Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible: A Fresh Look at What Scripture Teaches

by Jay E. Adams

Book Overview

If the church is going to use the Bible to decide whether divorce is legitimate in certain cases and whether divorced couples have the right to remarry with the approval and blessing of God's people, then the Bible must be studied without prejudice toward a particular answer. The author examines the relevant passages in both the Old and New Testaments so that his readers can consider the many issues and interpretations that arise in trying to establish...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310511119
• ISBN13: 9780310511113
• Release Date: June 1986
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Accruate Biblical study on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage.

Jay Adams does an excellent presentation of the biblical teachings of marriage, divorce and remarriage. Difficult and negelected questions regarding divorce and remarriage are answered well in this study...written with a readable and practicle style that does justice to the Biblical teachings.

Handy Summary for a Difficult Topic

Pastors increasingly are facing questions from parishioners regarding how the Bible itself defines marriage, divorce and remarriage. Offering answers based on church tradition is not sufficient -- persons want to know what God's Word has to say. In this book, Jay Adams provides a very concise summary of the Biblical understanding of marriage, divorce and remarriage.I commend Adams for his loyalty to the Scriptures in this volume. On the one hand, he departs from the ultra-traditionalists who would say that any remarriage after divorce is sinful. On the other hand, he doesn't join ultra-progressives who would imply that divorce really isn't a major theological issue in today's society. While I do not agree with his interpretation of the Matthew 18 passage as applying to divorce proceedings among two Christians, he offers many other excellent, helpful points.This small yet substantial book is the best treatment I have found to date on what the Bible itself says on this knotty church issue. Every church leader's bookshelf should have a copy. This volume is well worth the price!

A Solid Presentation of A Difficult Issue

Adams does a thorough job of harmonizing the various Scriptural passages that deal with marriage, divorce, remarriage, and church discipline. He is clear, scholarly, and does not strain the texts.His understanding of Scripture leads to the viewpoint that divorce does break marriage, though sin is always at the root of divorce. Remarriage is allowable for desertion or adultery.As a pastor of 22 years, I have used Adams' book for over 20 of those years and recommended it to others. Since the book is so closely tied to Scripture, and since Adams' interpretative instinct is sharp and objective, I have seen several minister friends won over to Adams' perspective. More importantly, I have used this work in my counseling ministry repeatedly and keep a supply on hand for loaning purposes. If you want one good book about these issues, make it this one.

Solid and biblical

There are so many views about divorce among Christians. America lacks teachers who are like J. Adams and present the Bible in a clear way. He simply lets the Bible interpret the Bible. I think if most American Christians had a fundamental understanding of marriage, divorce and remarriage according to the Bible, the divorce rate would not be so high among believers. This is a must read for anyone who genuinely cares about understanding what God's principles are about marriage, divorce and remarriage. Reading this book helped me to continue to love my wife and fight for my marriage. I found tremendous encouragement and support in biblical explanations and analysis presented by J. Adams. It is written very clearly and makes a lot of sense. I was disappointed when the pastor I knew said disagreed about some of the views expressed in the book. But the book lays the reasons for what marriage is and how God regulates divorce if it takes place. I highly recommend this book to couples going through separation, divorce or remarriage.

A tough subject dealt with biblically and comprehensively

Jay Adams sets the tone quickly by first defining what biblical marraige is so that the divorce and re-marraige issues can be understood against this foundation. I believe he strives to teach the scripture in it's context even though it may be different than what is commonly heard among fundamental, evangelical Christians. I very much recommend this book for close study, as I have gone through it three times and have not exhausted it. Adams gives some case study examples in which he demonstrates how to apply the scriptures in twisted, complex, real life scenarios. While he is clear in maintaining that all divorce is the result of sin, he establishes that all divorce is not necessarily sinful to every party concerned. While many will not agree with all that Mr. Adams writes, most must conclude that his effort and desire is to honor the Lord in the proper and circumspect use of the Bible. This is not a 'divorce is o.k. and easy' sort of book. A helpful volumn that should get wide circulation.