📖 Biblical Definition
Jesus taught that God’s design was lifelong union: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6). Moses permitted divorce "because of the hardness of your hearts" (19:8) — a concession, not a creation-norm. Jesus identified sexual immorality (porneia) as a ground for divorce: "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery" (19:9). Paul added abandonment by an unbelieving spouse as a second ground: "if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases" (1 Corinthians 7:15). The Reformed and confessional tradition has historically held these two grounds as the only biblical grounds for divorce.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The legal dissolution of the marriage contract; separation of husband and wife.
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DIVORCE', n. The legal dissolution of the marriage contract by a court or other competent power. A grave measure, not a casual option.
📖 Key Scripture
• Matthew 19:6 — "What God has joined together, let not man separate."
• Matthew 5:32 — "Everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery."
• Malachi 2:16 — "The man who does not love his wife but divorces her covers his garment with violence."
• 1 Corinthians 7:15 — "If the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
No-fault divorce destroyed marriage's covenantal nature and devastated families.
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No-fault divorce in the 1970s was among the most destructive legal changes in Western history. By making divorce available for any reason, the state declared marriage a revocable contract rather than a binding covenant. Consequences: millions of fatherless children, epidemic poverty among single mothers, normalized family instability. The church has largely capitulated, treating divorce as morally neutral.
Usage
• "God says 'I hate divorce' not from lack of compassion but because He sees what it does to families and children."
• "No-fault divorce did not liberate women — it devastated families and created childhood poverty."