What God Joined Together - Family Radio

Chapter 4
MATTHEW 19:9
We want to look carefully at the one verse that has been abused most
consistently in man’s efforts to find a Biblical basis for divorce. Matthew
19:9, which immediately relates to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, has the appearance
of allowing divorce for fornication. Matthew 19:9:
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whose
marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Many theologians read this verse and quickly conclude that it teaches there
can be no divorce except in the case of fornication. We have already seen in
our study that there is no Biblical cause for divorce. Therefore, we can be sure
that this one verse, Matthew 19:9, cannot allow divorce for fornication or for
any other reason. If we concluded otherwise, we would have before us a major
contradiction.
The Bible is one harmonious whole. While it may have statements that
appear contradictory, we know that they are not actual contradictions. They
only appear to be contradictions because our understanding of the
questionable passages remains incomplete.
Let us assume for a moment that we must base our whole understanding of
divorce and remarriage on this one verse, Matthew 19:9. What would we
learn
Matthew 19:9 apparently teaches that a man may divorce his wife for
fornication. But notice: there is no suggestion that the wife may divorce the
husband for fornication. There is not even the slightest implication or
indication that the wife can divorce the husband. In fact, nowhere in the Bible
is there any statement that teaches that the wife can divorce the husband. Also
the verse does not justify the husband for divorcing his wife for any reason
except fornication.
Additionally, Matthew 19:8 tells us that Moses allowed the husband to
divorce his wife for the cause of fornication only because of the hardness of
the husband’s heart:
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered
you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
The term “hardness of heart” refers to someone who is unsaved, someone
who is in rebellion against God.
Thus, if anyone insisted on understanding Matthew 19:9 without regard to
any other teachings of the Bible, the most that he could see in this verse would
be that a husband could divorce his wife only in the case of fornication, and
20 What God hath joined together...