A recent study released by Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program showed that regular religious service attendance is associated with 50% lower divorce rates in later life. The statistic is important in the context of general divorce rates among the middle-aged, which doubled between 1990 and 2010.
The study found that the 50% reduction in divorce for those regularly attending religious services has profound implications. Lower divorce rates could also help people avoid the emotional, physical, and mental distress that comes with divorce, leading to greater life satisfaction and overall happiness.
While this is welcome news, couples simply staying together doesn’t mean that they have godly marriages. On a recent Core Christianity, a caller asked, “What makes for a godly marriage?” Co-Host, Pastor Adriel Sanchez answered it this way:
Godly anything doesn’t come naturally to us. We don’t just stumble into the godly life and a godly marriage involves two sinners, instead of one. We are sinners. Sacrifice is hard, and we tend towards selfishness, so we need the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit to be worked in our lives in order to love our spouses as we should. Let me give you two things that have been very helpful in my marriage. First, pray with your spouse. A lot of married couples don’t pray together. Early on in my marriage I had a very difficult time praying with my wife. Now, as a pastor, I discovered that I wasn’t alone. You need to pray with your spouse if you want to cultivate a godly marriage. Second, you can’t have a godly marriage without being part of a solid church. A godly marriage doesn’t blossom in isolation of the Christian community. Spouses pursuing growth and grace need to be tethered to local churches where they get a steady diet of God’s Word, together with other Christians, and take these things that you are learning back to the home. So if you want to cultivate a godly marriage, pray with each other and be committed to the church.
You can hear the full answer near the end of this broadcast:
https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/episodes/what-makes-for-a-godly-marriage
Core Christianity isn’t solely about theology. Often listeners ask practical or difficult questions about their Christian walk, and Mike Horton and Adriel Sanchez handle them in a pastoral, caring way. If you have any questions about Core Christianity, please contact me at charley@ambaa.com.
