What does “what God has joined together, let no one separate” mean?

Response

The statement “what God has joined together, let no one separate” pertains to marriage and divorce. It originates from Jesus’ teachings on marriage and divorce as recorded in Mark 10:1–12 and Matthew 19:1–12. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about the permissibility of divorce, Jesus essentially replied, “No”: “Have you not read . . . that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:4-6;cf: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24).

Jesus’ message is that a married couple is a union that “God has joined together.” Marriage is not a human invention—it originates from God and is part of His design for humanity. By stating “let no one separate” a marriage, Jesus conveyed that divorce is not in alignment with God’s intentions. Once a couple is married, they are united by God Himself, and this bond is intended to be lifelong. This principle remains true regardless of the couple’s beliefs. Even when two atheists marry, they are united by God, whether they acknowledge it or not. If God has joined them together, then no human has the authority to dissolve that union.

Subsequently, following Jesus’ declaration, “What God has joined together, let no one separate,” the Pharisees mentioned that Moses permitted divorce. Jesus acknowledged this but highlighted that this allowance was due to “hardness of heart” «He saith unto them,Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives. However, from the beginning, it was not meant to be so.” (Matthew 19:8, NASB), reaffirming that divorce was not part of God’s original plan.

Jesus’ directive against separating what God has united implies that a marriage can be dissolved, and the union of one flesh can be severed through divorce. Among Christians, there is a debate on whether divorce can ever be justified. Many, perhaps the majority, would permit divorce in cases of unrepentant infidelity by one spouse, as indicated in Matthew 19:9, or when an unbelieving spouse deserts a believing partner who no longer wishes to remain married to a believer. “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases, the believing partner is not bound; God has called us to live in peace.” (see 1 Corinthians 7:15). In these situations, the marital bond has been broken by infidelity or desertion—a separation of what God has joined together—and it is a sorrowful event.

Even if the aforementioned exceptions are acknowledged, our society and often even the church tend to downplay the seriousness of divorce. If marriage were merely a human agreement akin to a business partnership or club membership, individuals would be free to enter and exit at their discretion. Divorce is not merely a mutual decision to part ways; it involves one or both partners in a marriage choosing to definitively end something that God intended to be lifelong. This is a weighty matter!