God designed marriage for life, and people who become married are also called to view marriage as such. Ultimately, the purpose of the marriage is to reflect Christ’s love and sacrifice to the church. Those in the Lord must marry those in the Lord. With that, if one desires to leave a marriage, we teach that one can only consider doing so under biblical reasons.
The first reason is stated in Matthew 19:3-12, where Jesus allows divorce in light of sins of sexual immorality (for example, adultery). They may divorce. However, if the spouse decides and feels led by the Holy Spirit to stay with the sinning spouse because she/he feels that God can use it to lead the sinning spouse to repentance, the restoration process is encouraged.
The second reason is stated in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, where God allows the unbelieving spouse to leave the marriage. The spouse who is leaving demonstrates an unbelieving heart, and God calls the believing spouse to live in peace with the decision in allowing the unbelieving spouse to leave. Leaving can take many forms. It can be physically leaving. It can also be leaving in terms of not caring and providing for the family (when they can). Severe physical abuse, resulting in long time legal separation (due to police intervention), due to the sinning spouse’s unwillingness to repent of the physical abuse, can also be considered as abandoning one’s spouse.
The third reason is given to us in Romans 7:2-3. We are released from our marriage, if our spouse passed away. In those cases, the surviving spouse is free to re-marry.
As for remarriage, we teach God opens the door for remarriage if one is divorced under the biblical, God allowed reasons as stated above. If divorce happened apart from the biblical reasons stated above, then God is calling us to pursue reconciliation with the divorced spouse. If reconciliation is not possible (due to the previous spouse being an unbeliever, or one or both parties already married to someone else), then the spouse who is not married is released from the previous marriage. At that point, remarriage can be pursued.
In situation where remarriage happened apart from the biblical reasons for divorce, we teach that God can forgive that as long as we confess that to the Lord and ask for forgiveness from the previous spouse we sinned against. The new marriage relationship can move on from that point and become dedicated to God.
The first reason is stated in Matthew 19:3-12, where Jesus allows divorce in light of sins of sexual immorality (for example, adultery). They may divorce. However, if the spouse decides and feels led by the Holy Spirit to stay with the sinning spouse because she/he feels that God can use it to lead the sinning spouse to repentance, the restoration process is encouraged.
The second reason is stated in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, where God allows the unbelieving spouse to leave the marriage. The spouse who is leaving demonstrates an unbelieving heart, and God calls the believing spouse to live in peace with the decision in allowing the unbelieving spouse to leave. Leaving can take many forms. It can be physically leaving. It can also be leaving in terms of not caring and providing for the family (when they can). Severe physical abuse, resulting in long time legal separation (due to police intervention), due to the sinning spouse’s unwillingness to repent of the physical abuse, can also be considered as abandoning one’s spouse.
The third reason is given to us in Romans 7:2-3. We are released from our marriage, if our spouse passed away. In those cases, the surviving spouse is free to re-marry.
As for remarriage, we teach God opens the door for remarriage if one is divorced under the biblical, God allowed reasons as stated above. If divorce happened apart from the biblical reasons stated above, then God is calling us to pursue reconciliation with the divorced spouse. If reconciliation is not possible (due to the previous spouse being an unbeliever, or one or both parties already married to someone else), then the spouse who is not married is released from the previous marriage. At that point, remarriage can be pursued.
In situation where remarriage happened apart from the biblical reasons for divorce, we teach that God can forgive that as long as we confess that to the Lord and ask for forgiveness from the previous spouse we sinned against. The new marriage relationship can move on from that point and become dedicated to God.