From http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Family/Marriage/grounds.htm
Grounds For Divorce?
"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.." -Matthew 5:32
There are NO BIBLICAL GROUNDS for divorce! Jesus NEVER gave anyone the right to get a divorce! If you'll carefully read the above Scripture, Jesus isn't giving anyone permission to divorce--Jesus is simply saying that a man cannot be held guilty of adultery if his spouse is already committing adultery. In other words, If a man's wife runs off with another man, and her husband divorces her--he is not guilty of causing her to commit adultery, because she's already committing adultery. To understand this Scripture better, keep in mind that a divorce causes two sins. One sin is the divorce itself. It is a sin to file for a divorce! There are NO Biblical grounds for divorce, which I will prove to you in a moment. The other sin is that a divorce causes your spouse to commit adultery if he/she remarries. So if you divorce your spouse, for any reason other than fornication, you will be guilty of causing him/her to commit adultery if they remarry. That's what Jesus meant.
Jesus clearly stated in Mark10:2-6,9, "And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female ... What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Jesus, in no uncertain terms, taught that marriage was forever ... "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." I could not in good conscience be a lawyer, or a judge, who makes a living divorcing people. God says in His Word, the Bible, that no one is to ever separate a husband and a wife. I am appalled at the number of so-called "Christians" and "churches" that meddle in people's marriages, helping to break up the family by recommending divorce, helping the wife escape her husband, and taking sides. The Scriptural approach is to either mind our own business, or help the troubled couple as a COUPLE (because God sees them as ONE). Oftentimes, in-laws will only side with their son or daughter, which is sinful. This has caused many divorces. The Scriptural approach is to help BOTH of them, for they are ONE in God's eyes. The same is true of ministries, who are much more inclined to help their own members, and forget about the husband (or vise versa). Before God ever created children, a family, a church, or a government--he instituted the marriage! No church should ever do anything to encourage, nurture, support, or cause a divorce. To do so is horrible sin!!!
If adultery were Biblical grounds for divorce, then consider what Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." So according to Jesus, a man is already an adulterer if he lusts upon a woman. This gives every wife the Biblical right to divorce her husband on the grounds of adultery, if he ever admits to being lustful towards another woman. If adultery is Biblical grounds for divorce, and a man is already guilty of adultery if he lusts on another woman, then his wife should have a right to divorce him. To deny this is to say that adultery of the mind is not as bad as adultery of the flesh. Jesus clearly taught that they were both equally sinful. Obviously, Jesus was not giving a wife permission to divorce her husband if he commits fornication.
Here's another thought, and I want you to think about this. This is especially for those of you who believe that adultery is Biblical grounds for divorce. What about murder? If your wife kills 10 people, would that give you Biblical grounds to divorce her. You can't show me such grounds for divorce in the Word of God! God NEVER gives anyone permission to divorce their spouse if they commit murder (or many other horrible sins). It is ridiculous for anyone to claim the right to divorce on the grounds of "adultery," when that same spouse could commit murder and you'd still have to remain married to them. Jesus never gave anyone permission to divorce. Let us never encourage anyone to get a divorce, because all marriages are sealed in Heaven. Whether you were married in a church, at city hall, or on top of Mount Everest--your marriage vows (promises) were to your spouse, and to God ... "'Til death do us part."
by David J. Stewart
God's Simple Plan
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