Adultery and Divorce
The following question about adultery and divorce was posted on the private website earlier tonight by one of our newest FAM members, and since there are probably a lot of men and women struggling with the same issues, I thought I’d share her post and my response as follows. We always have to rely on the Word of God for the answers we seek, and when we do, we will definitely be blessed and encouraged.
I’m still struggling with my stand and the scripture in Matthew 19:8-10. I’m wondering if the Lord permits divorce for marital unfaithfulness or not? If he doesn’t permit divorce under these circumstances, then why was Joseph going to try and divorce Mary quietly when he found out she was with child? Am I misinterpreting the scripture? Why do so many Christians believe the scripture says the Lord allows divorce due to adultery?
Matthew 1:18-19 says This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Since I’m new to my stand for my marriage, I do not want my heart to be conflicted on any matter concerning the word and my stand, so I’m looking for something to help me resolve this and find peace..
MNO (member name omitted), it is important for all of us to know that we are standing in obedience to the Word of God and since this is not an uncommon question, it is one covered many times in previous posts and pages on the website. So I hope reading the following posts will answer your questions in more detail than we discussed yesterday.
Marriage, Divorce & Remarriage
Adultery Does Not Invalidate Or Destroy The Marriage Covenant
And your specific questions about Joseph and Mary are actually addressed in quite a bit of detail in the following post; though from a different perspective:
Is Adultery Grounds For Divorce?
And I would caution you to require anyone who offers an opinion about what the Bible teaches to show you where it is found in the Word, because any conclusion we reach and rely on that isn’t grounded in scripture is likely to lead us away from God’s plan for our lives. So I hope and pray that these posts will help answer your questions and give you the peace you seek.