Matthew 5:31 – 32 It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Divorce is a sensitive subject in the Church. Views on divorce and when/if it is permissible run a wide gamut of interpretations. There are only a handful of passages in the Bible that talk about divorce between a husband and wife and different views seem to quote the same verses to “prove” their point.
The one thing that seems clear to me is the divorce is bad. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and while He may permit it, divorce is never the ideal. Yet statistics say that people who claim to be Christian have about the same divorce rate as people who claim not to be Christian in America. Why is that?
The biggest reason that divorce is so prevalent and acceptable in the American church is that the American culture has successfully invaded the Church. Christians should be influenced by the culture of Heaven but too many American Christians have pretty much the same values as the rest of American culture.
As citizens of Heaven Christians should let the Bible guide their thinking and worldview. Their lives, attitudes, and actions should be based on biblical principles. Sadly, experience and statistics show that is not the case. The majority of Christians in America are almost indistinguishable from the rest of society other than church attendance.
The Bible does say divorce is permissible in certain circumstances such as adultery (see passage above) or if a non-Christian spouse leaves (1 Corinthians 7:15) but it is never God’s ideal. God intended marriage to be a life-time commitment.
Most divorce is due to selfishness and lack of forgiveness. When I was engaged to the woman who is now my wife an older Christian couple told us, “Marriage is about holiness, not happiness.” They had been married 25 or 30 years and it was obvious that their marriage was not easy. Yet they stayed together in obedience to God and their commitment was a testimony to God’s sustaining power.
American Christians all too often assume that God’s greatest goal is their happiness. If their marriage no longer makes them happy then God must want them to end it. Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s greatest goal is His own glory and our happiness is not a high priority.
God is a good Father and He does care about his children’s happiness. But he is much more concerned about their holiness.
Lord, forgive us that we have ignored Your commands and chosen to put our wants and selfish desires ahead of You. Grant us repentance unto life that we may turn from our selfishness and live the holy lives that You have called us to.