New Testament on Marriage, Divorce & Remarriage
Instructions to Men and Women respectively

The following columns contain the teaching of the New Testament concerning marriage, divorce and remarriage.  The statements are separated out by those instructions for men versus those for women.  Some may think this an arbitrary way of presenting these teachings, but even a summary look at the contents of both columns will show that this is how they are stated in the Scriptures.  So, let's see what they say...

Men

Women

Matthew 5:32

"But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” 

 

Matthew 19:9

"And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

 

Mark 10:11

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.”

 

Mark 10:12

"And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

 

Luke 16:18

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

 

 

Romans 7:2-3

“For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.”

 

1 Corinthians 7:10-11a

“Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband...

1 Corinthians 7:11b-12

“...And a husband is not to divorce his wife. But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.”

 
1 Corinthians 7:13

"And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.  But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

1 Corinthians 7:15 

“But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

 

1 Corinthians 7:15 

“But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

 

1 Corinthians 7:39

“A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

 

This is really all you need to know to understand God's instructions concerning divorce and remarriage.  But, let's take a closer look at two of these passages.