The Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on divorce, a theological evaluation

Abstract

Divorce poses a serious threat to society because it destroys one of the divinely originated institutions, which is the family. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has consistently maintained a position that divorce falls short of the divine ideal for the marriage institution. Until recently, when abandonment was included as a ground for divorce, the Church had restricted the legitimacy for divorce to marital unfaithfulness. But this has engendered controversies as to whether the church’s position is biblical. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to biblically and theologically ascertain the grounds for divorce, when permissible. The study adopted a comparative-theological approach in its methodology. This includes a comparative and theological analysis of relevant texts on divorce in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The findings reveal that a juxtaposition of Jesus’ teachings on divorce and Moses’ in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 shows that Moses’ teachings were descriptive and not prescriptive. Jesus intimates that the concession of Moses which is because of their hard heart borders on permission, not a command. Divorce is biblically allowable only on the issue of an exception clause of porneia or unfaithfulness to the marriage vow. Paul’s counsel on abandonment in 1 Corinthians 7 hardly serves as a basis for divorce but a giving of admonition on mixed marriages. The Church should see marriage as sacred and guide it against secular ideology which trivializes the institution. There is need for the church to be proactive in initiating a redemptive approach in marital conflicts, through counseling, in order to bring about reconciliation between a couple before the disagreements escalate to the point of divorce.