sign up today in the narthex. for the gabriel taylor family show our love for the taylor family with...

Sign up today in the Narthex

for the Gabriel Taylor family

Show Our Love for the Taylor Family with a Benefit Concert by Stonybrook MusiciansStonybrook SanctuaryFriday March 47:30p

The Bible and Divorce

[Matthew 19v1-9]

Sex is the Creative Power of God

• The Bible is much like a library that preserves opposing arguments.

Biblical Texts Directly Addressing Divorce


Deuteronomy 24v1-5Jeremiah 3v1Malachi 2v10-16Matthew 19v1-9Mark 10v2-12Luke 16v181 Corinthians 7v10-15

Biblical Texts Directly Addressing Divorce

Sex is the Creative Power of GodBiblical Texts Directly Addressing Divorce

• The Bible is much like a library that preserves opposing arguments.

• There is an internal debate within the Bible itself regarding divorce.

Matthew 19v1-9

“1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce…

… his wife for any and every reason?’ 4 ‘Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator “made them male and female,” 5 and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become…

Matthew 19v1-9

… one flesh”? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ 7 ‘Why then,’ they asked, ‘did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?’ 8 Jesus replied, ‘Moses permitted…

Matthew 19v1-9

… you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.’”

Matthew 19v1-9

Three rabbis walk into a…

In answering the Pharisees’ question, Jesus enters into an ongoing debate between Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai.

Matthew 19v1-9

12 “To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him…

1 Corinthians 7v12, 13, 15

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.”

1 Corinthians 7v12, 13, 15

Please turn to page 696 in your pew Bible.

The ones most often forgotten…

Recovering from the “Slow Drift”

What if we’ve drifted apart?

What if I no longer feel in love with my spouse?

Who Suffers the Most in Divorce?


Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112


What if we’ve drifted apart?

What if I no longer feel in love with my spouse?

Thoughts + Behaviors Feelings


“God's plan is for lifelong, faithful marriage. The church must be on the forefront of premarital and postmarital counseling in order to create and preserve strong marriages. However, when a married couple is estranged beyond…

United Methodist Church Statement Regarding Divorce


… reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. We grieve over the devastating emotional, spiritual, and economic consequences of…



… divorce for all , understanding that women and especially children are disproportionately impacted by such burdens… Although divorce publicly declares that a marriage no longer exists, other covenantal relationships resulting…



… from the marriage remain, such as the nurture and support of children and extended family ties. We urge respectful negotiations in deciding the custody of minor children and support the consideration of either or…



… both parents for this responsibility in that custody not be reduced to financial support control, or manipulation and retaliation. The welfare of each child is the most important consideration. Divorce does not preclude…



… a new marriage. We encourage an intentional commitment of the Church and society to minister compassionately to those in the process of divorce, as well as members of divorced and remarried families, in a community …



… of faith where God’s grace is shared by all.

-The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2008


The Big Picture -- Redemption

God creates good and whole things out of painful, broken things.

sign up today in the narthex. for the gabriel taylor family show our love for the taylor family with...

Documents