Did Jesus Permit Divorce
God intended marriage to be permanent, but He did make provisions for those whose spouses were unfaithful. God in His divine wisdom instituted marriage to be one man and one woman joined together in life (Genesis 2:24). However, God gave a procedure for divorce because of the hardness of men’s hearts (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). He asked that the man write a bill of divorcement to his wife. This was a certificate of innocence to the wife. With respect to all this said did Jesus permit divorce also?
Divorce is not the same today. Today, a judge can declare a marriage dissolved for just any reason. From the man slapping his wife to even a simple disagreement in the house. It is incredible to note how long some of these marriages take before they are dissolved. Some get dissolved days after marriage and we then ask ourselves did they know themselves before marrying each other. A wife or husband cannot dismiss a marital partner on his or her own. The court does not necessarily distinguish between the unfaithful and innocent party. There is therefore no bill of divorcement to protect the innocent and condone remarriage.
All this said did Jesus permit divorce? The Bible says in Matthew 5:31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
Christ allowed for divorce in the case of infidelity. Jesus gave the innocent party the privilege of divorcing the guilty partner. The believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of the body of Christ. If the believer is joined to a harlot, he defiles not only his own body but also the whole body of Christ. The wife has to make the choice of either remaining married or divorcing him, in which case she does not sin. This decision is because of the hardness of men’s heart which was as a result of the fall of man throughout the years.
