What Does The Bible Say About Marriage, Divorce, And Remarriage?

     Sadly, our culture views marriage as a mere formality dreamed up by man and perpetuated by tradition.  To most, marriage is not a life-long commitment sanctioned by God, rather it is an “enter when you wish, leave when you want” agreement.  The idea is that if you get tired of your spouse, just divorce him/her and marry someone else that tickles your fancy.  And society encourages all to repeat this procedure as often as one desires. One out of every two marriages in this country ends in divorce, and that number continues to rise.  Many states recognize couples as being married who have shacked-up together for a specified period of time.  Divorces are granted for every reason under the sun, making it easier to obtain a divorce than it is to get a new car.  Is this how God intended the sacred union of marriage to be?  Is God pleased with what is going on in our nation concerning marriage, divorce, and remarriage?  What does the Bible have to say regarding these matters?
     From the very beginning God intended marriage to be one man with one woman for life.  When God instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden, this was His plan (Gen. 2: 23,24).  However, sin soon reduced this sacred institution to nothing more than a trite ritual with little or no meaning.  Men began to put away their wives for no reason, this being done without God’s approval.  Because of the hardness of man’s heart, God gave regulations through the hand of Moses regarding divorce and remarriage (Dt. 24: 1-4; Mt. 19:8).  Jesus points out that God’s plan is still one man for one woman for life (Mt.19:6).
     When Jesus spoke regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage (Mt. 19:1-9), he was attempting to turn man back to the heart of God’s law.  The Pharisees pushed the idea of sticking to the letter of the law, but they cared nothing about the motivation for keeping these laws. The Pharisees were missing the whole point of the divine institution of marriage.  God intended that there be only one thing that would break the bond of marriage—death (Rom. 7:1-4).  However, man’s sin led God to give the only other exception for breaking the marriage bond—fornication (Mt. 19:9).  Aside from death and fornication, man has absolutely no right to break the marriage bond!
     Furthermore, Jesus gave legislation regarding those who were guilty of breaking the marriage bond without God’s approval.  Those who are put away for committing fornication can never marry another (Mt. 19:9), and those who would marry those who have been put away for fornication are labeled as adulterers (Mt. 19:9).  In other words, the guilty party must be reconciled to his/her spouse, or remain unmarried, and those who marry the guilty party are living in adultery.  The innocent party has the right to divorce the mate who is guilty of committing fornication (which encompasses adultery).  Having done this the innocent party is free to marry another (considering this one is Biblically eligible to marry).