Position
Marriage is an institution created by God. It is a covenant relationship
established by mutual vows between a man and a woman united by God. Permanent
unity in marriage is possible in Christ and is demanded of Christ's disciples
who are married. Marriages should not be dissolved; divorce is contrary to
God's will. However, by persistent and unrepented sin, people can put asunder
what God has joined together. Scripture acknowledges that certain actions
and attitudes that occur in a sinful world and conflict with God's will can
destroy a marriage relationship.
Since failure to keep the marriage covenant is sin, the church must exercise
a ministry of reconciliation and call marriage partners to confession, forgiveness,
reconciliation, and renewed obedience. The church must minister with special
concern to those involved in the traumatic experience of divorce, speaking
with clarity where sinful conduct is overt and apparent and exercising formal
discipline only when there is disdain for biblical teaching and when repentance
is beyond hope. The church must be a place of acceptance and support for
those who have been divorced and for their children.
The church should neither issue a clear prohibition against remarriage
nor attempt to list with legal precision the circumstances under which remarriage
does not conflict with biblical teaching. The church must apply biblical
principles to concrete situations in the light of its best understanding
of what happened in a particular divorce and what is being planned for a
particular remarriage.
History
The subject of divorce was dealt with in the context of marriage and divorce.
For a concise history of these matters see the entry Marriage.
References
Acts of Synod 1908, pp. 31, 39, 42
Acts of Synod 1947, pp. 17, 47, 65-69, 77-80, 238-45
Acts of Synod 1952, pp. 20-23, 123-52
Acts of Synod 1956, pp. 15-17, 55-59, 117-19, 285-327, 379-80
Acts of Synod 1957, pp. 87-90, 93-95, 105-07, 335-47
Acts of Synod 1968, pp. 60-61, 577-78
Acts of Synod 1971, pp. 112, 148, 632-40
Acts of Synod 1973, pp. 58-59, 108, 595-607, 744-45
Acts of Synod 1975, pp. 104, 488-514
Acts of Synod 1976, pp. 38-39, 85, 104, 458-96
Acts of Synod 1977, pp. 134-37, 149, 510-48, 681-82, 691-94, 697-99
Acts of Synod 1979, pp. 45, 137, 467
Acts of Synod 1980, pp. 40-41, 467-85, 592
Acts of Synod 1981, pp. 62, 614-17
Acts of Synod 1983, pp. 671-72
Agenda for Synod 1994, p. 239
Acts of Synod 1994, p. 485
