1 Corinthians 7:10-11

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. -1 Corinthians 7:10-11

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What does the Bible say about divorce?  The Apostle Paul is very clear here.  The vow of marriage is sacrosanct.  It is not to be broken.  What makes the marriage vow different from any other promises you make?  The marriage vow is not just a promise between two people, it’s a promise between two people and God.  More than to your spouse, you’re making a promise to God to stay committed to another individual.  The focus of this passage is not a married couple’s relationship to one another, but their relationship to God.

This is not to say that there are no grounds for divorce.  Jesus himself said that unfaithfulness is one of the grounds for divorce.   Check out Matthew 5:32.  And of course, if one of the spouses is dangerous and causing physical harm to another, extracting the victimized spouse from a destructive relationship takes absolute priority.  This is not a passage that supports abuse.

But what this passage does support is underscoring the importance of our commitment to God.  In my marriage, loving Maria is not just a loving act toward Maria, but above all, it is a loving act toward God.  There are absolutely days when Maria and I don’t FEEL very loving toward one another.  That’s when our marriage vows to God kicks in.  We love one another by continuing to love one another even on days when we don’t feel loving.   That’s true love.