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Does the Bible Approve of Remarriage After Divorce?

The Bible certainly does not cast a favorable light on divorce (e.g., Mal 2:16). However, there are some passages that seem to permit divorce and remarriage.

The language employed by Moses in regulating divorce (Dt 24:1-4) indicates that divorce pre-dated the Mosaic Law. This is why Jesus said that Moses merely permitted divorce due to the hardness of their hearts (Mt 19:8). Jesus taught that it was not lawful to divorce for any and every reason (Mt 19:3). But he did allow divorce and remarriage in cases of sexual immorality (Mt 19:9).

Some scholars believe that the phrase except for sexual immorality in Matthew 19:9 only grants permission to divorce — not to remarry. Others argue that Jesus’ warning that divorce constitutes adultery only makes sense if remarriage is assumed. The apostle Paul reiterated Jesus’ teaching on this subject but also allowed for remarriage in cases in which an unbeliever deserts a believing partner. Under those circumstances, the believer who has been abandoned is not bound (1Co 7:15).

In summary, the Bible teaches that marriage is a permanent state that is normally dissolved only by the death of one of the partners (Gen 2:23-24). The only stated exceptions to this are two: (1) if one partner has engaged in sexual immorality, and (2) if an unbeliever has abandoned the believing partner. When one of these situations occurs, the innocent party may remarry. It’s also important to recognize that anyone who has broken God’s pattern for marriage can find forgiveness through Christ (1Jn 1:9). And those who have remarried have entered into a covenant that should be honored by all and maintained with purity (Heb 13:4).