Divorce and Remarriage
Notes:
Purpose for Marriage
- God created man in his own image--male and female. Male and female come together as one flesh, speaking of a sexual union, which are capable of reproducing itself in the form of children.
- God only created one wife for Adam, any man with more than one wife is out of God's will. "If any be blameless, the husband of one wife" (Titus 1:5-6).
- Any woman with more than one husband is also out of God's will. "Do not let a widow be taken into the number under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man" (1 Timothy 5:9).
Divorce and Remarriage (EGW cases)
- Divorce and Remarriage in EGW. Duration 33:59. It turns out, there are only six (6) main cases of divorce and remarriage in the EGW writings. They are listed as follows in chronological order:
- 1. Sister Jones: Intemperate Husband. Ms2, 1863, Testimony Regarding the Monterey Church, "Still Married in God's Sight, Although Divorced."
- 2. Sister A. G.: Adulterous Husband. RH March 24, 1868: "Dealing With Those Overtaken in the Sin of Adultery." "Adultery, Divorce, and Church Membership."
- 3. Dr. Gibbs: Incredulous Wife. Letter 8, 1988; Gibbs, Dr. "Counsel to One Contemplating Divorce."
- 4. Sister & Brother Harper: Eunuch Husband.
- 5. Sister Carlyle: Authoritative Husband. Letter 168, 1901; Carlyle, Sister, "A Wife Urged to Change Disposition, Not the Marriage Status."
- 6. Brother and SIster Nelson: Separated Spouses. Letter 47a, 1902; Nelson, Mary. "Advice to a Separated Couple."
Divorce and Remarriage (EGW counsel)
- 1LtMs, Ms 2, 1863, par. 11: And again I saw, Brother Lay, that the church have not taken the right view of scripture. A woman may be legally divorced from her husband by the laws of the land and yet not divorced in the sight of God and according to the higher law. There is only one sin, which is adultery, which can place the husband or wife in a position where they can be free from the marriage vow in the sight of God. Although the laws of the land may grant a divorce, yet they are husband and wife still in the Bible light, according to the laws of God.
- During her lifetime, Ellen White offered counsel to people with troubled marriages. Occasionally, she also participated in discussion of church policy. But she resisted serving as the authority to resolve cases for which she had no specific light. At one point she said,
- 25LtMs, Ms 2, 1913, par. 2: I do not think any such questions as that ought to be placed before me. I do not think it is my work to deal with any such things, unless the case has been plainly opened before me. There should be brethren in the church who have wisdom, who can speak decidedly regarding this case. I cannot understand such things. I do not believe that God wants me to take any such burden upon me. If they cannot settle such things among themselves by prayer and fasting, then let them continue fasting and prayer till they can.
- 25LtMs, Ms 2, 1913, par. 9: I cannot take responsibility in such matters. The burden of doing so is too great. Let those appointed of God to bear the responsibility deal with it in accordance with Christian principles.
- Later, reflecting on his mother's work, W. C. White wrote: "It was Sister White's intention that there should not go forth from her pen anything that could be used as a law or a rule in dealing with these question of marriage, divorce, remarriage, and adultery." ---W.C. White, January 6, 1931 quoted in Elbio Pereyra, "Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Writings of Ellen G. White," unpublished manuscript, Ellen G. White Estate, Febl, 1987.
Divorce and Remarriage (SDA)
- Divorce and Remarriage in Adventism. Duration 42:26.
- Divorce and Remarriage in the Seventh-day Adventist Church: SDA Policy on Divorce and Remarriage: A Brief Outline of Historical Developments. Dated: July 27, 2018.
- 1862: One of the first questions raised at the 1862 Michigan State Conference was this: "How shall we treat divorced marriages? (1) The questioner was a Brother Sanborn who needed an answer to a practical question. Should we accept into fellowship individuals who had become divorced without "biblical justification" and were later remarried? The difficult query was referred to the Conference committee for further consideration. There exists, however, no record of any subsequent action. So we cannot be certain what answer Brother Sanborn received during these early years. --Joseph Bates, "Business Proceedings of the Michigan State Conference," Review and Herald, October 14, 1862, p. 157.
- The following is taken from : Handwritten minutes of 1879 GC Session in the General Conference Archives:
- 1879: RESOLVED,
- 1. That after mature deliberation, we express it as our conviction that the New Testament plainly teaches the fact that there is in this dispensation but one sufficient cause for divorce; and that it is alone to be found in the commission of the sin of adultery by one or the other of the parties to the marriage contract.
- 2. That we most earnestly recommend that in all things our churches should pursue a course in harmony with the above principles, by refusing to receive into their numbers any persons who have been divorced for any other cause than that of adultery, and have subsequently been married to another person, with whom he or she is living in the relation of husband or wife, during the lifetime of the person from whom such individual was improperly divorced.
- 3. That in all cases where it shall be found that there are members of existing churches who are living together as man and wife in violation of the foregoing principles, such cases should not be deault with until the advice of the General Conference Committee, or that of the Conference Committee of the State to which the church belongs, shall have been sought and obtained.
- 1887: General Conference Session resolution:
- WHEREAS, Our Savior has laid down the one sole ground on which parties once married can be divorced; and,
- WHEREAS, the practices of society have become more deplorable in this respect, as seen in the prevalence of unscriptural divorces; therefore,
- RESOLVED, That we express our deprecation of this great evil, and instruct our ministers not to unite in marriage any parties so divorced.
- [The leaders did not come to agreement on the above proposed resolutions and the matter was permanently tabled.]
- 1862-1900. The RH published some 15 articles, comments, and answers to questions, and responses of readers on the subject of divorce and remarriage. The position held by the RH has been consistent through the years. Adultery is the only reason for divorce. Of particular interest are two notes published by Uriah Smith in 1887 (January 11 and February 8). He first deals with a specific case of remarriage other than adultery. The second focuses on other cases cited by readers and their response, as well as the position of the editor.
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