Can you remarry if your spouse abandons you?
Question:
Good Day,
Is it true that someone can remarry if it is for abandonment of the marriage? Some pastors are saying you can remarry.
Answer:
The general rule is, "But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife" (I Corinthians 7:10-11).
If a person leaves for reasons other than fornication (Matthew 19:9), then neither has the right to another marriage. Their only options are to remain unmarried or to reconcile with their former spouse.
What if one is a non-believer and doesn't want to remain in the marriage? A person who isn't a Christian isn't motivated to keep the laws of God.
While true, the non-Christian will still be held accountable by God regarding His statutes. It is man's duty to keep God's commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Even the lost must give an account of their actions (I Peter 4:4-6; John 12:48). Thus, non-Christians are accountable to Christ's marriage laws.
Some will object, pointing out that Paul said, "A brother or sister is not under bondage" (I Corinthians 7:15). The word "bondage" means slavery. Marriage is never viewed as a form of slavery in the Bible. In fact, a subtlety is lacking in our English translations that is present in the Greek. When Paul said, "not under bondage" or "is not in slavery," the phrase is in the perfect indicative tense in Greek. That tense is used to state something that was completed in the past and continues to impact the present. In other words, Paul said the brother or sister didn't become a slave in the past when he or she married, and so does not have to act as a slave presently. Since marriage is not a form of slavery, a Christian is not forced to keep a marriage going when the non-Christian wants to leave. To do so would cause discord, but God called us to peace.
However, this doesn't imply that the Christian whose non-believing spouse abandons the marriage has the right to remarry. The general rule found in I Corinthians 7:10-11 still remains.
