22 Reasons why remarriage is never permitted

1. God hates divorce

• Mal 2:16 GNB “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel. “I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife.”
• Mal 2:16 KJV For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

2. Vows are forever binding even when they cause enormous personal pain

• Num 30:2 KJV If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

3. The first Gospel did not allow remarriage.

Note also that this Gospel was written primarily for Gentiles who were unlikely to have access to any other Gospels.

• Mar 10:6-9 KJV But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. (7) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; (8) And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. (9) What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

 When Jesus was asked to clarify what He meant in the first Gospel he disallowed remarriage.

• Mar 10:10-12 KJV And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. (11) And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. (12) And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

4. The Gospel of Luke did not allow remarriage

This is what we would expect as it is perfectly consistent with the Gospel of Mark.

• Luk 16:18 KJV Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

5. Romans 7 does allow remarriage but only after the death of a spouse

Paul is stating what is assumed to be understood by the readers that marriage was binding until death.  He did not mention any exception clause even though they are apparently only two in number.  This is perfectly consistent with the Gospel of Mark and Luke.

• Rom 7:2-3 KJV For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. (3) So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

6. The marriage ‘summary’ in 1 Corinthians 7 allows for remarriage only after death

The letter is written to a sexually immoral church with chapter seven specifically addressing questions regarding marriage.  In this context marriage is stated as being until death.

• 1Co 7:39 KJV The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

7. The command to Christians in 1 Corinthians 7 does not allow remarriage

It should be remembered that this letter is written to a sexually immoral church.  Yet no exception allowing remarriage is given. Rather the Christian is commanded to stay married, or, if that is impossible, to remain single.

• 1Co 7:10-11 KJV And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: (11) But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

8. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7.10 says he is repeating what Jesus taught.  That passage fails to mention any ‘exception’ clause

• 1Co 7:10-11 KJV And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

Paul says He is teaching what Jesus taught.  He is writing to a church guilty of sexual immorality and yet he mentions nothing about being able to divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality.  This would seem to be a gross oversight.

However there is no oversight.  The absence of any exception clause clearly indicates that Jesus did not teach that a person could divorce on any grounds including that of sexual immorality.  This is perfectly consistent with Mk 10, Lu 16 and Rom 7.

9. We are commanded to be ‘perfect’ as God is perfect.

God did not divorce unfaithful and immoral Israel but rather loved her and called her to return to Himself.

• Hos 1:2 NKJV When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By departing from the LORD.”  …
• 3:1 Then the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

An objection to this is based on Jer 3.8 which says that God gave Israel a ‘bill of divorce’.  However, look at what the Lord says just six verses after that:

• Jer 3:14 KJV Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

And just 12 verses later we see the Lord calling His unfaithful people to return.

• Jer 3:20-23 KJV Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. (21) A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. (22) Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

The ‘bill of divorce’ that the Lord gave Israel in no way changed the Lord’s love for or commitment to His covenant people who He kept calling to return to Himself.  Divorce was permitted but remarriage was not.

This is in direct contrast to divorce today where one party wants to abandon their spouse so they can pursue other relationships.

10. God remains faithful to His people even when they are unfaithful because He has promised He will not break His word.

• 2Ti 2:13 LITV if we are unfaithful, that One remains faithful; He is not able to deny Himself.
• Psa 89:30-34 NKJV “If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, (31) If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, (32) Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. (33) Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. (34) My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

11. We are commanded to ‘love those who do not love us’.

This is opposite to ‘rid yourself of those who do not love you and find yourself someone else who will love you’.

If this command is to apply to anyone surely it must apply to the person to whom we vowed to love and cherish until death separates and with whom we have been joined by God and have become one flesh with.

• Mat 5:38-48 LITV You have heard that it was said: “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;” Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21 (39) but I say to you, Do not resist the evil; but whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. (40) And to him desiring to sue you, and to take your tunic, allow him also to have the coat. (41) And whoever shall compel you to go one mile, go two with him. (42) He asking you to give, and he wishing to borrow from you, do not turn away. (43) You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor” and hate your enemy; Lev. 19:18 (44) but I say to you, Love your enemies; bless those cursing you, do well to those hating you; and pray for those abusing and persecuting you, (45) so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. Because He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. (46) For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? (47) And if you only greet your brothers, what exceptional thing do you do? Do not the tax-collectors do so? (48) Therefore, you be perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

12. Divorce was not permitted before Moses

Adultery, fornication, willful abandonment and abuse of all kinds existed prior to Moses. Yet divorce was not permitted.

• Mat 19:8 KJV He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

13. Christian hearts are no longer hard so the need to allow divorce in the church is no longer necessary

• Eze 36:26 KJV A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

14. Divorce was never condoned by God.

The immediate objection to this statement is that Deuteronomy 24 legislates divorce and so God must have allowed it.  The inconsistency of this argument is easily shown by considering a similar passage in Deuteronomy.

Has God ever condoned rape?  Does He allow rape today?  Of course not.  Yet look how it is legislated just two chapters before divorce is regulated:

• Deu 22:28-29 GNB “Suppose a man is caught raping a young woman who is not engaged. (29) He is to pay her father the bride price of fifty pieces of silver, and she is to become his wife, because he forced her to have intercourse with him. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

Has God ever condoned polygamy?  Does God condone polygamy today?  Yet look how He legislated polygamy in De 21:

• Deu 21:15-16 KJV If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: (16) Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:

So, just because God legislates divorce does not mean that He condoned or sanctioned it any more than He condones or sanctions rape or polygamy.  God hates divorce.  Why would he allow or sanction it?

One should also note that Deut 24.1-4 is not directing that a ‘bill of divorcement’ should be given.  Rather, it is saying that when one is given, this is how the recipient should be treated.  So the Deu 24 passages describes what to do after a divorce has happened in the same way that Deu 22 describes what should happen after a rape.

15. Marriage is a covenant.  A covenant cannot be annulled.

Covenants are often broken in the Bible but that never annulls that covenant.  Israel broke the Old Covenant hundreds of time yet it remained intact and binding until the death of Christ and the arrival of the New Covenant.

• Mal 2:14 KJV Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
• Gal 3:15 KJV Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

16. Man is not to separate that which God has joined together.

• Mat 19:6 KJV Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

17. It is not possible to separate what God has joined together.

Jesus quotes Gen 2 when describing the mystery of a husband being joined to his wife:

• Gen 2:23 KJV And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

The ‘one flesh joining’ that Jesus describes is pictured in the first marriage of Adam to Eve.  How was Adam and Eve one flesh?  Eve was completely made from Adam’s very body! Eve could never seperate herself from Adam because she was made out of Adam. This is what happens in marriage when God joins a man and wife.  They become one flesh like Eve was one flesh with Adam.  For Eve to undo that one flesh relationship would be impossible.  So to it is impossible to undo the one flesh that Goid joins together in marriage.

18. Divorce does not exist in Heaven

Earthly marriage is intended to represent the divine and heavenly institution of marriage.  If God cannot divorce His church, why would He allow a man to divorce his wife?

19. Marriage is a representation of Christ and the Church.  Christ will never divorce the Church.

• Eph 5:31-32 KJV For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
• Heb 13:5 KJV Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

20. We love our own bodies and would never allow part of us to be removed!

• Eph 5:28-29 LITV So, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies, (he loving his wife loves himself), (29) for then no one hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as also the Lord the assembly.

A person would never amputate a perfectly healthy arm or leg.  This is essentially what occurrs when a person divorces his spouse.  This is self mutilation and does not glorify the Lord.

A person may amputate a limb when that limb has died.  So to, a person is released from marriage when their spouse dies.

21. It was generally accepted by the Early Church fathers that divorce and remarriage was forbidden by Christ.

That this view was held so close to the original teaching of the Apostles and Christ is most persuasive.  It would seem unlikely that such a significant deviation from the truth on marriage could be seen in such a short period.

22. The marriage covenant is unique and unparalleled.

Marriage is the only covenant where God is said to join two people into one.  Thus all other covenants or contracts are infinitely less significant since no other covenant sees God joining two people into ‘one flesh’.  So, even if all other covenants could be annulled (which they can’t), the marriage covenant could still stand apart based on this one central difference.