Marriage Is Sacred and Binding^(A)

³¹ “Furthermore it has been said, ^(B)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that ^(C)whoever divorces his wife for any reason except ^[a]sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

² Then Jesus called a little ^(A)child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(B)unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (C)Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ^5 (D)Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

³ The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who ^[a]made them at the beginning ^(A)‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ^(B)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and ^(C)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

⁷ They said to Him, ^(D)“Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the ^(E)hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your ^(F)wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ^9 (G)And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for ^[b]sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God ^(A)‘made them male and female.’ ^7 (B)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. ¹¹ So He said to them, ^(C)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

^18 (A)For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and ^(B)unrighteousness of men, who ^[a]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because ^(C)what may be known of God is ^[b]manifest ^[c]in them, for ^(D)God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world ^(E)His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and ^[d]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but ^(F)became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ^22 (G)Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the ^(H)incorruptible ^(I)God into an image made like ^[e]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

^24 (J)Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, ^(K)to dishonor their bodies ^(L)among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged ^(M)the truth of God ^(N)for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to ^(O)vile passions. For even their ^[f]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the ^[g]men, leaving the natural use of the ^[h]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things ^(P)which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, ^[i]sexual immorality, wickedness, ^[j]covetousness, ^[k]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ^31 [l]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, ^[m]unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, ^(Q)knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things ^(R)are deserving of death, not only do the same but also ^(S)approve of those who practice them.

Principles of Marriage

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

^(A)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 (B)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 (C)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 ^(D)Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ But I say this as a concession, ^(E)not as a commandment. ⁷ For ^(F)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: ^(G)It is good for them if they remain even as I am; ⁹ but ^(H)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 ^(I)Lord: ^(J)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 ^(K)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 ^(L)to peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, O wife, whether you will ^(M)save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

^21 (A)submitting to one another in the fear of ^[a]God.

Marriage—Christ and the Church^(B)

²² Wives, ^(C)submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For ^(D)the husband is head of the wife, as also ^(E)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 ^(F)in everything.

^25 (G)Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^(H)gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might ^[b]sanctify and cleanse her ^(I)with the washing of water ^(J)by the word, ^27 (K)that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, ^(L)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 ^(M)we are members of His body, ^[c]of His flesh and of His bones. ^31 (N)“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the ^(O)two shall become one flesh.” ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless ^(P)let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she ^(Q)respects her husband.

Children and Parents^(A)

6 Children, ^(B)obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ^2 (C)“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: ³ “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

⁴ And ^(D)you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but ^(E)bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

The Christian Home^(A)

^18 (B)Wives, submit to your own husbands, ^(C)as is fitting in the Lord.

^19 (D)Husbands, love your wives and do not be ^(E)bitter toward them.

^20 (F)Children, obey your parents ^(G)in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

^21 (H)Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.