Similarity In Beliefs Goals And Objectives
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? . Marriage is a blending of two lives into one flesh. This doesnt mean that husbands and wives must think and feel exactly alike in everything. Marriage doesnt extinguish individuality.
But if there is a broad divide in religious beliefs or other important issues, it will be much more difficult to achieve the oneness that God envisions for an ideal marriage. Forging a strong marriage is not easy at best, and becomes even more challenging when couples must try to bridge major differences.
Truths On What The Bible Says About Marriage
With that in mind lets dive into what the Bible says about marriage and see what a Biblical marriage should look like. Heres 7 truths about the Christian marriage.
1. Marriage Is Not Mandatory
We tend to overvalue marriage in Christian circles. We act like everyone should be married and tend to look down on those that are not. Especially in the leadership circles within Christianity. If you arent married you are second class and your voice doesnt matter. At least not as much.
Now, I want to be very careful with this point. I dont want to downplay the importance of marriage and the role it plays in our growth. I know for me I would in no way be who I am or capable of doing what I do without my wife.
However, we should not assume that because some, or even most, benefit from marriage that all benefit. Some people will not and should not experience marriage. God has other plans for them. And thats a good thing to be celebrated. In fact it comes with advantages.
Not being married allows certain freedoms and abilities that those married simply dont have. That should be celebrate AS MUCH as those who are married. Both singleness and marriage are a gift from God.
What does the Bible say about marriage? We should view marriage AND singleness as a gift from God.
2. Marriage Is About Companionship
First and foremost Biblical marriage is about companionship. Marriage is about friendship more than anything else.
3. Marriage Irreversible By Design
7. Sex Is Reserved For Marriage
Christian Marriage Honors God Above All Else
As Christians, it’s important to focus on the purpose of marriage. The biblical example encourages believers to enter into marriage in a way that honors God’s covenant relationship, submits to the laws of God first and then the laws of the land, and gives a public demonstration of the holy commitment that is being made.
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What Are Gods Promises For Marriage
In the Bible, God makes some very clear promises about marriage. He says that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman, binding them together until death leaves them parted . He also says that husbands and wives should love and respect each other . But perhaps the most important promise of all is that God will never leave or forsake us . This means that no matter what challenges we face in our marriages, we can always count on God to be with us. He will give us the strength to overcome any obstacle and the wisdom to know how to best take care of our spouse. When we keep these promises in mind, we can rest assured that God will always be with us, no matter what.
What Did Paul Say About Marriage
I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should , for it is better to than to burn with passion.
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Surprising Things That The Bible Says About Marriage
The Bible is not a book about marriage at least not mainly or directly. The Bible is a book about God and about people and how God saves people through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Even still, the Bible does have a lot to say about marriage and a great deal of what it has to say runs contrary to our assumptions and values as modern people.
Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following:
What Roles And Responsibilities Does The Bible Assign To Husbands And Wives
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Husbands and wives should treat each other with love and respect. They should care for each others sexual needs in a loving way and avoid all forms of unfaithfulness. If they have children, husbands and wives share the responsibility of raising them.Proverbs 6:20.
The Bible does not discuss in detail how married couples should share secular work and household chores. They can decide together what will work best for their family.
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A husbands role. The Bible says that a husband is head of his wife. He is the head in the sense that he should guide his family and make decisions that will benefit his wife and children.
He should strive to ensure that their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are cared for. He shows that he values his wifes qualities and capabilities by working closely with her and by carefully considering her opinion and feelings when making decisions. The Bible says that a husband ought to care for his responsibilities in a loving way.Colossians 3:19.
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A wifes role. The Bible says that a wife should have deep respect for her husband. God is pleased when a wife respects the role that he assigned to her husband.
Her role is to assist her husband, helping him to make good decisions and supporting his headship. The Bible speaks highly of a wife who fulfills her important role in marriage.Proverbs 31:10.
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What Is Gods Purpose For Marriage
And this then is the ultimate purpose and meaning of it is Gods gift to us, designed to bring us joy and Him glory. With this gift He covered our aloneness, providing us with the hope of companionship, and the joy of connected intimacywith Him and with one another.
Is It A Sin To Be A Second Wife
In the case of polygamy, there is a universal standard it is understood to be a sin, therefore polygamists are not admitted to positions of leadership including Holy Orders, nor after acceptance of the Gospel can a convert take another wife, nor, in some areas, are they admitted to Holy Communion.
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It Is Supposed To Preach The Gospel
There is something special about human beings particularly human beings as male and female together. The Bibles says:
Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and female he created them.
Image and likeness those are very important words.
We sometimes forget that the first people to hear these words in Genesis were most likely the wilderness generation of Hebrews during the time of the 40 year desert wandering. Their cultural frame of reference was Egyptian they had been living inside Egyptian culture for the last 400 years. In Egypt only one person was ever referred to as the image and likeness of God. Pharaoh was tselem and demooth Pharaoh was image and likeness of God. He resembled God and represented God in a way that no one else did.
But here in Genesis 1:26-27 Moses tells the recently liberated Egyptian slave class that they are all each of them male and female the image and likeness of God. They represent him and they resemble in some way that is not true of any other creature.
When people look at you particularly when they look at you as male and female together they are supposed to see something about the beauty, wholeness and vitality of the Living God.
Christ And The Church Marriage
4. Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
5. Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
6. Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!
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Close Bond In Marriage
The Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone I will make a helper comparable to him . After each of the six days of Creation week, God reviewed what He had made and saw that it was good. But there was one thing in Eden that very first week that was not good! All the animals God had created, came in pairsa male and a female. But there was no female for Adam! That is when God created Eve and performed the very first marriage .
God made men and women to complement each otherphysically, mentally, and socially. He built into our being a desire for the companionship of a husband or wife. Thats why the Bible says, He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord .
Bible Verses About The Beauty Of Marriage
These scriptures from the Holy Bible are faithful reminders of the power of love and marriage.
Thereâs a reason why even the most hard-hearted of us cry at weddings. Sure, some people who love everything having to do with parties may be moved by the use of amazing rustic wedding ideas and others say theyâre just in it for the cake, but deep down, everyone can agree that itâs very moving when two people decide to devote their lives to one another. Marriage isnât easy, so itâs important to keep some words of wisdom close at hand. Whether youâre looking for just the right wedding quote for a new coupleâs wedding card, or a special love quote for him in your next anniversary card, youâll be in good shape, because of plenty of people have opinions on the matter. Weâve also amassed 30 quotes from the Good Book that are all about marriage.
âSo they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.â
âBe completely humble and gentle be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.â
âAnd now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.â
âLove is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.â
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Bible Verses About Relationships
There’s no relationship manual that tells you how to overcome obstacles and strengthen the ties you have with your loved ones . Thankfully, Bible verses about love serve as excellent guides these scriptures offer jewels of wisdom that can help you navigate the ups and downs of love, as well as convey your heartfelt thoughts to your future spouse. There are a number of marriage scriptures and Bible verses about love that touch on the subject of relationships that you may want to mention on your wedding day.
26. Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one anotherâand all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
27. Proverbs 30:18-19: “There are three things that amaze meâno, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.”
28. 1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
29. Proverbs 31:10: “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
31. Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
32. 1 Peter 4:8: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
33. Ephesians 5:21: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Bible Verses About Love
The Bible has a lot to say about the bonds of love and devotion. Bible verses about love speak of the perfect love that everyone should have toward their friends, family and mankind, not to mention the Lord. However, Bible verses about love also offer a revealing look at the strength and hope that romantic love can provide. It can be difficult to put your feelings for one another into words, but these Bible verses about love seem to capture its essence just right.
13. Romans 13:8:“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
14. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
15. 1 Corinthians 13:2: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
16. 1 Corinthians 16:14: “Do everything in love.”
17. Song of Solomon 8:7: “Many waters cannot quench love rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
18. Psalm 143:8: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”
21. Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
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The Bible Defines Marriage As A Covenant
God sketched his original plan for marriage in Genesis 2:24 when one man and one woman united together to become one flesh:
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
In Malachi 2:14, marriage is described as is a holy covenant before God. In the Jewish custom, God’s people signed a written agreement at the time of the marriage to seal the covenant. The marriage ceremony, therefore, is meant to be a public demonstration of a couple’s commitment to a covenant relationship. It’s not the “ceremony” that’s important it’s the couple’s covenant commitment before God and men.
It’s interesting to carefully consider the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony and the “Ketubah” or marriage contract, which is read in the original Aramaic language. The husband accepts certain marital responsibilities, such as the provision of food, shelter, and clothing for his wife, and promises to care for her emotional needs as well.
This contract is so important that the marriage ceremony is not complete until the groom signs it and presents it to the bride. This demonstrates that both husband and wife see marriage as more than just a physical and emotional union, but also as a moral and legal commitment.
For Christians, marriage goes beyond the earthly covenant also, as a divine picture of the relationship between Christ and his Bride, the Church. It is a spiritual representation of our relationship with God.
It Is Supposed To Last A Lifetime
In a culture of disposable everything it is surprising to discover that some things are supposed to last a lifetime. While the Bible implies this on the very first page, it was not a common belief within the Jewish community at the time of Jesus. In fact, this is one of the things that the disciples found most surprising about their Master. Jesus stated his view on the matter succinctly:
I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
Matthew records the reaction of the disciples a group to which he himself belonged:
The disciples said to him, If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.
Clearly the disciples were not used to hearing this kind of talk about marriage! Divorce was remarkably common in the Roman world and also in the Jewish world in the time of Jesus. Josephus, a Roman Jewish historian and himself a divorced man wrote in The Antiquities Of The Jews that he believed that a man was permitted to divorce his wife for any reason whatsoever.
Thus the Christian view on the permanence of marriage represented a significant departure from the culture of the day. According to Jesus a marriage is supposed to last forever. The only exception he mentioned had to with sexual immorality a catch all phrase likely denoting any kind of sexual behaviour outside the bonds of covenant marriage.
I, not the Lord.
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