The Bible's rules about divorce are connected to how marriage was understood at different times as God revealed his plan. These rules changed as God showed more of his plan to his people.
In the story of creation in Genesis, God created marriage as a union where two people become "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). This happened in a world without sin. In such a perfect world, it was impossible to think about ending a marriage. Later, during his time teaching on earth, Jesus supported this original plan for marriage. He taught that when two people become “one flesh,” they are no longer separate but joined together in a bond that cannot be broken (Matthew 19:6).
The Old Testament’s View on Divorce
When sin entered the world, it deeply damaged the relationship between men and women. Before sin, they depended on God first. After sin, they each became controlled by what they were made from. The man became bound to working the ground he was made from (Genesis 2:7; 3:19). The woman became controlled by the man she was made from (2:22; 3:16). Before the fall (when humans first sinned), men and women were equal. They both shared God's image (Genesis 1:27). They were both partners in the mandate God gave humanity to take care of creation (verse 28). After the fall, men ruled over women (Genesis 3:16).
After sin came, men gained power over women that they did not have before. This damaged the “one flesh” relationship. Men who ruled could now have multiple wives. This led to some men having more than one wife at a time (a practice called "polygamy," Genesis 4:19; 16:3; 29:30). It also led to serial monogamy, where men would divorce one wife to marry another (Deuteronomy 24:1–4).
Divorce became common because men ruled over women. Neither men ruling over women nor divorce was part of God's original plan for marriage. God allowed divorce in the law of Moses because people were living in a broken, sinful world (Matthew 19:8). Only men had the right to divorce. Women could not divorce their husbands. This meant women were victims when their husbands chose to divorce them.
The divorce rules in Deuteronomy were meant to give some protection to women. A husband had to give a reason for divorcing his wife by pointing out something wrong about her. He had to give her a written divorce document that showed she had been married to him (Deuteronomy 24:1). Also, if a divorced woman married someone else, her first husband could not marry her again. This was because his act of divorcing her was seen as defiling her (Deuteronomy 24:4).
God allowed divorce in the law of Moses because people's hearts were stubborn and unwilling to follow his plan. But the Old Testament clearly states that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). Divorce was only allowed because sin had made men rule over women. God's original design for the marriage of man and woman was still the perfect standard—two people becoming “one flesh."
Jesus’s Teaching on Divorce
Jesus came to restore God's original plan for creation. This meant the old rules about divorce no longer applied to Christians. Jesus pointed his followers back to God's first design for marriage. He said the divorce rules in Moses's law were only given because people were stubborn, adding "it was not this way from the beginning” (Matthew 19:8). Jesus rejected what sin had done and supported God's original plan.
In Matthew 5:31–32, Jesus rejected the old law that let men divorce their wives. He saw divorce as harming women. When men divorce their wives to marry others, they shame these women and treat them like objects. Anyone who marries a divorced woman takes part in this wrong treatment. Both the man who divorces and the man who marries the divorced woman are guilty of adultery.
Jesus took away men's power to divorce their wives whenever they wanted. He brought back God's original plan for marriage as a lifelong "one flesh" union. His disciples understood what this meant. But they were so used to men having special rights that they said being single was better than committing to one marriage for life (Matthew 19:10).
Jesus confirmed that the "one flesh" union was still God's plan for Christians. The New Testament strengthens this by comparing marriage to the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25).
Even though the New Testament strongly supports lifelong marriage, it allows divorce in two cases to protect an innocent spouse: when their partner commits adultery or abandons them. Jesus said a person could divorce an unfaithful spouse (Matthew 5:32; 19:9). The wronged spouse can choose to stay married if they want. But Scripture makes clear they are not required to stay married to or take back an unfaithful spouse.
The New Testament allows divorce for a second reason: when a spouse abandons the marriage. 1 Corinthians 7:15 talks about an unbelieving spouse leaving. The Bible says that a believer who abandons their family should be treated like an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). Any behavior that amounts to abandoning the marriage breaks the marriage commitment and falls under the rule in 1 Corinthians 7:15.
In cases of adultery or abandonment, the wronged spouse can seek a divorce. After the divorce, they are considered single again. If the couple cannot restore their marriage through forgiveness and coming back together, the wronged spouse is free from the marriage. Scripture says someone who is free can marry again, but only to another Christian (1 Corinthians 7:39).
If a single person struggles with being alone, they should marry (1 Corinthians 7:9). This applies to people who became single through a proper biblical divorce. However, Jesus taught that believers should not divorce just to marry someone else (Mark 10:11–12; Luke 16:18). Using divorce this way is adultery.
Marriage often fails for many reasons. Churches should handle each divorce and remarriage case individually. God can forgive sins and heal broken lives. The Bible's rules about divorce do not apply to marriages that ended before someone became a Christian. When someone becomes a Christian, God forgives their past sins and makes them new in Christ.