Jesus Teaching on Divorce

Introduction

Preventions of “sexual immorality” - dealing with your lusts. Help one another. 1 Corinthians 7.

Pre-marital counseling has great value.

IS DIVORCE EVER PERMISSIBLE?

Debates among evangelicals about whether divorce and/or remarriage is every permissible. We can appreciate those who fight for the permanency of marriage. Marriage is not a thing to be entered upon lightly.

Marriage is designed to be permanent covenant relationship for life.

Let not man separate. Does not say that man cannot separate or break the covenant. God’s will versus reality in a fallen world. God’s will: permanence in marriage. Broken and hurting people - sinners who say I do and keep saying I do, even through thick and thin.

JESUS GIVES ONE EXCEPTION AS A GROUND FOR DIVORCE

Sexual immorality. A general term for sexual sin. Includes adultery. Makes her commit adultery (implication that she would get remarried in that world and thus be guilty of adultery, since she is still techically married).

Marry a divorced woman commits adultery. Implication: she’s still married.

But the exception of sexual immorality implies that the marriage covenant is annuled and that a person can legitimately be divorced if their spouse breaks the covenant by sexual immorality.