1 Corinthians 7:15

But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace (KJV)

Then: Christ's teachings on divorce take priority for Paul. Believers should stay married because they have made a sacred commitment. Yet for the sake of living in peace, that is actually displaying Christ's love, Paul advises the Corinthians to let non-believers leave the marriage. Possibly, loving your neighbor as yourself is the overriding principle. Daily contentions mar and block evidences of love. Peace reveals it. Therefore, Paul told the Corinthian brothers and/or sisters in Christ that they didn't need to stay bound to their vows. In a balance of two evils - divorce or daily contentions - Paul puts peace first. Knowing that no man is perfect, Paul still must have hated the need to deal with such problems. Yet loving all, as did Christ, he sorted through the morass to livable answers.

An additional principle may have been Christ's deference to the free will of each man. Since Christ never forces subjection, neither should a marriage. The Lord's delight is the individual who recognizes him as the truth, the way, and the life. In marriage, the unbelieving spouse cannot be required to violate his or her free will to associate with believers.

Now: It is difficult to know how Paul's advice and approach apply after a divorce. When Christ teaches that dissolution is allowed (Matthew 19:9) because of one partner's infidelity, remarriage is not precluded. But Paul has two contrary precepts: "Stay as you are when called," and "Do not risk your salvation." The first would result in never remarrying. The second implies remarriage in order to stay pure before Christ. Nit-picking through these two rulings can blind people to the true answer of seeking the highest calling of living for Christ.

Prayer, knowledge of self, and openness to God's directions can reveal resolutions which differ from person to person. Another layer of difficulty is the after-action and understandings of what to do when both members of the divorced couple were already followers. Paul did not allow them to divorce. Judging the divorced spouses' depth of commitment to Christ is not useful. Recognition that all men are imperfectly able to follow is a given. Remembering Christ's ever-available forgiveness helps. In spite of the fallen state of mankind - both personal and universal - fellow believers repent and continue teaching the Lord's calling to salvation.