What Did God Say About Divorce?
Hello, I’m Felix Harcourt, and welcome to Felix Harcourt Ministries. Praise God! Friends, today I want to answer your question: “What did God say about divorce? Glory! Praise God!
In Mark 10:2-9. The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God’ made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
“He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” Scripture said in John 1:17, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The Law, which is the first covenant. According to the scripture. It says the Law was given through Moses. In the Law, you are judged based on your performance. That’s, your good behavior will determine what you will get in return. But in the grace covenant, which is the new covenant that Christ brought to us. Our performance does not judge us. But how we intensively believe in the finished work of Christ. Praise God!
Matthew 5:17says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. And He fulfilled the Law by living the Law. He was the only One who lived the Law perfectly. Christ was the end of the Law. Praise God! Romans 10:4. Says, “For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Friends, in the Old Covenant, which is the Law. There were reasons for divorce. The scripture says that Moses gave them permission because of their hardness of heart. In Mark 10, verse 5, it says, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment. It means from creation it wasn’t so. In verses 6 -9 of Mark 10, we read. Says. “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ It says, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Some of you who want to justify yourself would say, “Whoa, what about if the woman committed adultery? Before I respond to you. Men, too, cheat. So it’s not just the women. So let’s read what the scripture says . Matthew 5:31-32. “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Why did He end up with this response? Because He came to fulfill the Law, He was responding to them based on the Law. That is not obtainable in the covenant of grace. If it were obtainable in the grace covenant, Christ could have allowed them to stone the woman they accused of adultery. Christ’s response to their accusations was based on who He is. Praise God! Every one of us deserves mercy. Every one of us deserves grace, and every one of us deserves a second chance. And that is what Christ did to that woman in John 8. And the woman represents every one of us. Friends, there is nothing your spouse will do that is unforgivable. Nothing! Talking from a biblical view. Scripture says, “God’s Law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. Romans 5:20.
The scripture said, “Love covers a multitude of sins. That is, your Love for each other will make both of you see each other’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. Praise God! Friends, no sin is unforgivable to two born-again believers. That is, if two of you are seriously genuine Christ followers. Divorce should not be the final decision. Please seek help if you have reached the end of your knowledge. Please, no condemnation, no pride. Ask for help first. Praise God! But if the two of you are not saved, it’s ok to divorce, and if one of you is not saved and you are not getting along. According to the scripture, it’s ok to go your separate ways.
Let’s read the scripture. 1 Corinthians 7:10-15. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. 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.
You see? There is a place for wisdom and common sense. Scripture says, “By their fruits, we shall know them. You will know who is not a believer by their lifestyle. You will know who is a believer and who is not by their attitude, character, or behavior, which has refused to change. In such cases, you can judge for yourself and free yourself from the mess you are in—wisdom and sense. According to the scriptures we read. You can part ways, especially when life is in danger. But you are not serving someone a litter of divorce because one of you doesn’t know how to do the laundry, dishes, and/or cook. Who does that? It doesn’t make sense if your reason for divorcing your spouse is that you’re unhappy with the housework. There is no basis for justification. Your money can do those things. So, like now, both of us snore. So, who will divorce whom? There are many things that neither of us knows about, and some of which we don’t know how to do. We pay others to help us with tasks that we don’t know how to do, and we complement each other in other areas.
Friends, divorce shouldn’t be mentioned in your home simply because either one of you has a weakness in some area of your life. No! That is not acceptable. For instance, my wife likes a multiple fridge full of stuff in the house, while I don’t. My wife derives fulfillment when her pantry is stocked up, and for me, such things put me off. So, should I write her a certificate of divorce? No! She refills her pantry and refrigerator as if the grocery stores want to go on strike. That is her weakness. Guess what? I have a weakness, too. We complement each other by focusing on each other’s strengths. If I am a Christian, I should be able to express the fruits of the Spirit in my relationship, and one of those fruits is tolerance. The ability to tolerate each other is a defining characteristic of marriage.
The truth is that most of us don’t know what marriage is. We don’t see why we are married. That is why we have zero tolerance for each other. Friends, I wish there were more time. Let’s say it is to be continued. Praise God! You can always reach out with any questions or if you need further explanation. You can also take advantage of our articles on our website. Before we go, let me give the opportunity to those of you who haven’t made Jesus the Lord of your life. The right knowledge of Jesus is the end to all reasons for divorce.
If you are willing and ready, please repeat these words after me. Lord Jesus. I confess my sin. I accept you into my life. To be my lord and savior. Thank you for saving me in Jesus’ Name, Amen. Praise God.
Friends, please listen to this message again and again to understand, and feel free to reach out if you need more explanation or counsel. I encourage you to listen to “How To Overcome Critical Issues in Life.” Please, before you serve a letter of divorce. Listen to that message. “How To Overcome Critical Issues in Life”. God is able to meet your needs. Ruth Graham said, “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” God forgave every one of us past, present, and future. Friends, please forgive your spouse. Knowledge is the strongest foundation upon which marriage should be built.
We will discuss that next time. What keeps a marriage from collapsing is not Love, not age, not money, and not educational qualifications—none of those, but knowledge. The reason why you’re quitting is that you don’t know what else to do. You have come to the end of your knowledge. Because if you do, you will continue to move on. You will not sign or serve a divorce paper. If you’re in an abusive relationship or marriage, please call for help. In Matthew 19, under the Law. Send your spouse out of the house if caught cheating. In John 8, Christ introduces the concept of grace. Forgive your spouse if caught cheating in the very act. Why? Because where there is sin, grace abounds more. Romans 5:20. Thank you.
