Can a Christian Divorce and Remarry?

God's design for marriage has not changed.

From Genesis to the words of Jesus in Matthew 19, Scripture presents God's standard: a man and woman leave their families, become one flesh, and remain joined together. Jesus' words are unmistakable: "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

The Bible also acknowledges a difficult reality. Human beings do not always live according to God's standards.

That distinction between God's perfect design and life in a fallen world is essential to understanding what the Bible teaches about divorce and remarriage. Continuing his deep dive into this difficult subject, Dr. Rocky Ramsey turns from the Old Testament foundation to the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament.

Scripture consistently teaches that obedience to God's ways brings blessing, while disobedience produces painful consequences. The further we move from God's design, the more complicated life and relationships become. Divorce is one example of that brokenness.

This leads to the subject of adultery. In the Old Testament, adultery referred to sexual involvement with another person's spouse and carried an extraordinarily serious penalty. But in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere, Jesus took His listeners beyond merely avoiding the physical act. He addressed lust within the heart and also connected adultery with certain circumstances involving divorce and remarriage.

That raises an important question: does the Bible teach that every remarriage constitutes adultery?

Rocky reveals three circumstances in which Scripture does not treat remarriage as adultery: sexual unfaithfulness, abandonment, and the death of a spouse. Matthew 19:9 addresses sexual immorality; 1 Corinthians 7:15 addresses abandonment by an unbelieving spouse; and 1 Timothy 5:14 demonstrates that a widow is free to marry again.

These distinctions matter because Christians should neither lower God's standards nor create standards that go beyond what God has said. We need to allow the whole counsel of Scripture to shape our understanding.

But for anyone whose story already includes sexual sin, adultery, divorce, or a broken marriage, the message cannot end there. First Corinthians 6 contains a sobering list of sins, including adultery and sexual immorality. Yet Paul follows that list with some of the most hopeful words imaginable: "Such were some of you."

The gospel does not pretend our sin doesn't matter. Jesus died precisely because it does. But no believer should believe that adultery places someone permanently beyond God's forgiveness and transforming grace. God's standard remains good. Sin still carries consequences. But Christ still redeems sinners.

What does the Bible really say?