Divorce-What the Bible doesn't say...

A favorite part of my week here in PA is our small group meetings on Wednesday nights. When Philip and I moved to PA we were anxious to find a good Biblically grounded church and thankfully God directed us towards one. The church we attend is larger in size, so they encourage those who attend to find a small group. This was something we were always attracted to and think it is a great tool in any church, big or small. It is a great chance to encourage one another, pray together, REALLY get to know one another on a personal level, and dig deep into God's word, getting interpretations and thoughts from all sorts of backgrounds. We LOVE it and I don't want to speak for Philip, but it is a highlight of my week.

So last night was not any different. We went to small group again. However, since Christmas our group has gotten smaller. We originally had 12 people and somehow we have shrunk to 5-7 depending on the night. A little disappointed at first, I am now excited because I feel like I am getting to know people much better. Last night Philip was in charge and like most weeks we got off topic. However our conversations were so good. There is someone in our group that has come to know the Lord within the past few years, but prior to that went through and awful divorce. From our conversations you could tell that they struggle with some areas of the divorce biblically and aren't sure what to do. So we spent much of last night discussing the topic of divorce.

Now I am not a Bible expert and would not even claim to know it very well (at least not as well as I should) but a few verses came to mind last night as we were talking and were shared by either Philip or I.

Matthew 19:3-9 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband, and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

Now I am very aware that there are more verses, but these are the two that came to mind. In my opinion what these verses say, say it VERY clear, however there are more questions that arise which brings me to ponder them. I will present the questions below and would ask anyone to comment or give their opinion.

1. If a person divorces before they come to know the Lord, are they still held by the Biblical standards? Can they get remarried in a church?

2. According to 1 Corinthians a woman can only remarry her husband (or ex I suppose), but if the ex husband is not a believer what then should be done?
Should this person be allowed to date?

3. What if a person is married and tries everything to reconcile the marriage, but the spouse refuses and continues the divorce, should the committed person be able to date and possibly re-marry?

These are only a few of the questions that linger in my mind. I have an idea of what I think on some, but am curious to get the opinions of others. There are so many "gray" topics, such as divorce in the Bible that I have struggled with how to respond and with divorce being so prevalent in today's culture I think it is important to know where I stand in ALL areas and questions. The Bible is to be our guide through life, but sometimes I find it hard to find the "right" or "perfect" answer. I will continue to Biblically research this topic, but in the meantime PLEASE help me out with your thoughts and opinions.