Divorce is an event filled with anguish, brokenness, and regret. As a disclaimer, this subject can be difficult to separate from the topic of remarrying because many of the verses in the Bible discuss both simultaneously. However, we are only going to focus on divorce at this time.
Divorce can be a confusing subject to study. There are verses that consider it a sin and others showing it is considered permissible. God's Word is infallible and contradiction-free, therefore, we must understand how this subject can be either wrong or justifiable. Context is the key to understanding.
Marriage was created for the purpose of eliminating loneliness through a sacred bond between man and woman. When the Lord created Adam, He said that, "... it is not good that the man should be alone" (Gen. 2:18). When a man marries a Godly woman, the Bible calls it a good thing (Prov. 18:22). God could have created a friend for Adam, but then Adam would not have been able to follow God's command to replenish the Earth (Gen. 1:28).
Only through marriage can a man and woman enjoy the immense physical satisfaction of sexual intercourse (Heb. 13:4). God created sex to be enjoyed within the context of marriage. Sex is a good thing and is about a husband and wife becoming one flesh. It is the physical consummation of their love for one another. Not only is a wife considered favorable, but a prudent wife is given to a man from the Lord (Prov. 19:14). Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines “prudent” as “wise and intelligent”. God wants a man and woman to compliment each other, to love each other, to be friends with each other, and to honor each other. God so highly values the sanctity of marriage that He said, "... what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. 19:6).
Divorce is the breaking of that blessed union. However, there are times when divorce is permitted.
One such occasion is adultery:
"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." - Matthew 19:9
The Apostle Paul spoke in great detail about divorce in 1 Corinthians 7 because, sadly, men and women do more than cheat on their spouses. Sometimes they abuse verbally and physically. Sometimes the man or woman abandons their spouse. We must always keep Scripture in context and 1 Corinthians 7 is about marriage.
"Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." - 1 Corinthians 7:3
Notice that husbands and wives are commanded to be kind and charitable to their spouses. The opposite of benevolence is malevolence. Malevolence, by definition, is harming another person. Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives this definition:
MALEV'OLENCE, noun [Latin malevolentia; malum, evil, and volens, volo, to will.] Ill will, personal hatred; evil disposition towards another; enmity of heart; inclination to injure others. It expresses less than malignity.
It is not okay for one spouse to abuse the other! Also, notice that the Bible says that spouses are to honor their own bodies and their spouse's. If a man's body belongs to his wife, then he has no right to get drunk or do drugs or mistreat it in any fashion. If a husband is to render due benevolence to his wife, he has no right to hit her or berate her. Likewise for the wife.
Should a married couple go straight to divorce?
"And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife." - 1 Corinthians 7:10-11
Notice that reconciliation should be attempted first. The husband or wife should pray for their marriage. Paul stated that we are to "be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). If there are issues in a marriage, prayer should be the first response. They should also seek Godly counseling. As a church, we are to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2). The Bible says that "without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established" (Prov. 15:22). Husbands and wives are not all-knowing. We do not know what miracles can be worked in a marriage.
The Apostle Paul said:
"For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?" - 1 Corinthians 7:16
This verse is not about the salvation of the soul, but the salvation of the marriage. The only way a person can be saved (i.e. go to Heaven) is by faith alone in the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Eph. 2:8-9). It is vital to always look at the context of a passage.
If reconciliation is not possible, then God does permit divorce:
"But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace." - 1 Corinthians 7:15
Like salvation in verse 16, the unbelief in this chapter is referring to how a marriage should be conducted. Divorce should not be easy. Divorce should not be the first reaction. If a marriage that has gone through adultery or abuse cannot be reconciled, then God understands and calls this divorce "peace".