Marriage & Divorce "Shocking Divorce Stats Among Christians!"

The message explores the challenging realities of Christian marriages, highlighting statistical data that reveals high divorce rates among believers, comparable to those of non-Christians. It delves into biblical teachings, particularly Jesus' words in Matthew 19 and Mark 10, which attribute divorce to the hardness of human hearts, synonymous with sin. The speaker emphasizes God's original design for marriage as a union of one flesh, a miraculous joining by God, which should reflect Christ's relationship with the church. Through an analysis of various scriptures and the symbolic act of joining playdough, the message underscores the spiritual and relational responsibilities within marriage, the importance of public commitment, and the need for understanding and practicing biblical principles to prevent marital failure.
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[@kevingeorge1095]

In general, I agree with your message. However, I would suggest a closer look at the texts and the real-life scenario of the times in which the statements were made.
There are two different words used in the Matthew texts, both of which are translated as “divorce”, but they are not the same. One word is “apolysē” (Strong’s 630) and means to send away, or to dismiss, as when Jesus dismissed “apolysē” the crowds in Mat. 14:22. The other word is “apostasiou” (Strong’s 647) and more specifically means divorce in the full legal sense. The first, “apolysē” (Strong’s 630), does not necessarily include the second, “apostasiou” (Strong’s 647), and that is what Jesus is pointing to. Men were apparently simply sending their wives away (like the Romans did), throwing them to the street, and not taking the step to formally divorce. In these cases, the wife was still legally married but had been thrown out and her only recourse in that society was to shack up with someone for personal survival or live in prostitution, as it was not normal for a woman to live alone. This dismissal without papers is why Jesus BLAMES THE MAN for causing her to commit adultery - he shares fault with her for not having taken the proper step of granting full divorce.
7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command to give a roll of divorce (with divorce papers) [St. 647] AND send her away [St. 630]? [Notice these are TWO steps.]
8 He said to them, “Moses, in view of the hardness of your heart, allowed you to send away [St. 630] your women. However, from the beginning it was not this way. 9 Now I tell you that whoever shall send away (with no divorce papers) [St. 630] his woman except for porneia [which grants divorce] and marries another commits adultery and he who sends away (with no divorce papers) [St. 630] commits adultery.
Matthew 5:31 Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever sends away (with no divorce papers) [St. 630] his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce (with papers) [St. 647].’ 32 But I say to you that whoever sends away [St. 630] (no divorce papers) his wife for any reason except sexual immorality CAUSES her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is sent away (no divorce papers) [St. 630] commits adultery. [He is guilty because he forced her to find another man without having formalized the divorce.]