“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.”

As we consider another difficult passage that has received a good amount of attention and discussion in recent years, I must utter a similar caution as the one uttered in the article entitle, “Preaching To The Spirits In Prison.” That is, if one comes to a conclusion that conflicts with other scriptures or contradicts other scriptures on the same subject, then the conclusion must be questioned and is most likely false.

In this short study, we consider Divine teaching on the subject of marriage, divorce and re-marriage. The foundational principles regarding this subject were taught by Jesus in Matthew 19:3-9 when the Pharisees tempted Him by asking “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” (Matt. 19:3). In answer to this question, Jesus referred to what God said in the beginning after creating mankind (which is applicable to all people in every age). He said, “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 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?” (Matt. 19:4-5; cf. Gen.2:24).

Further, in Jesus’ discussion of divorce, He said in verse 6, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Then He said in verse 9, after He answered the Pharisee’s reply to Moses giving a writing of divorcement (verses 7-8), that one could divorce their mate for one and only one cause–fornication! Jesus said, “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” (Matt.19:9). So, what was Jesus’ answer to the original question: “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” His answer was NO!

To ignore these fundamental principles and other Bible passages, including the context of 1 Corinthians 7:1-15, would be dangerous. Also, injecting emotions in this subject would likely lead to an incorrect conclusion. Brother H.E. Phillips wrote:

The marriage, divorce and remarriage issue will probably never be resolved for all. It is not because the Word of God is not clear on the matter, nor does the real issue hang upon the definition of some words used in the Bible. The issue is difficult to resolve because of human involvement and situations with emotional overtones the cry out for some favorable answer from the Word of God to justify that human element. Many doctrines reign from the same ‘background’ (Introduction to the Smith–Lovelady Debate, p. i).

The immediate context of the verses 1-15 is lawful marriage (God’s law) and instructions regarding circumstances that could arise in marriage. I must point out that God recognizes all marriages–whether lawful or unlawful. That fact that God recognizes unlawful or unscriptural marriages does not mean he approves of such marriages.

In the case of the marriage of Herod and Herodius, it is abundantly evident that this union was a marriage recognized by God, but at the same time condemned by God (Mk. 6:17-18).

Paul begin 1 Corinthians 7 by saying in verses 1-2, “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” In these verses Paul warned of the danger of sexual immorality or having sex outside of marriage, which is one of the many forms of fornication. He explicitly stated that to avoid committing fornication, every man (alien and Christian) was to have his OWN wife and every woman (alien and Christian) was to have her OWN husband. In the case of Herod and Herodias, Herodias was the wife of Phillip, Herod’s brother. But Herod and Herodias were married and John told Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife” (Mk. 6:18).

In verses 3-5, Paul dealt with the conjugal rights of the husband and wife in lawful marriage. Since mankind was created by God with sexual desires, these desires must be satisfied in lawful marriage. Thus, neither the husband nor wife are to deny these rights to the other, “except it by with consent for a time,” lest they be tempted by Satan (vs.5). The Husband is to have regard for the sexual needs of the wife and the wife must have regard for the sexual needs of the husband. The word “defraud” means to steal or rob. So, when one mate defrauds the other, they rob their mate of the sexual relationship or “due benevolence,” which is a allowed right in a lawful marriage.

In verses 6-9, Paul gave his advice, which was to remain unmarried in view of the “present distress” mentioned in verse 26. Since marriage carries with it certain obligations, he advised that it would be better not to marry, due to the “present distress.” But, he said that if they could not contain (control their sexual desires), it is better to marry than to burn with the passions of sexual desire.

In verses 10-11, Paul gave the married Divine instructions, using a “But and if” condition or an “if then” condition. Specifically, he commanded that the wife not depart (divorce) from her husband. We can know that Paul means divorce here because he said in verse 11, “But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband.” So, the mate who chooses to “depart” is told to “remain unmarried.” Paul also gave an equal command to the husband by saying, “and let not the husband put away his wife.” The implication is that if the husband divorces his wife, then he, as well, is commanded to “remain unmarried, or be reconciled” to his wife. When divorce for a cause other than fornication occurs, there are no other God approved choices–only, “remain unmarried or be reconciled.”

In verses 12-15, Paul gave instructions to those in mixed marriages (Christians married to a non-Christians) and his instructions are directed primarily to believers (Christians). By stating that he was speaking, “not the Lord,” Paul was not saying that he was giving his own human opinion about the matter or offering his own commentary on the subject. Rather, he was dealing with an aspect of marriage that Jesus had not specifically discussed. Remember that Paul later said, “that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). So, in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he appealed to them through his apostolic authority; but the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:31-32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18 and the institution of marriage in Genesis 2, all of which apply to the entire human race, are the foundational underlying principals.

It is possible that some in Corinth thought that believers married to unbelievers (non-Christians who were considered pagans) should divorce for this reason. But, Paul commanded that they not do so because, in the gospel age, such marriages were approved by Christ. He went on to mention that by being married to an unbeliever did not make the believer unclean. Rather, “the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband” (vs. 14).

Further, according to Paul, the children of such marriages were not illegitimate (or unclean), even though during the era of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Israelites married pagan people of the land (cf. Neh. 13:23-31). Ezra said, “...Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.” (Ezra 10:10-11). Some of these marriages with pagan wives produced children, who were also classified as unclean and were to be rejected with the “strange wives” (Ezra 10:3; Neh. 10:31). In the gospel age, children of mixed marriages are not unclean!

It is evident that Paul knew that some would not abide by Divine commandments concerning marriage; in verse 15 he gave another “but and if” or “if then” condition. If the unbeliever departs or divorces the believing mate because of the believing mates deep faith and primary desire to serve God, then let it happen. For there to be a marriage, both the husband and wife must consent to live together. And if the unbeliever is not content or will not abide with the believer, then the believer is not to attempt to force the unbeliever to consent to live together since Christians are “called...in peace.” If the believer, by begging, fighting, on-going pleading or threatening, tried to force the unbeliever who desired to divorce to remain in the marriage, it would most likely lead to an un-peaceful situation. In this circumstance, Paul said, “let him depart.”

Further, Paul says that in a circumstance of this nature, the believer is “not under bondage in such cases.” The phrase “not under bondage” does not have reference to the marriage bond that Paul mentioned in Romans 7:2-3 and 1 Corinthians 7:39. The Greek word translated “bondage” is douloo, which means to “make a slave of or reduce to bondage,” according to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. In Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:39 the Greek word deo is used in reference to the bond placed by God.

In such a circumstance where the believer is put away by the unbeliever, the believer is not obligated to give up their faith or to continue the obligations of marriage if the unbeliever does not wish to be married. The number one priority is the believer’s relationship to Christ. The phrase “not under bondage” does not mean that either one is free to marry again to another mate! The phrase, “not under bondage,” is translated from the Greek words ou dedoulotai, where ou means “not” and dedoulotai is the third person singular perfect indicative passive of the word douloo (Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 85). Additionally, it cannot be established by scripture that dedoulotai is used with reference to the marriage bond in the New Testament. To force such a meaning on this phrase and encourage one to remarry who has been put away by an unbelieving mate would be most dangerous and unwise.

Proponents of the post-divorce putting away position (or those who believe the believer who was divorced unjustly by the unbeliever is free to marry again), are obligated to provide Divine authority for remarriage to a new mate. Remember, Jesus taught that the only reason one can put away or divorce their mate and marry again is, “IF AND ONLY IF,” the mate commits sexual immorality (Matt. 19:9). And, we must not forget what Paul said in verses 10 and 11 of this chapter, “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.”

Admittedly, this short study is not a comprehensive study of this entire chapter or the subject of marriage, divorce and remarriage. But, by reviewing the first 15 verses of this chapter and other key texts of Divine scripture that deal with this subject, it is possible to come to a proper understanding of the question that is posed in the title of this article.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul addressed some conditions that Jesus did not discuss; nevertheless, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:31-32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18 and the institution of marriage in Genesis 2, are the foundational principles that are forever binding. Paul addressed in detail various situations in marriage that Jesus did not address, but he does NOT deal with remarriage in 1 Corinthians 7:15. In 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 and verses 12-15, Paul made some important distinctions. Jesus taught, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder...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” (Matt. 19:6, 9). Paul specifically dealt with the situation of the unbeliever departing (or putting away) the believer, but he gave no indication that the believer can remarry if put away by the unbeliever.

Is the believer who has been unjustly divorced guilty of sin? No! Must the believer give up their faith in Christ and remain in servitude to please the unbelieving mate? No! Must the believer who has been divorced fulfill the obligations of marriage and render “due benevolence” to the unbelieving mate in such a situation? No! Must the believer go to great efforts to counter and oppose the action of the unbelieving mate? No! Is the believing mate free to remarry because of the unjust treatment of the unbelieving mate? Some would say YES, but, the inspired apostle Paul said NO! In 1 Corinthians 7:39 Paul wrote, “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” In Romans 7:2-3 he said, “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.”

Therefore, the Divine answer to the question posed in the title of this article is NO! The tie that binds both the man and woman in a lawful marriage is made by God and valid until one’s mate dies. Even though lawful marriages are “put asunder” at an alarming rate, resulting in unscriptural divorces and adulterous relationships which will result in lost souls, no man can unbind what God has bound. Remember, Jesus taught, “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” (Matt. 19:9). There is no express command, apostolic example or necessary implication for divorce for any other cause other than fornication!

Finally, it is crucial that we teach all whom we have opportunity to teach, especially our teenagers, that marriage is a life-long commitment and that we must respect and obey God’s commands. When those who have never been married come to the point in life when they are considering choosing a mate, may they resolve to choose a Christian whose desire is to go to heaven, and who will be an asset in helping them live faithfully so as to also gain the heavenly reward. May we all heed and respect the teaching of Christ and His inspired apostles and never forget the Hebrew writer’s admonition, "Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4, ASV).-tgmc