In our secular society, in which those who believe in God, Christ, and the Bible are a minority and are becoming more so, marriage is viewed as a relationship of human origin that we can change at will to conform with modern mores. No fault divorce began in California in 1970 and has since spread throughout the country. In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot ban same sex marriage. Among young adults, cohabitation (living together outside marriage), has become more common than marriage.
The Lord emphatically stated that the marriage relationship was begun and governed by the Lord God (Matthew 19:3-6). Vital conclusions follow from this bed rock principle. (1) We should study God’s will for it, not human philosophy about it. (2) Humans, including courts and legislative bodies, do not have the right to change it or alter its relationships to suit themselves or society. (3) Man does not have the right to enter or leave it at will; God determines who can enter or leave.
According to the Lord, marriage is a bodily and spiritual union of a man and a woman (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6). It has three outstanding characteristics.
(1) Marriage is a bond or covenant (legally binding agreement, cf. Malachi 2:14). As such it includes conditions (1 Corinthians 7:2; Matthew 19:9), promises (mutual agreement, Luke 1:26-27), and ratification (meeting legal requirements, Galatians 3:15; John 2:1-11).
(2) It is a binding of two who were formerly separate (Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:39).
(3) They form a new bond or relationship (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6).
“Marriage is an institution ordained of God for the honor and happiness of mankind, in which one man and one woman enter into a bodily and spiritual union, pledging each to the other mutual love, honor, fidelity, sympathy, forbearance, and comradeship, such as would assure an unbroken continuance of their wedlock so long as both shall live” (H. Leo Boles).
Marriage as ordained by the Lord has three purposes: Companionship (Genesis 2:18), Procreation of godly offspring (Genesis 1:27-28; Malachi 2:15), and Avoidance of fornication (1 Corinthians 7:2).
Divinely approved marriage is Monogamous (one man and one woman) and Heterosexual (one each of the opposite sex – Matthew 19:4-5).
The Lord intended marriage to be for life. He does not want it to be ended by divorce (Matthew 19:6), He only wants it to be culminated by the death of one of the marriage partners (Romans 7:2), but death does end the relationship (Romans 7:2). Marriage is for life but for this life only.
The result of marriage begun and conducted as the Lord ordained is the happiness of the husband, the wife, and the children (Genesis 1:25-28,31; Proverbs 18:22). Such homes are a blessing to the church, the community, and the nation.
Rather than seeking to alter God’s plan, we should in faith conform to it (Hebrews 13:4). Marriage can either be the greatest source of happiness this side of Heaven or the greatest cause of misery this side of Hell. Whether your marriage will be one of joy and permanence or of despair and separation will be determined by whether or not you follow the law of the Lord concerning marriage.
