My husband and I invited God into our marriage, right from the start. Steve looked for a wedding band for me with two diamonds, to represent us, with the larger diamond on the engagement ring to represent God.
Right now, I’m wearing a necklace Steve gave me for Christmas right before we married, a braid of three strands of gold. Steve told me this was to represent God, him, and me, our lives entwined together in the marriage we were beginning.
So, God was invited into our marriage, right from the start.
And God uses the language of marriage when He describes His relationship with us. Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband — the Lord Almighty is his name — the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.”
I got to wondering. If you wanted out of a marriage with God, how could you do it?
Could you claim that God had abandoned you? That can never be, “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5).
How about Cruelty? Again ludicrous. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Of course, God cannot be accused of Adultery or a Felony.
However, in Virginia, you’d be able to get no-fault grounds. Even if your spouse does not want a divorce, if you leave them and are separated for one year, you can get a divorce.
So–do you think that would work on God? God, Who has “loved you with an everlasting love” definitely would not agree to a separation. You would have to leave on your own. After a year of staying away from Him, a Virginia court would grant you a divorce.
But would that dissolve your marriage in God’s eyes? I don’t think so.
If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
So how can you possibly dissolve a marriage when God is one of the participants in the marriage? Legally, maybe you can do it. But morally, how can you ask God to renege on his part of the covenant? And even if you ask Him to, what makes you think He ever would?
Is there an unforgivable sin? Could that separate one from God?
Personally, I think that God eventually forgives everyone. That as long as the person is resistant, they cannot experience God’s forgiveness. But that, eventually, they will not be able to hold out against God.
But I suppose your question gets at the heart of the matter. If there is a sin God can’t forgive, then a person can separate themselves from God permanently.
But if you believe that “No one can snatch my sheep out of my hand,” then you can’t “divorce” yourself from God.
Jesus answered that God allowed divorce only because of the hardness of men’s hearts. Divorce is not God’s will, and He would never break a covenant that He has made. However, man is not God… we do all sorts of stupid selfish things that destroy our relationships with other people and severely harm our relationship with God. Those personal relationships can sometimes be healed through forgiveness, work and time. I believe God will always forgive us if we truly repent (turn around) and humble ourselves before Him and ask for His forgiveness.
Is there an unforgivable sin…? Jesus said that blaspheme against the Holy Spirit was unforgivable…
Divorce is so prevalent both in and out of the “church” that the church has felt it must be politically correct and not come down hard against it so as not to lose membership. I am aware that there are legit reasons for seeking a divorce, but between Christians those reasons should not be an issue.
With all that in mind, I am thankful that God does not divorce me, even though He has plenty of grounds. Instead, he treats me like Hosea’s wife–willing to go after me and bring me back.