Category Archives: Divorce and Remarriage

Next, we must address the Bible’s use of “adultery.” Plainly, adultery’s basic meaning is sexual sin against the marriage covenant. But by the First Century, “adultery” had taken on a much broader significance.[1] In the writings of the prophets, “adultery” … Continue reading →

That “divorce” in the Bible refers to breaking the marriage, rather than going to court, is easily confirmed by looking at the words the writers use to described what some versions translate as “divorce”: Verse KJV translation NIV translation 1 … Continue reading →

As confused as our understanding of marriage has been, divorce is even more confusing. For example, today, when we say “divorce” we conjure up an image of filing papers in a local court asking a judge to declare a state-granted … Continue reading →

Now, having an understanding of the essence of marriage in the minds of Biblical writers, let’s look at how people got married in Biblical times. When we read the Genesis accounts of how Isaac and Jacob were married, we see … Continue reading →

As we study divorce and remarriage today, our understanding is colored not only by the scriptures that address the issues, but also our own culture and history-religious and civil. It will help if we go back to the beginning.[1] (Gen. … Continue reading →

To sum up, under the traditional view, we have sometimes counseled married couples with children to divorce, we have split churches, and we have denied remarriage to perfectly innocently divorced spouses, making their victimization by their former spouses permanent. We … Continue reading →

The traditional view has raised a number of troubling issues over the years. And as divorce has become increasingly common over the last 40 years or so, these troubling issues have become commonplace for churches everywhere. a. What about a … Continue reading →

The struggle to understand the Bible’s teachings on divorce and remarriage is not unique to the Churches of Christ. Indeed, it is easy to find literature from all denominations dealing with the same issues and making most of the same … Continue reading →

When I was a child, growing up in the Churches of Christ during the 1950’s and 60’s, divorce was much discussed in our classes and from our pulpits-but the discussion was very much in the abstract. I mean, in the … Continue reading →

In internet discussion forums and blogs, the controversy regarding the Bible’s teachings on marriage, divorce, and remarriage are so common that it gets its own acronym: MDR. The topic is so controversial that some forums actually bar discussion on the … Continue reading →