This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
Week 9: Chapter 8 — What God Has Joined: Divorce and Remarriage
Read Chapter 8 of This Momentary Marriage. Key Scriptures: Matthew 19:3–9; 1 Corinthians 7:10–16; Malachi 2:16.
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This may be the most pastorally sensitive chapter in the book — approach it with both fidelity to God's Word and tenderness toward the real pain divorce carries.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Piper begins from Jesus' words in Matthew 19: 'What God has joined together, let not man separate.' Why does Piper insist on starting there — with the permanence of the covenant — rather than beginning with the exceptions? What difference does it make to lead with permanence?
2.God says in Malachi 2:16, 'I hate divorce.' Piper takes that statement seriously. How does he interpret it — not as condemnation of those who have been divorced, but as an expression of God's heart toward the covenant? What is the distinction, and why does it matter pastorally?
3.Piper works carefully through the biblical exceptions — Matthew 19 (sexual immorality) and 1 Corinthians 7 (abandonment by an unbelieving spouse). What are these exceptions, and what do they have in common? Why do these situations, and not others, constitute grounds for divorce in Piper's reading?
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