Foundations of Marriage Part 1

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In today’s society liberal secular thought is seeping into even the most Christian homes and watering down the beliefs of many.  Not until recently has the debate of same-sex marriage gotten so heated and tense.  Many young adults, including many Christians, see marriage as a dying institution and opt to cohabitate with significant others instead of committing to a lifelong, monogamous relationship.  Our instant gratification lifestyle has deadened our senses so that we continually want more, faster, with no real end in sight.  As Scott Stanley of the University of Denver’s Center for Marital and Family Studies writes, “The dominant culture no longer has as broad of support for marital longevity, and Christians’ behavior often mirrors that of the dominant culture.”[1] So is marriage under attack from outside secular forces?  Yes, would be the easy answer, but in truth the Christian is also to blame for trust in God is severely lacking.  This is why that, by defining Biblical marriage, Christians can see how they are to live, love, and listen to their spouses and how only God can bless their marriage.  It is vitally important for Christians to have a solid definition of marriage, so that they can strive to meet that goal in order to live in the most joyful state where the likelihood of divorce is diminished and the foundation of the relationship solidly remains God.  And in doing so, their witness to the rest of society will be increased. 


Why Marriage?
The Judeo-Christian view of marriage begins with the creation account in the book of Genesis setting the foundation of what is to be considered a good marriage, and how the two sexes are to interact with each other and the rest of creation.  But why marriage, why creation in the first place?
            As finite beings, humans most likely will never know why God decided to create rather than not to create.  However, much can be said about why he decided to make humans the way he did, both male and female.  As a triune being, God has always had a relationship, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are in communion with each other, and although are of the same substance, interact accordingly, each with specifically designed roles.  But when God created man in the creation account Adam was alone[2], but there is no passage that shows that Adam was even aware he was alone.  It was God that saw that it was not good for him to be alone and therefore made all kinds of animals, but realized it was only a female, made from Adam, which could be a comparable helper.  So, woman can be seen as a gift from God in completion of the man-woman relationship.  As a gift, man was to take care of the woman, just as one takes care of any other gift that may be received.  “A canonical understanding of this creation of sexual differentiation within our essential unity as human beings supports the connection with the triune nature of God himself.”[3] As an omniscient, omnipotent, and good God, he decided to make humanity in his own image, so that they too could benefit from relationship.  This “godly creation of marriage was not only for their mutual benefit in this relationship, but also for the purpose under God’s creative power and blessing to have children, and thus populate the earth.”[4]  Notice how humanity was made for a purpose, “to have children”; we are not merely random molecules that happened to come together through time and chance like the naturalists may try to promote.  The Judeo-Christian God is personal and because of this, we are personal and made for relationship.  However, the introduction of sin into the world skewed and perverted this relationship and in doing so, has created a maelstrom of problems for couples and society alike.  For, “If God the creator in fact, as the Bible teaches, instituted marriage and the family, and if there is an evil being called Satan who wages war against God’s creative purposes in this world, it should come as no surprise that the divine foundation of these institutions has come under massive attack.”[5]  So how then has this sin and spiritual warfare affected the institution of marriage?  A study of marriage through scripture will show how it has been adversely affected and how it has been overcome...

[1] Scott, Stanley. “Strengthening Marriages in a Skeptical Culture: Issues and Opportunities.” Journal of Psychology and Theology 31, no. 3 (2003): 225.
[2] This is purely in the material sense that he was alone, since we know that he had a personal relationship with God.
[3] William L. Kynes, “The Marriage Debate: A Public Theology of Marriage.” Trinity Journal 28, no. 2 (Fall 2007): 191.
[4] Louis A. Brighton, “Where is the Holy Family Today?: Marriage a Holy Covenant Before God- The Biblical Role of Man and Woman.” Concordia Journal (July 2005): 260.
[5] Andreas, J. Köstenberger, God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010, Kindle Electronic Edition, 15.
(Pictures are of my beautiful wife and my wedding at Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, MN)

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