Almost any time a discussion of divorce & remarriage arises among Christians who have some familiarity of the New Testament, the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:9 are quickly brought into the conversation. It is probably the passage most often used to “prove” that there is at least one exception to the New Testament teaching that the sin of adultery is committed when a person who has been validly or lawfully married in the sight of God subsequently divorces and then gets remarried to another person while the original/lawful spouse is still physically alive.

However, once a person is aware of some important details, it becomes evident that Matthew 19:9 is an ambiguous verse that is most safely understood in light of the clear verses on this same topic. Therefore, it would not be wise for anyone to base a life decision upon an interpretation of that one verse which could affect their eternal destiny (see 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Heb 13:4; Rev 21:8; 22:15)! Please consider the following reasons why Matthew 19:9 should NOT be trusted as “proof” that there is some exception which would allow a person who has been lawfully/validly married in the sight of God to subsequently divorce and get remarried to a different person even though their prior spouse is still physically alive.