Welcome to "Body, Mind and Spirit for Jesus" (BMSJ) Website

Please scroll down to the end of this page for more information.

Thank you. God loves you!

 49 Bible Verses about

Agape Love

^"He who finds a wife finds a good thing,

And obtains favor from the Lord."

Proverbs 18:22, NKJV

Ephesians 5:22-33 New King James Version (NKJV)

Marriage—Christ and the Church

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church andgave Himself for her, 26 that He might [a]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, [b]of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

1 Corinthians 7 New King James Version (NKJV)

Principles of Marriage

7 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:

It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Keep Your Marriage Vows

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I [a]ordain in all the churches. 18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

To the Unmarried and Widows

25 Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has madetrustworthy. 26 I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

32 But I want you to be without [b]care. He who is unmarried [c]cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please hiswife. 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 35 And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.

36 But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his [d]virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. 37 Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his[e]virgin, does well. 38 So then he who gives [f]her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.

CROSS REFERENCES 

Ephesians 5:2, New King James Version

 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, 

an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Colossians 3:19, New King James Version

Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

Ephesians 5:24, New King James Version,

Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, 

so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:28, NKJV

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; 

he who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:33, NKJV

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular 

so love his own wife as himself, 

and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

1 Peter 3:7, NKJV

A Word to Husbands

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, 

giving honor to the wife, 

as to the weaker vessel, 

and as being heirs together of the grace of life,

 that your prayers may not be hindered.

 "Fear not, for I am with you;

Matthew 22:37-39 King James Version (KJV)

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Bible Verses About Marriage

Bible Verses About Marriage from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance

- Sort By Book Order

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 - Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman.   (Read More...)

Genesis 2:24 - Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Ephesians 5:1-33 - Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;   (Read More...)

Zephaniah 2:1-15 - Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;   (Read More...)

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Matthew 19:9 - And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Matthew 7:21 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:31-32 - It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:   (Read More...)

Matthew 5:1-48 - And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:   (Read More...)

Ephesians 4:16 - From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

1 Corinthians 7:15 - But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such [cases]: but God hath called us to peace.

1 Corinthians 7:10-15 - And unto the married I command, [yet] not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from [her] husband:   (Read More...)

Mark 10:11 - And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

Mark 10:2-12 - And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away [his] wife? tempting him.   (Read More...)

Mark 10:2 - And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away [his] wife? tempting him.

Matthew 19:12 - For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from [their] mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive [it], let him receive [it].

Matthew 19:8 - He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Matthew 19:3-9 - The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?   (Read More...)

Matthew 19:3 - The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Matthew 19:1-30 - And it came to pass, [that] when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;   (Read More...)

Matthew 5:32 - But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Matthew 5:31 - It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

Matthew 5:17 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Jeremiah 3:8 - And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 - When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and send her out of his house.   (Read More...)

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Ephesians 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

Ephesians 4:12 - For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.   (Read More...)

Luke 16:18 - Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from [her] husband committeth adultery.

Some scripture references/categories courtesy of Open Bible .info under CC BY 3.0

Related Bible Dictionary Terms:
Marriage    

 Bible Verses About Husbands

Bible Verses About Husbands from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance

- Sort By Book Order

Colossians 3:19 - Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them.

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

1 Peter 3:7 - Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Ephesians 5:28 - So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Matthew 5:28 - But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 - Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that [is] thy portion in [this] life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

Ephesians 5:22-33 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.   (Read More...)

Ephesians 5:31 - For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Malachi 2:14-16 - Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet [is] she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 7:5 - Defraud ye not one the other, except [it be] with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 - Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 7:33 - But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please [his] wife.

1 Corinthians 7:16 - For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save [thy] husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save [thy] wife?

Leviticus 18:19-23 - Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.   (Read More...)

1 Timothy 1:10 - For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Colossians 3:17 - And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

1 Corinthians 11:3 - But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God.

1 Corinthians 7:14 - For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

1 Corinthians 7:3 - Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

Hosea 2:20 - I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

Proverbs 5:15-19 - Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.   (Read More...)

Genesis 2:23 - And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Hebrews 13:4 - Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Titus 1:6 - If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

1 Timothy 3:2 - A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Colossians 3:18 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,   (Read More...)

Mark 10:7 - For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

Matthew 19:5 - And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Matthew 1:19 - Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

Hosea 2:19 - And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

Jeremiah 31:32 - Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

Jeremiah 3:14 - Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Isaiah 54:6 - For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

Isaiah 54:5 - For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the LORD of hosts [is] his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

Numbers 5:11-31 - And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,   (Read More...)

Genesis 24:67 - And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's [death].

Genesis 2:24 - Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Ephesians 5:22-23 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.   (Read More...)

Ephesians 5:22 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:2 - Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 - Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman.   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Romans 1:26-21 - For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:   (Read More...)

Luke 10:10-13 - But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,  (Read More...)

Matthew 19:7-9 - They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?   (Read More...)

Matthew 5:32 - But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

2 Kings 23:7 - And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that [were] by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

1 Kings 14:24 - And there were also sodomites in the land: [and] they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 23:17 - There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

Deuteronomy 21:15 - If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, [both] the beloved and the hated; and [if] the firstborn son be hers that was hated:

Leviticus 20:10-16 - And the man that committeth adultery with [another] man's wife, [even he] that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.   (Read More...)

Exodus 21:22-25 - If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine].   (Read More...)

Genesis 19:1-38 - And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;   (Read More...)

Genesis 3:16 - Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Hosea 13:16 - Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Some scripture references/categories courtesy of Open Bible .info under CC BY 3.0

Related Bible Dictionary Terms:

Search the King James Version (KJV) for more references about Husbands...

Bible Verses About Wives

Bible Verses About Wives from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance

- Sort By Book Order

Ephesians 5:22-33 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.   (Read More...)

Colossians 3:19 - Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them.

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

1 Timothy 2:11-15 - Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.   (Read More...)

Ephesians 5:28 - So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Ephesians 5:22 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Proverbs 31:10 - Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies.

1 Peter 3:7 - Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

1 Peter 3:1-5 - Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Matthew 5:28 - But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Ephesians 5:33 - Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband.

Ephesians 5:31 - For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Proverbs 21:19 - [It is] better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,   (Read More...)

Matthew 5:32 - But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Proverbs 29:1-27 - He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.   (Read More...)

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

1 John 2:1-29 - My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:   (Read More...)

1 Peter 3:6 - Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

Hebrews 13:4 - Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Hebrews 1:13 - But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Ephesians 5:22-28 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.   (Read More...)

Proverbs 19:13-14 - A foolish son [is] the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife [are] a continual dropping.   (Read More...)

Proverbs 14:1 - Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Leviticus 18:19-23 - Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.   (Read More...)

Genesis 3:16 - Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Colossians 3:17 - And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Colossians 1:1-29 - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus [our] brother,   (Read More...)

Galatians 5:1 - Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 7:2 - Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Romans 1:26-21 - For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:   (Read More...)

Romans 1:1-32 - Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,   (Read More...)

John 3:1-36 - There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:   (Read More...)

Hosea 13:16 - Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Hosea 9:14 - Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Ezekiel 16:49-50 - Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.   (Read More...)

2 Kings 23:7 - And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that [were] by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

2 Kings 1:1-18 - Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.   (Read More...)

2 Samuel 1:1-27 - Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;   (Read More...)

Ruth 1:1-22 - Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.   (Read More...)

Deuteronomy 23:17 - There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

Leviticus 20:10-16 - And the man that committeth adultery with [another] man's wife, [even he] that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.   (Read More...)

Exodus 21:22-25 - If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine].   (Read More...)

Genesis 19:1-38 - And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;   (Read More...)

James 1:1-27 - James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.   (Read More...)

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 - Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:   (Read More...)

Philippians 2:5-7 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:   (Read More...)

Luke 10:10-13 - But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,  (Read More...)

1 Kings 14:24 - And there were also sodomites in the land: [and] they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

1 Timothy 1:10 - For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Some scripture references/categories courtesy of Open Bible .info under CC BY 3.0

Related Bible Dictionary Terms:

Search the King James Version (KJV) for more references about Wives...

Sunday Morning Reflections: Retooling marriages

Marriage Sermons

WHY GOD HATES DIVORCE

Jim Tonkowich

"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 2:16)

I’ve been going to church for years.  I’ve heard thousands of sermons, Bible studies, and Sunday school lessons.  I’ve also preached hundreds of sermons and done a great deal of teaching.  In all that time I can never remember a sermon, a study, or a lesson on God’s harsh words in Malachi 2:16:  "I hate divorce."

"Hate" is strong language.  Consider, for example, the rest of the verse:  "and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence."  God makes divorce and blood-spattering violence moral equivalents. 

In Proverbs 6:16-19 we read:

 There are six things the LORD hates, 
 seven that are detestable to him: 
  haughty eyes, 
  a lying tongue, 
  hands that shed innocent blood, 
  a heart that devises wicked schemes, 
  feet that are quick to rush into evil, 
  a false witness who pours out lies 
  and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

No one would argue that the Proverbs list is exhaustive, but in it we see the kind of company divorce keeps in God’s reckoning.  He considers it a detestable thing.

It’s also rampant in American culture and in the American Church.

This may explain why Malachi 2:16 doesn’t come up too often.  After all, if 34% of married evangelical Christians have experienced divorce after they have come to faith in Christ, it takes a combination of great bravery and extraordinary tact to preach on a text that may to offend a third or more of any given congregation.

And besides, we ask ourselves, why would God hate divorce so much? Good question.  Why does God hate divorce?

One obvious answer might be the damage it does to the people divorcing. 

Economically divorce devastates most couples.  There are increased living expenses and legal bills (often ongoing legal bills if children are involved).  A 2002 study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family indicated that being divorced resulted in a 73 percent reduction in wealth relative to those who are married.[1]  This plays a part in emotional damage.

A friend and her husband who was a serial adulterer finally divorced.  In spite of his philandering and her hard work to keep the marriage together, she said that more than anything else she felt like a complete failure--a feeling that stayed with her for years.  And that’s not a surprise.  A US government report notes that studies have "documented that increases in depressive symptoms after divorce are long-lasting and that the prevalence of these symptoms remains elevated years after the marital breakup."[2]

The emotional damage is only exacerbated by so-called "no-fault" divorce.  No-fault divorce, as Jennifer Roback Morse is a misnomer:

The more accurate, descriptive term would be "unilateral divorce."  One person can unilaterally end the marriage.  If the other person wants the marriage to continue, and is willing to work to keep it alive, that doesn’t matter.  The legal arrangement favors the person who wants to end the marriage, not the person who wants to work at keeping it together.[3]

Then spiritually, Christians who divorce have a need to justify God’s "leading" them to divorce the very person God "led" them to marry in the first place.  Of course, many unable to tolerate the cognitive dissonance this creates drop out of their churches and the faith altogether.

You would think, perhaps, that despite the emotional, physical, and financial sacrifices those who leave unhappy marriages would be happier in the end.  You would be wrong.  A 2002 study by the Institute on American Values stated:

Divorce was never associated with an increase in the emotional well-being of unhappily married spouses. Divorce did not make unhappily married spouses personally happier, or reduce depression, or increase personal mastery, or self-esteem... [4]

Divorce exacts a high price and returns little in long-term wellbeing.  It damages the two spouses.  But that is not the reason God hates divorce.

A second possible answer to why God hates divorce is the damage it does to children.  Children of divorce are more likely to have behavioral problems and use illegal drugs.  They are less likely to complete high school or attend college, obtain higher-status jobs, or report happiness as adults.[5]

When compared to children whose parents remained married, children whose parents divorced or separated were more likely to engage in sexual intercourse before age seventeen. [6]  Girls whose parents divorced or separated early in childhood were more likely to get pregnant before age nineteen than girls whose parents remained together.[7]

Elizabeth Marquardt, herself a child of divorce, conducted a study of the inner lives of children of divorce.  Marquardt writes:

Using hard data and a control group of young people from intact families, we discovered that divorce causes deep and lasting struggles for children even when they manage to survive it and look "fine."[8]

This is reflected in what becomes a negative feedback loop.  Women who had experienced parental divorce in childhood were 59% more likely to divorce than women who had not experienced parental divorce. [9]  The likelihood of divorce in marriages where both spouses come from divorced homes was 189% higher than in marriages where neither spouse had experienced a parental divorce.[10]  These divorces, in turn, harm the next generation of children increasing the likelihood that they too will divorce.

This is just a small sample of the vast body of findings on how divorce harms children.  But damage to children is not the reason God hates divorce.

The reason God hates divorce has to do with God’s character and glory.  Divorce tells an enormous lie about God.  A couple breaking their marriage covenant implies that God is or at least may be a covenant breaker.

While marriage is important because it provides companionship, an outlet for sexuality, and procreation, marriage is preeminently a picture of God and his people.  Throughout the Bible God refers to his people as his bride.

Take for example the Old Testament book the Song of Solomon.  Is it a book celebrating erotic love between a man and a woman or is it a book about God’s love for his people?  The answer is it is a book celebrating erotic love between a man and a woman precisely because it is a book about God’s love for his people.

Hosea was called to enact God’s relationship with his people by marrying.  His wife, Gomer, is described as "a woman of adultery" who left Hosea for another man who apparently enslaved her.  God told Hosea to buy her back, that is, to redeem her the way God redeems us. 

In the same way, God says of Israel, his unfaithful, idolatrous and, therefore, adulterous people:

"I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; 
she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, 
but me she forgot," declares the LORD. 

Those prospects are not good, but that, of course, is not the end of the story.

"Therefore I am now going to allure her;  
I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her…. 
"In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me ‘my husband’; 
you will no longer call me ‘my master’….
I will betroth you to me forever; 
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 
I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD." 
(Hosea 2:13, 16, 19, 20)

The relationship between God and Israel is described as a marriage and we find the same marriage imagery in the New Testament to describe Christ and his church. 

In Ephesians 5, Paul launches into instructions for a Christian household beginning with husbands and wives.  Wives are to be as the church is to Christ and husbands as Christ is to the church.  "‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’  This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:31-32).

The text so intermingles words about Christ and the church with words about marriage, that it is difficult to pull the two topics apart.  I suspect that this was precisely what the apostle intended.  In his mind, formed as it was by the Hebrew Scriptures, marriage between a man and a woman tells a truth about God and his people.  Any particular marriage may tell the truth well or poorly, but every marriage tells the story.

Finally at the end of all things, when God’s people are gathered and the Kingdom is fully come, the Revelation describes the celebration as a marriage supper.

"Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! 
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." 
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)  
Revelation 19:6b-8

This truth is touched upon in traditional marriage ceremonies, but has been largely forgotten in an era where the focus of weddings seems to be limited to the bride and groom and their love for one another.  The Book of Common Prayer wedding ceremony begins by reminding the couple and the congregation, "[Marriage] signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church…."[11]  Nothing more important or profound can be said about marriage. 

I believe this is one of the things that must be said if a wedding is to be genuinely Christian in its character.  Just as each human is made in the image of God, every marriage is made in the image of God’s faithfulness to his people.  Small wonder it is "not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God."[12]

There are times when we all wonder whether or not God is faithful.  We may know that he has made a covenant with us that is sealed by the blood of Christ shed on the cross, but we doubt.  While we are unable to see his covenant faithfulness, we can see the covenant faithfulness of husbands and wives.  Their fidelity and love--inconsistent and imperfect as they may be--are intended to be a mirror for the rest of us of God’s perfect fidelity and love. 

Divorce smashes the mirror and in doing so portrays God’s fidelity and love as fickle and changeable rather than immutable and eternal.  This lie that divorce tells about God’s character veils and distorts his glory.  And that is the reason that God hates divorce.

Is divorce ever justified?  Sadly, yes.  The Westminster Confession of Faith says that while our fallen nature wants to divorce "for any and every reason" (Matthew 19:3), "nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church, or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage."[13]  This criterion, the Confession goes on to say, is not to be determined by the individuals involved, but is to go through due process in both Church and state.  

We live in a fallen, sinful, broken world and tragedies--including the tragedy of failed marriages--happen.  We will never eliminate divorce even in the church.  As Christians we must offer help, healing, and the grace of God to divorced Christians.

   Prepare To Meet Your God

Amos 4:12