What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage
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- Create Date：2021-04-15 11:53:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Wayne Grudem
- ISBN：1433568268
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Summary
New from Bestselling Author Wayne Grudem
The topic of divorce is a complicated one， even among Christians。 The Bible provides some clear answers， but other areas remain blurry: Is divorce morally acceptable in a case of physical abuse？ If a divorce is granted for biblically legitimate reasons， is remarriage allowed？ Can a divorced person become a church officer？ In this short booklet， theologian Wayne Grudem offers a thought-provoking analysis of what the Bible says--and doesn't say--about divorce and remarriage。 By combining theological insight with practical application--including an argument that 1 Corinthians 7:15 permits divorce for abuse--Grudem brings clarity to a difficult topic and helpful guidance to those looking for direction。
The topic of divorce is a complicated one， even among Christians。 The Bible provides some clear answers， but other areas remain blurry: Is divorce morally acceptable in a case of physical abuse？ If a divorce is granted for biblically legitimate reasons， is remarriage allowed？ Can a divorced person become a church officer？ In this short booklet， theologian Wayne Grudem offers a thought-provoking analysis of what the Bible says--and doesn't say--about divorce and remarriage。 By combining theological insight with practical application--including an argument that 1 Corinthians 7:15 permits divorce for abuse--Grudem brings clarity to a difficult topic and helpful guidance to those looking for direction。
Reviews
James Schroeder
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In the short booklet， What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage， Wayne Grudem studies the complicated topics and ethics of divorce and remarriage from a Christians perspective。 What does Scripture say about marriage， divorce， and remarriage？ Is divorce permissible？ If it is permissible， then is remarriage also permissible？ When counseling and caring for those facing divorce or remarriage， where do we find that balance between respecting the sacred institution of marriage and care for peop In the short booklet， What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage， Wayne Grudem studies the complicated topics and ethics of divorce and remarriage from a Christians perspective。 What does Scripture say about marriage， divorce， and remarriage？ Is divorce permissible？ If it is permissible， then is remarriage also permissible？ When counseling and caring for those facing divorce or remarriage， where do we find that balance between respecting the sacred institution of marriage and care for people in the midst of sin and suffering？ Does Scripture provide clear guidance and every situation， or does it provide general guidance that needs to be applied to the various situations we find ourselves in？ Grudem seeks to provide practical， biblical advice to those who are facing these tough questions。Scripture is clear on God's intent for marriage and his tender heart towards those genuinely seeking him when facing the questions of divorce and/or remarriage。 Grudem advocates for expanding Paul's statement “in such cases” to include additional， undefined reasons for divorce， such as abuse。 This position seeks to care for those involved， especially victims， but taken too far could lead to justifying divorce for any reason。 As a Biblical Counselor I find myself in the middle of the difficult questions that Grudem seeks to answer。 The thing you learn first is that life is messy， and sin brings about heart-breaking brokenness。 I found Grudem's discussions on the various Scripture passages and ethics surrounding divorce and remarriage helpful and practical。 This book is a great resource for those facing the difficulties of divorce or remarriage or those walking with someone who is。 I recommend this book for pastors， elders， biblical counselors as a great resource for what Scripture says about these topics。 It has helpful sections to think through difficult situations where a clear direction is not apparent。 Grudem has thoughtfully worked through the various Scriptures on divorce and remarriage and applied them to real situations。 His analysis is Biblical and charitable to differing positions。 。。。more
Chad Warner
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A succinct explanation of the Bible's teachings on divorce and remarriage， and critiques of alternative views （more strict and lenient）。 Although the book is short， it's somewhat repetitive in places。Grudem starts with the position is that divorce and remarriage are explicitly allowed in 2 cases: adultery and desertion。 This has been the majority view among Protestants since the Reformation， and is the view presented in the Westminster Confession of Faith。 However， Grudem explains that he has re A succinct explanation of the Bible's teachings on divorce and remarriage， and critiques of alternative views （more strict and lenient）。 Although the book is short， it's somewhat repetitive in places。Grudem starts with the position is that divorce and remarriage are explicitly allowed in 2 cases: adultery and desertion。 This has been the majority view among Protestants since the Reformation， and is the view presented in the Westminster Confession of Faith。 However， Grudem explains that he has recently gone a step further and is now convinced that the phrase "in such cases" in 1 Cor 7:15 may imply that divorce may be legitimate in other circumstances that destroy marriage as seriously as adultery or desertion; for example， physical or emotional abuse， or incorrigible addictions。 I wasn't convinced by his case for these additional grounds for divorce， due to the lack of biblical support。NotesDivorce and its ConsequencesGod hates divorce and its consequences （Mal 2:16）， but that doesn't mean all divorce is morally wrong， as seen from other verses。God's original plan for marriage is that it be lifelong and monogamous （Gen 1:27-28; 2:22-25; Matt 19:3-6）。God allowed divorce as a remedy in some cases where marriages were irreparably damaged， but lifelong monogamous marriage is still God's ideal。In Old Testament （OT）， divorce was allowed in certain cases。 Several passages mention divorces occurring， and they're tolerated and regulated （Lev 21:7; 22:13; Num 30:9; Deut 22:19， 29）。Deut 24:1-4 assumes that some divorces would take occur， without specifying "indecency" that allows divorce。 It simply prohibits woman from returning to 1st husband if 1） 1st husband divorces her because of "indecency" and 2） she marries 2nd husband and 3） 2nd husband dies or divorces her。 After 1st divorce， woman had right to remarry， and that 2nd marriage wasn't considered adultery， but legitimate （she's called the 2nd man's wife）。Lev 21:7 assumes that those who aren't priests could marry a divorced woman。In Jer 3:8 God portrays Himself as a husband divorcing his unfaithful wife due to adultery。In New Testament （NT）， divorce is explicitly allowed in 2 cases: adultery and desertion。Jesus allowed divorce and remarriage on account of adultery （Matt 19:3-9）。In Matt 19:3-9 （cf。 Mark 10:3-12） Jesus said divorce for reasons other than adultery doesn't dissolve the marriage in God's eyes。 Jesus said the man who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery （Matt 19:9）， and adultery can only be committed by a married person。 This means Jesus was saying a man who wrongly divorces his wife is illegitimately divorced， and is actually still married to his original wife when he initiates 2nd marriage。Jesus allowed， but didn't command， divorce for adultery。 In new covenant age， Jesus removed death penalty for adultery， and established 2 options in case of adultery: 1） forgiveness and restoration （preferable） or 2） sending spouse away （divorce）。Exception clause （Matt 5:32; 19:9） implies the converse: divorce and remarriage on ground of sexual immorality aren't prohibited and don't constitute adultery。 "And marries another" implies that both divorce and remarriage are allowed in case of sexual immorality。 If you remove "and marries another，" the statement no longer makes sense， because that would make Jesus say that a man who divorces and doesn't remarry commits adultery。Word "porneia" which is translated "sexual immorality" was broad term that included call kinds of sexually immoral conduct， including adultery， prostitution， incest， homosexuality， bestiality。In 1st century Jewish， Roman， and Greek cultures， divorce always included right to remarry。 This doesn't mean Jesus agreed with these cultures， but it means that if He intended to teach that divorce was sometimes allowed but remarriage was never allowed， He would've needed to be very clear about that。"Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery" （Matt 5:32） is connected to earlier part of verse， and means that whoever marries a woman who is wrongly divorced （divorced for reasons other than sexual immorality） commits adultery。The reason Mark 10:11-12 and Luke 16:8 don't include exception clause is probably that there was no dispute among Jewish， Roman， or Greek culture that adultery was legitimate cause for divorce， and Jesus wasn't addressing that issue， but was addressing question of what other （trivial） situations allowed divorce。Paul added desertion as 2nd legitimate reason for divorce （1 Cor 7:10-15）。 1 Cor 7:15 most likely implies freedom to obtain legal divorce and freedom to marry someone else。 Spouse who's been abandoned isn't enslaved to deserting partner。If deserting spouse is professing Christian， church must exercise discipline （Matt 18） to attempt to bring reconciliation。 If discipline results in final step of excommunication， then deserting spouse should be treated as unbeliever （Matt 18:17）。"In such cases" rather than "in this case" in 1 Cor 7:15 may imply that divorce may be legitimate in other circumstances that destroy marriage as seriously as adultery or desertion。Other situations that may destroy marriage as much as adultery or desertion: abuse of spouse （physical， verbal/emotional）; abuse of children; extreme prolonged verbal and emotional cruelty; credible threats of serious physical harm or murder; incorrigible drug or alcohol addiction; incorrigible gambling addiction; incorrigible addiction to pornography。 Whether these qualify as grounds for divorce depends on actual degree of harm in individual case， and whether there's a reasonable hope that destructive behavior has ended and marriage can be saved。In abuse cases， pastors and counselors should first seek to restore marriage to health， as long as abused spouse is protected。Questions about Specific SituationsPeople who've been divorced for unbiblical reasons， then remarried， have committed adultery by starting 2nd marriage （Matt 19:9）。 "And marries another" in Matt 19:9 implies 2nd marriage is a true marriage; He doesn't say "and lives outside marriage with another。" Breaking up 2nd marriage would be further sin， because it would destroy another marriage。 2nd marriage isn't continual adultery; spouses are now married to each other， not to anyone else。 Couple should ask God to forgive them for sin of starting 2nd marriage， and for help to make 2nd marriage good。Divorced men can become church officers （elders and deacons）。 All other qualifications for office refer to present status， not entire life， so it makes sense that qualification to have one wife also refers to present status， not entire life。 If qualifications required that man only ever be married once， that would rule out widowers who had remarried， yet 1 Cor 7:39 and 1 Tim 5:14 encourage remarriage of widows。 "Husband of one wife" probably means a polygamist may not hold office。 Paul could've said "having only been married once，" but didn't。We should work toward civil laws reflecting biblical standards about marriage and divorce， because marriage was established at creation for all people （believers and unbelievers）， for benefit of individuals and society （Gen 1:27-28; 2:21， 25）。Matt 19:9 doesn't teach that every marriage after divorce is adultery。 There's one subject （"whoever"） for all 3 verbs， not 2 subjects。 Jesus didn't make 1 statement about divorce and another about remarriage， but 1 statement about divorce and remarriage。Matt 5:27-32 says someone who wrongly divorces his wife makes her commit adultery; Bible never teaches that divorce itself is adultery。Jesus' statements on divorce and remarriage aren't about betrothal/engagement period。 He was asked about divorce in general， and nothing in context limits scope to fornication discovered during betrothal/engagement period。 。。。more
David Steele
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The Bible describes marriage as a God-initiated union established before witnesses， a union that is indissoluble。 Indeed， God’s plan is for a man and a woman to enter a marriage covenant that lasts a lifetime。 Jesus told the inquisitive Pharisees， “Therefore what God has joined together， let man not separate” （Mark 19:6b）。 The only event that may break the covenant is death （Rom。 7:2） at which point the living spouse is free to remarry。Wayne Grudem’s book， What the Bible Says About Divorce and R The Bible describes marriage as a God-initiated union established before witnesses， a union that is indissoluble。 Indeed， God’s plan is for a man and a woman to enter a marriage covenant that lasts a lifetime。 Jesus told the inquisitive Pharisees， “Therefore what God has joined together， let man not separate” （Mark 19:6b）。 The only event that may break the covenant is death （Rom。 7:2） at which point the living spouse is free to remarry。Wayne Grudem’s book， What the Bible Says About Divorce and Remarriage attempts to navigate a biblical path for people in search of answers。 As stated above， Dr。 Grudem holds to a marital union that is lifelong and monogamous。 Since we live in a world that is polluted by sin， the standard that God expects is often jettisoned and disobeyed。While the author has a high view of marriage， he does maintain that in some cases， remarriage may be permissible - even when the previous spouse is still living。 He sets forth his case in a clear and gracious way and notes his objections to authors such as J。 Carl Laney。The great strength of this work is its brevity and readability。 Even though I deeply respect Dr。 Grudem and have been impacted by his life and writing ministry in a multitude of ways， my convictions are closer to those outlined by Laney in his seminal work， The Divorce Myth。I encourage readers to wrestle with Grudem’s position and contrast it with other views， such as Laney， Heth， and Jim Ellif。 。。。more
Philip Kern
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Good introduction to the issues， written with deep pastoral concern。 It is small and readable。 Best elements include engagement with Instone-Brewer。 IMO， the conclusions about permissable scope for remarriage are not entirely convincing。
Jorge Cardenas
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Grudem tackles the topics head on without fear of disagreement。 He starts the book by showing statistics and numbers， and how certain impressions don't reflect reality， especially within Christianity。 He moves to defend the majority evangelical view that divorce is allowed based on Moses' and Jesus' permissions given adultery and abandonment。 This second term is tricky， and Grudem makes careful distinctions to show that not every reason given by spouses should be classified as abandonment prima Grudem tackles the topics head on without fear of disagreement。 He starts the book by showing statistics and numbers， and how certain impressions don't reflect reality， especially within Christianity。 He moves to defend the majority evangelical view that divorce is allowed based on Moses' and Jesus' permissions given adultery and abandonment。 This second term is tricky， and Grudem makes careful distinctions to show that not every reason given by spouses should be classified as abandonment prima facie。 He is stricter on remarriage than other evangelicals， but stays within the "popular views" nonetheless。Overall， Grudem goes through all the verses which serve the topics， he provides his exegesis and states his position in a clear manner。 Good short book on this topics which are becoming controversial given the rise of feminism and marriage conflicts arising in this post-modern age。Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book。 。。。more
Jeanie
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