My marriage to (wife’s name)____________________________ was commenced through a Covenant of Marriage on (date of marriage)__________ based on strongly biblical and religious grounds. It was commenced without a state marriage license and it is thus fitting that its religious dissolution should be initiated on biblical and theological grounds rather than in a state court.
In defiance to God and her wedding vows, (wife)_______________ has refused to be submissive and she has refused to change her ways in spite of much biblical counseling. She has admitted in her sworn deposition for the Family Court that:
She does not want to be reconciled to her husband;
She has broken her wedding vows;
She believes that her wedding vows based on the Bible made her a “doormat”;
She no longer accepts or agrees with her wedding vows;
She voluntarily left the marital home in the summer of 2006 (i.e., she abandoned her husband);
She took the initial steps to filing for divorce as plaintiff in Family Court, known as “separate support and maintenance”, which will become a state divorce in due course, albeit without biblical cause;
She committed fraud;
She has (without regret) not followed biblical procedure (Mt. 5:22-24; 18:15-17) in confronting her husband;
She blames her husband for many of her marital and sexual sins and refuses to own up to them;
Moreover:
She has used the state and police to assail her husband;
She has used the state’s power to deny her husband carrying out his proper, God-ordained role as father;
She has lied under oath and to the police, attempting to harm her husband and hence his children;
She has been abusive to her husband emotionally, physically, and verbally, and has withheld sex;
She is living open and unrepentant sin with respect to her husband by her present mistreatment of him.
The Bible teaches that a man may not divorce his wife “for any cause”. If he finds in her some “indecency”, what Jesus called “pornea”, i.e., violating the covenantal agreement by spiritual adultery (which is idolatry), he may give his wife a certificate of divorce and “send her away”. The certificate of divorce is God’s means for a person to deal with their covenant-violating spouse (Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Matthew 5:31-32, 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12). He may treat the covenant breaker as an unbeliever who has departed from him (1 Corinthians 7:10-15). However, the two are bound to never again marry once a certificate of divorce has been issued.
Therefore, upon consulting with my pastor (name of Pastor and church) ________________regarding the theological premises of covenantal marriage and divorce, and on account of (wife)______________ feminism and flagrant and radical violations of her covenantal vows in the marriage, I hereby (wife full name)____________________________ this certificate of divorce and send her away. She has made it impossible for me to keep my wedding vows and I am the innocent party in the dissolution of this marriage, and thus I am eligible to remarry. From this day forward let all men know by these presents that I have divorced my wife for biblical cause of radical covenantal violation of her vows.
Executed this day:____________________ Husband:____________________________
Pastor:_____________________________
I, the undersigned, Notary Public for the State of South Carolina, County of Greenville, witness that on this nineteenth day of June 2007, John M. Cobin personally appeared before me. The above signature was under oath, executed by the person known to me and to be the said signer. Witness my hand and official seal.
Notary Public: ____________________
My commission expires: _________________