03.07. THE PERMANENCE OF MARRIAGE - Matthew 19:6

THE PERMANENCE OF MARRIAGE - Matthew 19:6

Having stated Jesus’ high regard for marriage, the Marriage Form goes on to relate what Jesus taught concerning marriage: “He teaches us that marriage is an institution of God and should not be broken, when He says, What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” Here the Form quotes from Matthew 19:6. Our society has cultivated a mindset that divorce comes as easily as marriage. An average of one in three marriages these days results in divorce. Sadly, enough, the church does not remain unaffected by what happens around her. Not only do we see more marriage breakdowns but also that an increasing number of young people get married with the idea that marriage comes complete with an escape door. As attractive and ‘normal’ as that might sound to the ‘throw-away-mentality’ of our day, when even marriage has become a disposable commodity, it is not a scriptural notion. Scripture teaches that the Lord has not built within the institution of marriage an escape hatch one of the marriage partners may use when the pressure within marriage gets too great. This is a reality parents need to bear in mind and impress upon their children as they contemplate marriage.

What evidence is there in Scripture that the Lord has not built an escape door out of marriage? In what follows I ask attention first for the conduct and example of God in the Old Testament, and then move on to what Scripture says about human divorce. We look finally at the development of marriage/divorce theology in the history of the church.