A Note on Divorce and Remarriage

One may make the argument that if one is divorced that implies that one is allowed to remarry. The argument is that marriage to an individual is the only obstacle in the way of remarrying. Since one is no longer married, then one is single. If one is single, one can marry.

There are a couple of problems with this. First is the definition of "married." If one means by "married" that the two are seen as married by the state or community, or have an official piece of paper stating their marriage, etc. then marriage can be dissolved, whether it is legitimately upon a biblical basis or not. One who is divorced because they simply don't feel like being married anymore is technically single, and if single, can be remarried. This would wipe out Jesus' argument if it was about marriage.

Jesus', and Paul's, argument, however, is about being bound in one flesh to another to whom one made the marriage commitment, not merely one who is currently committed to a spouse. In other words, it is not about the acknowledgment of the community or state with official contracts, but the state of being bound in one flesh with an individual in a marriage commitment that was made at any time to that individual.

Jesus and Paul argue that what God has joined together is not to be separated/divorced by human beings, and hence, to divorce is a sin that disobeys Jesus' command. To further remarry while one is bound in one flesh to one to whom he or she has been married is a further sin of adultery, as the spouse with whom one is bound in single flesh is not a singular man or woman, but a single entity of one flesh. They are not free to marry anyone because they are only made a single male or female again when one part of the whole, the male or female part of the one-flesh union, has died.

Furthermore, if it was true that what is viewed as a legitimate reason to divorce, based on abandonment, for instance, freed one to remarry without committing adultery then both the divorced woman, who has been abandoned now by her husband, and the man who marries her, would not be said to be committing adultery. Yet, Jesus says that they are (Matt 5:32; Luke 16:18). 

Hence, remarriage is never permitted while the other partner lives (1 Cor 7:39; Rom 7:1-3). A civil divorce does nothing but disobey Jesus and confuse people's obligations to God and one another.