Pastor Sarah Omakwu, Senior Pastor of the Abuja-based Family Worship Centre, has stated that the Bible gives believers no grounds for divorce other than sexual immorality.
She made this known in a message shared on her social media handles on Monday. July 27
Omakwu, who is a widow, noted that even if her late husband were still alive and she had divorced him, it would not have made the action right.
”If Adeboye, Kumuyi, or Okonkwo had divorced their wives, it still wouldn’t make it right,” she added.
She argued that Christians should not divorce their spouses under any circumstances, except on the biblical grounds of immorality.
While insisting that physical abuse in a marriage is not a valid ground for divorce, she acknowledged common counterarguments:
”I know many of you will bring up the issue of abuse and say that divorce should be permitted on those grounds. But the Bible does not give such permission.
”No matter who divorces, it is wrong based on the Word of God. If you do not intend to stay married for life, don’t get married. That is what the disciples meant when Jesus told them that sexual immorality was the only condition for divorce. The disciples responded that if that was the case, it was better not to marry at all.”
Abuse is grave
Omakwu further explained that while abuse is grave, Scripture does not list it as a reason to dissolve a marriage:
”The Bible does not explicitly list physical, emotional, or verbal abuse as grounds for divorce. It does not. Battery and abuse are grievous sins, but the Bible does not list them as grounds for divorce.
”Once there is battery, you remove yourself from the situation until it is fixed. If it takes 10 years to fix that person, so be it. And if it isn’t fixed, do not go back. You separate, offer counseling, and wait. Until you see a behavioral change, you do not return.”
She concluded by emphasizing a restorative approach:
”You don’t feed a child with your breast and then throw the child away. The spirit of Jesus is not to throw people away; the spirit is to restore people and help them fulfill their purpose—because even a batterer has a purpose. He has a story to tell. He needs to be able to say, ‘I used to beat my wife, but now I love her.’ And the wife should be able to confirm that it is true but that the Word cleansed and changed him.”