If you are considering divorce, please read the following excerpts from the Bible.
“It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him…therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:18, 24 “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1 “…The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous.” Exodus 1:19 (That’s us, his chosen people, now that we have accepted Christ: Hebrew, Israelite, etc. is Old Testament way of talking about believers like you and me.) “The Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.” Exodus 11:7 “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today… The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.” Exodus 14:13, 14 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And you shall observe all my statues and all my ordinances, and do them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:36-37 “You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.” Leviticus 25:45 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit…. And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.” Leviticus 26:3,6 “….Remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to go after wantonly.” Numbers 15:39 “You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice, for the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not fail you.” Deuteronomy 4:29-31 “For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” Deuteronomy 30:9-11 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 “But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction.” Joshua 6:18 “For it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. Therefore be very steadfast to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left…. Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed.” Joshua 23: 3, 6, 14 “The Lord… has redeemed my life out of every adversity.” 2 Samuel 4:9 “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21 “And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him… O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers; for you cannot succeed.” 2 Chronicles 12:12, 13:12 “The Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2 “Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Fear not, and be not dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God’s….You will not need to fight in this battle; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf.’” 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17 “As long as he (another king) sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” 2 Chronicles 26:5 “Do not be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord… for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” 2 Chronicles 30:8, 9 “The good hand of his God was upon him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it.” Ezra 7:10 “This day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God.” Psalms 14:2 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” Psalms 19:7 “The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary, and you give you support from Zion!” Psalms 20:1, 2 “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. My eyes are ever toward the Lord.” Psalms 25:12, 15 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant.” Psalms 34:4,5 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change.” Psalms 46:1,2 “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10 “My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, ‘O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest…’ It is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to hold sweet converse together… But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan and he will hear my voice. He will deliver my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. God will give ear, and humble them, because they keep no law, and do not fear God…. Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55: 4-22 “In God I trust without a fear. What can man do to me?” Psalms 56:11 “With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalms 118:6 “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.” Psalms 119:71 “Great peace have those who love thy law; nothing can make them stumble.” Psalms 119:165 “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” Psalms 138:8 “Teach me the way I should go, for to thee I lift up my soul.” Psalms 143:8 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5, 6 “Good sense makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be quarreling.” Proverbs 20:3 “Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’” Proverbs 24:29 “A good wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life…. Strength and dignity are her clothing. She looks well to the ways of her household. A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” parts of Proverbs 31:10-31 “I know that it will be well with those who fear God.” Ecclesiastes 7:12 “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.” Isaiah 26:3 “He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it he will answer you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.’” Isaiah 30:19-21 “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’” Isaiah 41:13 “O that you had hearkened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:18 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice…’ But they did not obey or incline their ear but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their hearts, and went backward and not forward. Yet they did not listen to me, or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck.” Jeremiah 7:8, 23-26 “This people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart, shall be like this waistcloth, which is good for nothing. For as the waistcloth clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.” Jeremiah 13:10-11 “Do not listen to the words…. filling you with vain hopes; they speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’’ and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’” Behold, says the Lord, I am against those who lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, so they do not profit this people at all. Yet you have not listened to me, you have not obeyed my words.” Jeremiah 24:16-17, 31-32 and 25:7-8 (God sent them into captivity and slavery after many years of asking them to turn to Him.) “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep… and I will strengthen the weak.” Ezekiel 34:15 “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:27 “He is the living God… He delivers and rescues.” Daniel 26, 27 (after God saved Daniel in the lions’ den. He was one of the Israelites taken into captivity after God’s people would not listen to him.) “Then he said to me, Fear not Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard.” Daniel 10:12 “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” Hosea 12:6 “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart. I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten.” Joel 2:12, 25 “And this again you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand. You ask, ‘Why does he not?’ Because the Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. So take heed yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel… You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied him?’ By saying, ‘everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.’ Or by asking, ‘Where is the God of justice?’” Malachi 2:13-17 "For I am the Lord, I change not." Malachi 3:6 “Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is speaking in Matthew 5:19 “But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well. You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others. Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Jesus is speaking in Matthew 5:38-48 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-29 “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.’” Jesus is speaking in Matthew 16:24-27 “Forgive from your heart.” Matthew 18:35 |
“And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,’ and said, ‘for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” They said to him, ‘Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?’ He said to them, ‘For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery.” Jesus is speaking in Matthew 19: 3-9 “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is speaking in Matthew 20: 26-28 “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt… whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Jesus in Matthew 21: 21-22 “And he looked around at them, grieved by their hardness of heart.” Mark 3:5 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Jesus in Mark 3:24 “And Jesus said to him (a father of a sick child): all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Jesus healed the child. Mark 9:23-24 “Jesus answered, have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:22-25 “If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Jesus in Luke 6:33-36 “And I tell you, Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent, or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Jesus in Luke 11:9-13 “A divided household falls.” Jesus in Luke 11:17 “But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jesus in John 14:26-27 “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus in John 16:33 “You stiff-necked people, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” Acts 7:51 “Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” Acts 8:22-23 (Peter says this when a man offered him a bribe) “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31 “If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31 “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all….Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:9-21 “To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:10 “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consent to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife.” 1 Corinthians 7:13 “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11:3 “Love is patient and kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist in its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “For we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5: 17-18 “For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, 12 “I live by faith.” Galatians 2:20 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Paul wrote this while he was in prison for preaching the Gospel Ephesians 4:4 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:30-32 “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.” Ephesians 5:22 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace, besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit.” Ephesians 6: 10-18 “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Do all things without grumbling and questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2: 3-4 and 14-15 “I have learned, in whatever state I am in, to be content. I know how to be abased, I know how to abound, in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is not partiality.” Colossians 3:23-25 “But the Lord is faithful, he will strengthen you and guard you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord about you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength…. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil.” 2 Timothy 4: 1718 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 “And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Read the rest of this chapter for some good examples Hebrews 11:6 “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus.… Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted…. And have you forgotten the exhortation which address you as sons? – ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him… God is treating you as sons.’” Hebrews 12: 1,3,5,7 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you.’ Hence we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man to do me?’” Hebrews 13:5 “Likewise you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when they see your reverent and chaste behavior…. Let yours be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. So once the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were submissive to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you.” 1 Peter 3:1-2 Abraham was not by any means always worthy of Sarah’s respect and honor; no man is all the time. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.” 2 Peter 5:7-10 “The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 “He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still.” 1 John 2:9 “I write you because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or the things in the world… for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:14-17 “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also… By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 4:20 and 5:2-3 “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men … I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at the first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Revelation 2: 2-7 “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple… they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15-17 “Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5 |