May I Divorce My Spouse For Any Reason? (Part 2)
Matthew 19:9 states, “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall
put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry
another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is
put away doth commit adultery.” This verse concerning divorce
clearly proves that one may not divorce for any reason. The
one who divorces his/her spouse and marries another
commits adultery. However, the Lord gave an exception –
that exception being fornication. The word “except” carries
the force of “if and only if.” “If and only if” fornication is
present does it give the innocent party the authority from
God to put away (divorce) his/her spouse and marry another
eligible person and such is not an adulterous union. Let’s
put it this way: The word “except” has inclusive and
exclusive force. It includes as authorized remarriages those
which occur following a divorce for fornication; it excludes
remarriage following a divorce for other reasons.
Also, the phrase “committeth adultery” is present tense in
the Greek language. Present tense indicates continuous
action. In other words, it would mean, “keeps on committing
adultery.”
Jesus underscored the universality of what he taught by
using the universal word “whosoever.” Thus, no one is
excluded from God’s laws concerning marriage, divorce, and
remarriage. In fact, there are two “whosoevers” in this
passage. First, the “whosoever” which shall put away their
spouse and shall marry another – except upon the grounds of
fornication upon the part of his/her spouse – keeps on
committing adultery. Second, the “whoso[ever]” who has
married a woman (or man) who has been put away keeps on
committing adultery. The reason the man commits adultery
is because from Heaven’s viewpoint the woman’s original
marriage is still binding. While it is true that many today
divorce for many reasons and such be a valid divorce in the
eyes of human law, such may not be a valid and authorized
divorce in the eyes of God.