Under What Grounds Does God Allow Divorce Today?

"The Pharisees interpreted Moses’ teaching on divorce (Deut. 24:1) to mean that a man could divorce his wife at virtually any whim. Jesus here counters their abuse, restricting divorce to the grounds of sexual immorality, a term which means any deviation from the clearly defined biblical standards for sexual activity (for example, homosexuality, adultery, fornication, and prostitution)."

In Matthew 19:1-9, the study notes say:

"Divorce is a case of a heart hardened toward God. In this text Jesus frankly addresses a pivotal issue: the cause of divorce is hardness of heart. Behind every broken marriage is a heart hardened against God, then hardened against one’s mate. From the very beginning, God’s intention for marriage was that it be for life. Realizing this, believers should exercise care in choosing a life mate (see II Cor. 6:14). Yet no marriage will be so free of differences and difficulties that it could not end up in divorce if husband and wife were deceived into following their natural inclinations.

"The devil will exaggerate your mate’s failures and inadequacies, sow suspicion and jealousy, indulge your self-pity, insist that you deserve something better, and hold out the hollow promise that things would be better with someone else. But hear Jesus’ words, and remember: God can change hearts and remove all hardness if we will allow Him."