"The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 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." (Matthew 19:3-8)

The Scriptures teach quite clearly that when a man and a woman who are eligible according to God"s laws to marry are joined together in marriage they become one flesh. This is a mystery to the mind of man, but God’s Word declares it to be so. And Jesus emphatically stated, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder"

We now live in a time when the institution of marriage is regarded very lightly by a wicked and adulterous generation. To defend its scriptural sacredness puts one more and more in a minority. But The Church of God has a solemn responsibility for maintaining faithfulness to the Word of God. Throughout the years while other Christian organizations have wavered concerning this biblical teaching the Church has remained steadfast in its teaching against the divorce and remarriage evil.

While we have been very firm in our stand against a man or a woman putting away his or her companion with whom they are one flesh and marrying another, classifying it as a sin, I wonder if we have been firm enough in our teaching against divorce itself.

Divorce is a human instrument, and its use is an attempt by man to set at naught a divine ordinance. When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees why Moses approved of divorce, He stated that because of the hardness of the people’s hearts Moses suffered it, but Jesus quickly added that from the beginning it was not so. His instructions were, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." We will be safe to respect the authority of Jesus Christ on this subject.

I have heard of cases within the Church where divorces have been obtained with both parties still claiming the victory. This ought not to be. In such cases there appears to be little consideration for the covenant they took, both promising solemnly before God and witnesses to cleave to each other so long as they both should live. Furthermore, it is an affront to God and to the authority of His Word. A divorce is a way wherein man renounces the sovereignty of God on this subject and embraces laws which seek to annul the law of God.

In the past we have been very vocal in teaching against the divorce and remarriage evil when we spoke of them together ‾ divorce and remarriage. It looks like Satan has taken advantage of our silence on divorce itself to make this acceptable among us. But we cannot remain silent on such an important subject. When a man and a woman become one flesh they dwell in a union which only death can sever, and any attempt to sever such a union by the laws of man is to show disrespect for the sovereignty of God's law.

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