Can a Divorced Christian Get Remarried?

(By Pastor Mark Fontecchio)

Question: Can a divorced Christian get remarried?

Answer: First, let’s talk about some general principles from the Bible. We know that God’s design for marriage is that a husband and wife are to stay together for life (Genesis 2:24). Death ends a marriage. We also know that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). This should be a governing principle in seeking to honor God.

But what about a person who is divorced before their salvation in Christ? Are they now supposed to remain single? We remember the teaching of the Apostle Paul from 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Christ has forgiven the believer in Christ for their sins and made them a new creation in Him. Further, the sexual sins from their past are no longer a part of their identity (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Based on these two passages, I believe a person who was divorced before their salvation in Christ is now free to marry another believer (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The Lord Jesus also made an allowance for remarriage if a divorce is granted because of sexual immorality outside of the marriage (Matthew 19:9). The teaching here is quite helpful. Jesus said, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” If two Christians are married and divorced (other than for sexual immorality) neither person should seek to be married to someone else. They either should remain single or remarry their original spouse. Mark recorded that Jesus said this also holds true for a woman who divorces her husband (Mark 10:12). Sexual immorality is grounds to end a marriage.

In some cases, a believer in Christ will find himself married to an unbeliever. This could happen when one partner becomes a Christian and the other does not. Is the Christian then supposed to stay in the marriage? The Apostle Paul answers this clearly, “But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him” (1 Corinthians 7:12-13). If the unbeliever is willing to stay in the marriage, the Christian should not divorce them. However, sometimes the unbeliever will leave a marriage. Paul then tells us, “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace” (1 Corinthians 7:15). Most Bible teachers assume that the Christian is now free to remarry another believer, even though that is not specifically taught here. It would be wise in this situation for the believer to remain unmarried as long as there is a possibility that the departing spouse may return. However, if the departing spouse is remarried to another person, any hope of reconciling the original marriage is gone. The Christian is then free to marry another Christian. For, “it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9).