Divorce is one of the uglier realities of life and love. Obviously, not all marriages work
out. And while breaking a marriage contract is theoretically as simple as signing some
legal papers, the fallout can have far-reaching consequences. These consequences can include
children having parents in two households, both parties arguing over division of assets,
and the families of the divorced couple learning how to cope in the context of the new reality.
"It could have been cancer, buddy! Hey everyone, it's just a divorce!"
"Thanks! Feels good."
In Biblical times, however, divorce was much simpler — for men, anyway. Essentially,
the only real requirement was for the man to publicly declare that he wanted out of the
marriage, for just about any reason. The woman was then left to fend for herself,
often dealing with public shame and scorn. Further, key figures in the New Testament,
including Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, taught about divorce, and their teachings seemed
to tighten up the necessary requirements. That was 2,000 years ago, and still today, Christians
wrestle with the Biblical teachings on divorce against the modern realities of failing marriages.
It even appears that Christians have a lower divorce rate than the rest of the population,
with the exact amount varying by denomination. In 2020, family law attorneys Wilkinson And
Finkbeiner reported that married evangelical Christians have a 26% likelihood they will
divorce, married Catholics come in at 28%, and married non-Christians land at 38%.
This shouldn't come as much surprise, as, on the whole, the Bible is solidly anti-divorce.
The entirety of the sacred text's teachings on the subject can be summed up in one verse: Malachi
2:16, in which God outright states that He hates divorce. However, divorce is allowed elsewhere
in the Old Testament, and God's law further lays out how, why, and when it could be accomplished.
During Jesus' time under Jewish law, divorce was permissible, if one-sided.
A man could divorce his wife, but a woman could not divorce her husband. And he
could do it simply because he was displeased with his wife in regard to how she dressed,
that she was aging, or that she could not produce children. But in Deuteronomy,
in the Old Testament, one passage refers to the "sin" of divorcing and remarrying on a whim,
as it ultimately defiles the women and leaves them in dire straits.
Yet there were two instances in which a man in Jesus' time was not permitted to divorce his wife.
First, if the husband had falsely accused the wife of not being a virgin when they married,
then divorce is not allowed. The second instance in which divorce is not permitted
is if the woman was a virgin, the man raped her, and that assault led to a forced marriage.
The idea here was that the marriage was undertaken as a favor to the woman,
whom no other man would marry after the loss of her virginity.
In the New Testament, Jesus and Paul suggest that divorce should only be considered in light
of adultery. Adultery is an often addressed sin in the Bible with only murder, idolatry,
and self-righteousness being mentioned more.
Another verse in the Bible may give permission to Christians to divorce — if one is a believer
and the other not. Corinthians 7:10-16 says it depends on the situation, and
in this case, it looks like the women can choose to divorce, too.
The caveat is that if the non-believer wants to stay in the marriage, the believer cannot
divorce them, otherwise their children would be unclean. The verse goes on to
say if the non-believer wants to leave the marriage, that should be allowed to happen.
However, modern realities are much different from ancient ones. Women are obviously not dependent
on men for survival, and not all marriages subscribe to the rules that were once the norm.
What's more, the Bible is totally silent on other matters that can
ruin a marriage besides adultery, such as abuse or a loss of love.
Many Christians today believe that divorce should only be considered as a last resort,
and shouldn't be entered into lightly. Further, Christians who are victimized
by unfaithful spouses should seek forgiveness and reconciliation before considering divorce.
Nevertheless, a shift in attitudes in recent times has clearly meant that,
even for Christians, divorce is not the grievous sin it once was.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Grunge videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.