Divorce, Adultery and the Bible

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Oil painting of a young John Calvin.
Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Matthew 5:31–32 “Everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (v. 32).

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, tells us that God wants not only right actions, but also a pure heart (Matt. 5:8). Refraining from murder and
adultery does not exhaust those particular commandments; Exodus 20:13–14 also forbids lust and unjust anger (Matt. 5:21–30). This is in line with the Old Testament, which says the Law must be followed in heart and in deed (Deut.6:6; Ps. 37:31).

Jesus’ corrections of the Pharisaic traditions are not an exposition of the Law that covers every single possible situation. For example, Christ says “everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (Matt. 5:22), but He does not mean that anger is always evil, as He Himself will get angry (21:12–13) without sinning (1 Peter 2:22). Ungodly anger is what the injunction against murder forbids. We can (rarely) be righteously angry and yet not sin (Eph. 4:26).

This point helps us understand today’s passage. Jesus does not give every
possible ground for divorce when He allows it for “sexual immorality” (Matt.
5:31–32); desertion by an unbelieving spouse also makes divorce permissible (1 Cor. 7:12–16). Moreover, the Greek word for “sexual immorality” in today’s
passage (porneia) covers all types of sexual misconduct, implying that some
sexual sins besides extramarital affairs can be legitimate grounds for
divorce. Yet Jesus is not allowing divorce for any instance of lust or sexual
indiscretion. Otherwise, every lewd thought is just cause for divorce. Since
no sinner has been fully pure in this area, every marriage would then be
dissolvable, which clearly violates our Lord’s high view of holy matrimony (
Matt. 19:1–12).

As with other complicated problems in the Christian life, we go to our pastors
and elders to see if a particular form of porneia is legal grounds for
divorce. God gives us the church to help us work through complex issues (Acts
15:1–35). Each marriage is different, and choosing the right course of action
can be hard, but wise church leaders are to apply Scripture properly and give
sound direction.

Divorce is often easier than working through marital problems and is appealing
to our fallen nature. We must recognize this lest we adopt the world’s
practice of sanctioning divorces for reasons other than those God has given.


John Calvin reminds us that “the bond of marriage is too sacred to be
dissolved at the will, or rather at the licentious pleasure, of men.” Many
issues can drive spouses to despair and contemplate an unbiblical divorce.
That is why we must seek help for our marital troubles at the first sign of
trouble. If you need counseling, make an appointment with your pastor today.
If you know of another couple who is having problems, encourage them to seek counseling as well.

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