Desertion: Is It Grounds for Divorce?

"Paul writes to believers in 1 Corinthians 7 and tells them that they should not desert their partners, even if those partners are non-believers. The "desertion" may include either walking out or throwing out--Paul implies both in verses 10-11. This desertion was the recognized Greco-Roman method of divorce. Paul presents this command in the strongest terms, emphasizing that it is based directly on the teaching of Jesus. However, he cannot command nonbelievers in the same way. He can only hope that they will remain married to their believing partners.

"Paul commands believers who have deserted their partners to remain unmarried and to seek reconciliation. He cannot, however, command nonbelievers who have deserted their partners to return to them. So, he tells deserted believers that there is nothing more that they can do, and that they are "no longer bound."

"If believers are deserted by believing partners, Paul commands that deserters to return. There appears to be no doubt that the believers will obey this command. Paul says that it is not his own command, but that of Jesus (v. 10: "not I, but the Lord"). Paul therefore does not even discuss the possibility that believing deserters will not return to their partners. If believers did refuse to obey this command, and thereby refuse to obey the direct command of Jesus, the Church would presumably be forced to excommunicate them. [Or, cringe, tremble, rationalize, and look the other way.]

"Therefore verse 15 applies not only to desertion by a nonbeliever, but to any desertion that cannot be reversed. Paul assumes that this will occur only if the deserter is a nonbeliever, but in a secular-minded church, even a so-called believer disobeys the direct command of Christ." Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible, David Instone-Brewer, pages 281-282.

Emphasis the author's. Bracket comment by DRS.

Mail this page to a friend