Exodus 21:9-11 specifies that if a master betroths a maid to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If the son properly marries another later, the maid will become a concubine. God’s ordination is clear: Her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage shall he not diminish. If he does not do these three things to her, she shall go out free and be a slave no more. Thus, if anyone thinks that he cannot have intercourse with his concubine, he is not keeping the law of God. I hope that you can be clear about this matter.
There is only one portion of the Word that addresses the matter of concubines in the New Testament. In reading the Bible, we love to see a certain matter that is mentioned only once. If a certain matter is mentioned twice, we have to make a comparison. If it is mentioned three or more times, we need to integrate the different portions before we can arrive at a conclusion about God’s teaching. This is why every Bible student loves single-incident injunctions, because one needs to refer to only one case in order to know God’s will. There is only one portion in the New Testament—1 Timothy—that only indirectly refers to the matter of concubines. There it says that an overseer must be the husband of one wife. This means that all who have concubines cannot be elders in the church. However, the New Testament does not say that such a one should send his concubine away or abstain from fulfilling her duty of marriage.
If a concubine is saved and has no compulsion for continued sexual relationships, it is good if she is willing to separate from the husband. But this is something voluntary; it is not a commandment of the Lord nor a commandment of the church. The church should not demand anything concerning this matter.
God has put only two together, and this principle should be maintained. It is quite obvious that a person who takes a concubine will suffer more affliction in the body than one who upholds monogamy. This one will naturally experience more discipline from the Lord.
The Bible speaks of divorce, but divorce is sanctioned by the Scripture under only one condition. There are many ordinances regarding divorce among the nations of the world. Some countries have more than twenty ordinances on the subject. The Chinese also have many ordinances. For example, if either party is mentally unsound or if there is incompatibility of any kind, the couple can divorce each other. But the Bible gives only one condition for divorce—adultery. Factors such as mental instability or prolonged separation do not constitute legitimate reasons for divorce. The only reason for a divorce is extramarital sexual conduct. In Matthew 19 and Luke 16 the Lord Jesus shows us clearly that divorce is permitted only if adultery is involved.
Divorce is allowed in the case of adultery because man should not separate what God has joined together. In other words, the husband and wife are one in the sight of God. All divorces violate this oneness. What is adultery? It is the destruction of that oneness. If you commit sexual acts with someone other than your wife or your husband, you have committed adultery and have violated that oneness. A wife or a husband may be missing for years or may be mentally sick. There may be psychological harassment or other factors involved, but if one party turns away and marries someone else, he is breaking the oneness and has committed adultery in reality.