"...Prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people." - Isaiah 57:14
Is the traditional teaching on divorce and remarriage—namely, that divorced people commit adultery if they remarry—really true? Or is it what Paul condemned as "forbidding to marry" and called a "doctrine of devils?" Truth must be found in Scripture, not in tradition. A person who is put away (apoluo) is separated, not divorced. Many who claim to teach the "plain truth" about MDR rely on Matt. 5:32 and Matt. 19:9, yet ignore 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 1 Cor. 7:1,2; 7,8; 27,28; Deut. 24:1-2; Jeremiah 3:8; and Romans 7:1, 4. They also overlook the fact that Jesus could not have directly contradicted the Law, which permitted divorced women to remarry (Deut. 24:1-2; Mark 10:4). The key to understanding this controversial issue is to reject any interpretation that does not harmonize with all the marriage, divorce, and remarriage texts. Only sound hermeneutics can uncover the truth.
If you believe traditional teaching on this issue conflicts with God's justice by punishing innocent people and forbidding them to marry, I urge you to give the view presented here a fair hearing. I offer biblically grounded articles, sermons, debates, and other resources on the subject. Jesus' exception clause, "except it be for fornication," is explained here in a way that is both coherent and faithful to Scripture, without requiring marriages to be broken up or celibacy to be imposed on anyone.
A person cannot have true well-being if life is made miserable and faith is shattered by being told to remain celibate for life. This traditional doctrine harms not only mental health but also spiritual and physical health. The apostle Paul wrote, "But because of the desires of the flesh, let every man have his wife, and every woman her husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). To deny marriage to someone is to deny God's provision for avoiding fornication—something no sound teaching should do. So, beware of doctrines that conflict with the inspired words of Paul, who says of the unmarried, "let them marry" (1 Cor. 7:8,9).
Have you chosen to teach? Are you sure you are teaching the truth? Causing others to stumble is a serious matter (Isa. 57:14), and James warns that teachers who mislead will face stricter judgment (James 3:1). Instead of following tradition without question, join those of us who want to remove the stumbling block that drives potential disciples away and burdens those who remain steadfast.
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