The apostle Paul wrote: “To the married people I give instructions, yet not I but the Lord, that a wife should not depart from her husband; but if she should actually depart, let her remain unmarried or else make up again with her husband; and a husband should not leave his wife.”​—1 Corinthians 7:10, 11.

Those words acknowledge that among imperfect humans a mate sometimes decides to leave. For example, Paul said that if a mate departed, both parties were to “remain unmarried.” Why? Well, the mate departed, but the two continued bound to each other in God’s eyes. Paul could say this because Jesus had set out the standard for Christian marriage: “Whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication [Greek, por·neiʹa], and marries another commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9) Yes, the only basis for divorce that Scripturally ends a marriage is “fornication,” that is, sexual immorality. Evidently, in the case Paul referred to, neither mate had been immoral, so when the husband or wife departed, the marriage did not end in God’s sight.

Having established her willingness to forgive even after a divorce, neither she nor her husband would be free to marry another. If she, the innocent mate whose offer of forgiveness was refused, later decides to reject him because of his immorality, both would then be free. Jesus showed that the innocent mate has a right to make such a decision.​—Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18.