1. Marriage/Divorce/Remarriage

2. • To understand a difficult subject in the bible it
is best to start with the easiest to understand
passages, then move into the more difficult.
• There is one complete chapter in 1Cor. that
deals only with this subject.
• In 40verses of 1 Cor. 7 Paul gives us 8 steps to
follow:

3. 1). Stay single
1 Corinthians 7:7-8
For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his
proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if
they abide even as I.
Matthew 19:12
For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's
womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of
men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs
for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let
him receive it.
1 Corinthians 7:32
But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth
for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

4. 2). Marry if you cannot contain the
desire.
1 Corinthians 7:9
But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it
is better to marry than to burn.
The word 'burn' means a strong desire- Romans
1:27 burned in their lust one toward another;

5. 3). After marriage don't depart.
1 Corinthians 7:10
And unto the married I command, yet not I, but
the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her
husband:
Matthew 19:8
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.

6. 4). Let the unsaved spouse divorce not
the saved.
1 Corinthians 7:13
And the woman which hath an husband that
believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with
her, let her not leave him.
1 Corinthians 7:15-16
But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A
brother or a sister is not under bondage in such
cases: but God hath called us to peace. 16 For
what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt
save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man,
whether thou shalt save thy wife?

7. 1 Peter 3:1-2
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands;
that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the
word be won by the conversation of the wives;
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
• The message is the saved spouse should fear for the
unsaved one, knowing their end is eternity in Hell. And this
fear should encourage them to stay in the marriage and live
a careful life as a wittiness to the unsaved spouse.
2 Corinthians 5:11
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are
made manifest in your consciences.

8. 5). If divorced, stay single.
1 Corinthians 7:27
Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed.
Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
If the unsaved spouse divorces, start back at point
#1. Your "seeking" should not be for a spouse
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you.

9. • If God wants to bless you with a spouse it will
be in the process of seeking the kingdom of
God. Psalms 84:11 no good thing will he
withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Proverbs 18:22
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing,
and obtaineth favour of the Lord.

10. 6). It is not sin to remarry.
1 Corinthians 7:28
But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and
if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned.
• If the unsaved spouse leaves, and God wants
to bless you with a new spouse, it is not sin to
remarry.
Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

11. 7). If you remarry, only marry an
equally minded christian.
1 Corinthians 7:39
....at liberty to be married ...only in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?

12. 8). A second marriage will have
problems.
1 Corinthians 7:28
But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and
if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned.
Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the
flesh: but I spare you.

13. Reasons for remarriage:
Death- Rom. 7:2-3
Divorce- 1 Cor. 7:15
Fornication- Mat. 9:9,5:32

14. Letter of the Law vs spirit of the Law:
Romans 7:6
But now we are delivered from the law, that
being dead wherein we were held; that we
should serve in newness of spirit, and not in
the oldness of the letter.
• Jesus compares both in Mat. 5 even here he
draws the line at fornication.

15. • OT Law:
Mat. 21 thou shalt not kill
• NT spirit of Law:
Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with
his brother without a cause shall be in danger
of the judgment

16. • OT Law:
Mat. 27 shalt not commit adultery
• NT spirit of Law:
Matthew 5:28
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.

17. • OT Law:
Vs 31 if you want to put away a wife give her a
writing of divorcement
• NT spirit of the Law
Matthew 5:32
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away
his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced committeth
adultery.

18. • When Jesus is questioned by the
Pharisees about divorce (Mat.19) he is
talking to men who know the law. He
tells them the things Moses allowed in
the OT are contrary to the spirit of the
law; With one exception (Mat. 19:9)
fornication- an unfaithful spouse.

19. To understand how this differs from the OT we
need to see the laws for divorce in the OT.
• Deut. 24:1 If a mans wife is no longer pleasing in
his eyes he can divorce
• Deut. 22:17-21 Kill a bride if she cant prove she is
a virgin.
• Deut. 24:3 If husband hate her he can divorce.
The Pharisees are asking Jesus in Mat. 19:3 Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for EVERY
CAUSE (any reason he wants). Jesus answers the
only acceptable cause is fornication (Mat. 19:9)

20. Now the question is Why is
fornication an acceptable reason for
divorce?
The answer is because of what
marriage pictures. Earthly things are
a picture of Heavenly (2 Cor. 4:18).

21. Moses killed an Egyptian and hid his body in the
sand. But God still used him to lead His people
(Israel).
However, when Moses was told to speak to a rock
to make water, he disobeyed and hit the rock; for
that God killed him before he could reach the
promised land. ( Ex. 17:6, Num. 20:7-11, Deut.
34:4).
I would have thought the worst thing in Moses
life was when he murdered the Egyptian. But In
Gods eyes the thing that deserved death was
when Moses messed up the picture God was
building for a people to see 2,000 yrs in the
future.

22. 1 Corinthians 10:2
And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and
in the sea;
1 Corinthians 10:4
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:
and that Rock was Christ. (Deut. 32:31)
Christ was smitten once to give us the water of
life. When Moses hit the rock the second time it
broke the picture.

23. The Picture should have been:
• Ex. 17:6 Moses hit the Rock= Christ died once
Heb. 10:14
• Num. 20:8 Moses speak to the rock the
second time= With the mouth confession is
made unto salvation Rom. 10:10.
This is just one example to show how serious
God is about things that picture eternal truths.

24. Now see what marriage pictures
in the Bible:

25. 1 Corinthians 6:14-18
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise
up us by his own power.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of
Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and
make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16
What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot
is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without
the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth
against his own body.
2 Corinthians 11:12
But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion
from them which desire occasion; that wherein they
glory, they may be found even as we.

26. Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and
gave himself for it;
Ephesians 5:32
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Matthew 19:4-9
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which
made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And
said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall
cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore
they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath
joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why
did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to
put her away? 8 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. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever
shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry
another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put
away doth commit adultery.

27. God=head of all
Husband=Christ
Wife=Church

28. An interesting point:
In the Bible the man is the only one given the
power to "give a writing of divorcement". In 1
Cor. 7 we see the wife "depart" but not give a
writing of divorcement.
I think the reason for this is, in the OT God has a
bride (Israel) and he divorces her (Hos. 9:1,
2:2-3) then remarries her (reference to the
Millennium).