Who would have thought divorce is Biblical? Like marriage, divorce appears in the Old Testament dating back to the time of Moses. He offered men certificates of divorce which freed them to send their wives away. You will find this in Matthew 19:7.
According to Matthew 19:3-6, the Pharisees would later test Jesus over the actions of Moses. And, Jesus would respond saying the Creator made man and woman. His intention is for a man to leave his parents and join a woman, becoming one flesh without them separating.
Divorce is Biblical, Moses and Certificates of Divorce
Moses permitted the men to abandon their wives when they no longer had feelings for them. The woman did not have the attention of their husband, leaving their needs unfulfilled as described in Matthew 19:8
But, Matthew 19:9 tells us these men who received a divorce certificate were not safe. In God's eyes, they committed adultery unless there was “sexual immorality.” Anything else including marrying another woman is adultery.
To think that how many of us have committed adultery according to the Bible? To think I have divorced three times, something I am no proud of, but it is my life. Does God look at me as committing adultery?
Other areas of the Bible say, no, that is not the case, given that my previous spouses have all engaged in relationships, and married before I chose to marry again.
But, does that make divorce a pass for me? I don't think so. None of my marriages were faith-based except my third, and that was only in the beginning, without the commitment I have today. I believe our divorce would not have happened if we made faith a part of our relationship.
It wasn't until last year that I finally began to take my faith seriously, and study the scripture. I lacked the understanding of biblically based marriage. And therefore, many would give me a pass because of my “commitment to following Christ” came after my marriages. That won't work so well today, in my eyes, and in the eyes of many congregations.
Would divorce cease if all marriages were faith-based?
Do Christian marriages end up in divorce? That would depend on what you define as Christian marriage.
Divorce is Biblical, but is it faith-based?
Divorce happens in what appear to be faith-based marriages. Indeed many self-identifying Christian people divorce. The question is, are both parties committed to their relationship?
Personally, I don't believe that married followers of Christ would divorce. Sure, I would think that believers will struggle in their relationship, but going all the way through a divorce? That doesn't seem likely, but anything is possible.
Can a marriage last outside of being faith-based? Sure, but I would rather have Christ on my side. Surely, bringing Christ into your relationship is one way to strengthen the relationship. Remember, “those that pray together, stay together.”