DIVORCE IN THE BIBLE

Did God Ever Intend for Us to Get Divorced?

"Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?" So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4-6 NIV)

"For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife." Malachi 2:16

"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

LUTHERAN VIEWS

• Contrary to Gods original design
• Can be justified in certain situations
• Prefer couples forgive and work toward healing
• Case by case

Untitled Slide

• Adultery
• Abuse
• Desertion

"In a word: sin. Divorce is forbidden by God. Period. Matt. 19:6 is Jesus’ final word on the subject. He concedes that there are, in fact, reasons to permit divorce - though they are not what God’s original intent for a marriage relationship ever was. God’s original intent of marriage was that it would reflect a bigger reality of His love for His bride, the Church. He does not divorce His Church as His bride, and thus neither should we divorce one another, but rather seek to forgive"

"As far as the church is concerned - Lutheran church, that is - it is still a sin that Christ died for. Our job is to help people avoid divorce through counseling, and if it still occurs, to help them see their sin and subsequent need for a Savior from that sin. In other words: we give them Jesus if they are broken in their sin, and we give them the Law if they are still confident in their sins"

"The main way that my parent's divorce affected me was the embarrassment. I felt so ashamed, even though I did not need to be. I thought people would see me differently, and give me pity, and that is exactly what I did not want. Although I felt embarrassed, I was also very relieved. My parents had been fighting for a long time and it was nice to know that I would not have to listen to it anymore"

3 REASONS TO BE AGAINST DIVORCE

• Most important: God
• Affects on children
• Better off

STAY AWAY

• Marry Godly woman
• Communication
• Light heart

"What if they just fall out of love and don't want to be together anymore?"

"Love is work. Spouses are supposed to abide by the vow they made to God and one another. Falling out of love is not an excuse for divorce either. To fall out of love means that one or both parties in the marriage is no longer working. Part of the problem with this view is that "love" gets viewed as 100% emotion and as if that emotion is something that is not within our control. Love, in reality, is an attitude. You can have a good attitude or a bad one and to have either requires your individual involvement and decision to stay in love. Remember, love is work."

"Marriage is a gift from God to us. The quality of our marriage is our gift back to Him." -Elder Clayton.

REFERENCES

• Boerkircher, Matt. What are your Views on Divorce? April 1, 2015. Personal Interview.
• McReynolds, Kevin. What are the LCMS Views on Divorce? April 7, 2015. Personal Interview.
• Wong, Brittany. (2014, December 2). The Truth About The Divorce Rate Is Surprisingly Optimistic. Huffington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2015 from: http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/02/divorce-rate-declining-_n_6256956.html