“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.” -Ephesians 5:25
I love my wife. She is a stream of wisdom, a gracious counselor, servant-hearted Mom, and a beautiful work of art. I am glad God united us together in marriage and we get to spend the rest of our lives in a covenantal relationship.
Today, marriage is being attacked. The government, media, and citizens are calling marriage something other than a monogamous relationship between a man and a woman. For instance, heterosexual couples are living together (cohabitating) and engaging in premarital sex for lifestyle benefits. This belittles and undermines the sacredness and moral purity of marriage.
The Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender (LBGT) community are fighting for their rights to have a homosexual union when the Bible clearly forbids it (Gen. 2:22-24; Lev. 18:22-23; Deut. 24:5; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). Some professing Christians are perverting the idea of submission for control and dominance. Instead of loving their wives sacrificially, they are mistreating God’s sacred vessel. These examples demonstrate mankind’s temptation to redefine marriage in their own image rather than what God says.
Marriage can’t be defined by mankind. It is an institution that God has objectively ordained from the beginning of creation until now for fellowship, procreation, and most importantly, to honor God. The Scripture teaches us that God wants a marriage to be a reflection of His love for the Church. The body of believers that make up the church is collectively called the bride of Christ.
As the Bridegroom, Jesus gave His life for the bride, to make her “holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” When Christ comes back to Earth, the official wedding ceremony will begin. From that point forward, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be completed. Are you looking forward to that day? I hope so!
Application
Read through the following passages that discuss marriage: Gen. 2:23-24; Matt. 19:6; 2 Cor. 6:14; Eph. 5:22-29. Think about the importance of marriage and how it affects you personally and socially. Come up with a strategy to effectively argue against cohabitation, gay marriage, and male chauvinism.
Prayer
Father, you know that an absolutist, objective view on marriage is not popular today by the culture. Please give us wisdom and humility as we explain to others your view that marriage is a monogamous relationship between a man and a woman. I pray that our conversations with others would be filled with love and grace, and that maliciousness and pride would not get in the way. Thanks again for the gift of marriage. May we cherish and esteem it above all things. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Conform to Jesus 
Amen. Your title is a major premise in this whole debate.
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That’s right. No one has the power and authority to redefine marriage except God. It transcends culture, and He has stated from the beginning that marriage is a monogamous relationship between a man and a woman. In this debate, I don’t focus solely on gay marriage, but also others who mistreat the meaning and purpose of marriage. Thanks for sharing your comment. God bless!
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I appreciate the way the article broadens the conversation. Great post and thank you for your clear voice on the matter.
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Polygamy in the bible….? Marriage hasn’t always been that way
Assuming your pro life, the government and individual states define what constitutes as a “human being” (that disturbs me)
Marriage on a national and state level does not force christians to take part in gay marriage, to acknowledge, or perform gay marriage. It’s not redefining marriage as a sacrament…
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Yes, good point. I think soon pastors and clergymen will be forced to perform and/or recognize homosexual unions, whether they agree or not. Currently, the push for gay marriage has been tax benefits for couples and equal rights, but it’s only a matter of time before the government breaks liberty of conscience and forces pastors to marry against their will. Any final thoughts on that? Thanks for the feedback.
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I disagree strongly. Churches have special exemptions from federal laws and have had such privileges for hundreds of years. Churches seem to have a special place outside of normal businesses and other organizations. I’m very sure if it even makes it on a federal level it would remain there apart from churches…
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Good point. I am not exactly sure what will happen. I am aware that some Christian organizations, such as Hobby Lobby and Catholic hospitals, were being forced by Federal Law to give their employees insurance benefits that would cover abortion-related surgeries. However, not sure if this example is equivocal since the government adheres to separation of church and states. However, if the government started to control the churches like it is in China, then it’s a different ball game. Sounds like you don’t think America will get to that point. Anyways, good discussion. Take care.
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