One wife, no divorce

Although polygamy was practiced in the Old Testament, it doesn’t mean that God authorized it. In fact, in the beginning, God designed man and woman to be one flesh, He only made one wife for Adam, who was Eve [Genesis 2:23-24]. Jesus pointed out the obstinacy of the Israelites as the reason why taking wife after another occurred [Mark 10:5-9]. Lamech, the first man who practiced polygamy, was the son of Cain whom God cursed. Job, the oldest Saint recorded in the Old Testament whom God called “my servant”, had one wife only [Job 2:9-10].  God forbids a man to divorce his wife and take another. Religion or individual who practices polygamy is detestable to God, and this will be judged in the Last Day. The following are some of the verses in the Bible proving that God does not allow polygamy;

1. [Genesis 2:23-24] And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

2. [Deuteronomy 14:16-17] “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold“

3. [Malachi 2:15-16] “Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord Almighty. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife. 

4. [Proverbs 5:18] Let your own fountain be blessed, and enjoy the girl you married when you were young

5. [Mark 10:5-9] “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate”

6. [Mark 10:11-12] So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.

7. [Matthew 5:31-32] Furthermore it has been said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery”

8. [Matthew 19:4-6] Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

9. [1 Timothy 3:2] An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach 

10. [Titus 1:6] A spiritual leader must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife and have children who are believers. His children shouldn’t be known for having wild lifestyles or being rebellious.

11. [1 Corinthians 7:1-3] It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband 

12. [Ephesians 5:33] Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

13. [Hebrews 13:3-4] “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge“

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Author: Renz Pejana Silawan

The author is just a simple man, He was a carving and carpentry sub-contractor. But lately, he discovered that his true passion is writing. He studied at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, took up Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. The fear of death knocked on his mind when he aquired 3 lumps on his neck in 2010. He realized that the most important thing to a man is eternal life. He found out that the Bible is consistent in its teaching and backed up by spiritual and physical evidences. Today, he is happy knowing that there is a God who will receive him in the afterlife. And he wants to share this discovery to all people who are willing to accept this good news. View all posts by Renz Pejana Silawan