Adam at the beginning---telling him that the fruit was pleasant and so forth to deceive him and take him away from the Word. That's the way the church does today. Same thing. But then, after that, he become her ruler, to rule over her. Now, what a difference in this day and this day of conception. Instead of him being her ruler, she has become his god! Sure. She rules him. Now, you can kind of well understand what I've been hitting at. By her beauty and her sex control, her shap...
Marriage and Divorce
65-0221M §29
We have also two thoughts of this marriage and divorce. Now that our Lord has opened the seven seal mystery of His Word to us in this last day... Now, many of you, this might be Greek to you, but my church understands what ... when you've heard of the visions and what taken place. And the question is a Bible question. We are invited here to believe there must be a true answer to the whole hidden secret that's been hid since the foundation of the world. And the Bible prophesies and says that in this day these secret...