Layout 1

Divorce and Remarriage

6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but

the gift of God is eternal life in Christ

Jesus our Lord.”

What an amazing Father we have. He

warns us against taking a harmful path;

yet, when we stubbornly go in that

direction, He still welcomes us back

when we confess our sin. Even more

amazing, God promises His children

they need not remain in sin, but may

have their hearts changed (Ezekiel 11:19;

2 Corinthians 5:17).

Yes, God hates divorce, and in

particular the circumstances of violence

and unfaithfulness which are at its root

(Malachi 2:16); but He loves us and

wants us to love Him. He even wants to

change our hearts, so that divorce is not

the first avenue choosen when

confronting difficulties in marriage.

Instead, He asks us to follow a biblical-

covenant marriage model, one reflecting

His covenant love for us.

Our culture embraces a “me now”
attitude, which has led to the
deterioration of many of our cultural
and social norms, including the
permanence of marriage. This chapter
has examined the increase in the divorce
rate since the 1950s and the impact of
divorce on poverty. Among the causes of
divorce are these: young age at marriage,
lack of college education, low income,
and premarital pregnancy. These factors
all lead to a greater risk of divorce. Other
factors include the ways spouses interact
with one another, disillusionment,
negativity, dissatisfaction with the
relationship, and lack of commitment.
Researchers debate the consequences
of divorce. On the negative side, many
researchers have found the effects for

children to be cumulative, even lasting a

lifetime. The higher the divorce rate in a

community, the higher the crime rate

will be. Children from divorced families

are more likely to be involved in alcohol

and drugs, to have lower educational

achievement, to have more health

problems, and to have a higher suicide

rate than children from intact families.

Parent-child relationships are

compromised following a divorce.

Children’s social confidence and social

skills are jeopardized, which later can

make successful marriage difficult for the

adult children of divorce.

On a more positive side, some

researchers suggest most children of

divorce don’t display the level of clinical

problems suggested by the first group of

researchers. They point to the children’s

Summary