May 5, 2020
Good Morning Fellow Travelers,
Read: Genesis 2:18-25
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. (Pro 18:22)
The institution of marriage is taking a beating at the hands of an ungodly society. It’s time we stand up, as many others have, in defense of marriage as God designed it from the beginning.
For those of you who are young and still unmarried, this practical defense should resonate in your hearts. It is important to follow the guidelines of Scripture, and the best place to start is in the beginning. Marriage is the first institution. God created it for man’s wellbeing and blessing. Marriage came first, even before love (Genesis 2:18-25).
Here in Genesis 2, God declares that it is not good that man should be alone. In verse 20, we see that the animals did not provide a suitable companion for Adam. God’s practical solution to this was to create a woman from one of Adam’s ribs. He brought her to Adam and made this declaration: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” God has never changed this institution to be anything other than this: the union of one man and one woman for life.
A beautiful man and a beautiful woman united in a beautiful union and bond for life. What can we do to improve this? Nothing. Marriage is not God’s will for all, and many find fulfilment in being single. However, for those who are married, Christ clearly confirms the intent of God in Matthew 19:4-6 that marriage should last for life. Let’s never argue with this or assume there is an alternative or that we can deviate as society has done to its unhappiness now and its dismay tomorrow. Read Matthew 19:4-9, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and Romans 1:24-27.
God designed that within the sanctity of marriage, humans would propagate and fill the earth with people made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28). Those who worry about over-population should consider two things: 1) the significant reduction in births if all children born were born to married parents, and 2) God created the earth to sustain all people who live or will live on the earth. Poverty is not the result of over-population or too many children, but rather of greed, selfishness, and sin.
Marriage, however, was not designed only to bring children into the world, but to propagate the faith from generation to generation. Faith is preserved and spread through a godly home that teaches the rising generation. This was God’s explicit plan (see Deuteronomy 6). Parents who love their children will enter joyfully into this good work.
Let us who defend this divine institution continue to point a lost world to the beauty of God’s order in marriage.
~ James Baer
2 Responses
This is a genuine question. Please respond. Does gay marriage ruin the sanctity of marriage? If two men get married, and pass on their good faith to their children, is that bad? Or can a gay couple never be faithful and be good Christians.
I’ve thought some about this since you first wrote it. Sin will always destroy faith and our relationship with Christ. Jesus, for instance, pointed out that adultery was sin. You could give the same reasons as you did here. If a couple lived in adultery passed on their faith to their children, wouldn’t it be good? Not really, because their relationship is sinful. I remember talking with an 18 year old who was raised by a gay couple. He recognized this as sin, according to the Bible. He really struggled with how to respect his “parents” because of their sinful relationship. He felt he needed to leave the home, yet he loved those men. It is a real pity when children need to face such struggles because of their parents’ sins. Maybe I’ll turn the question back to you. Does it make sense to consider someone to be faithful and a good Christian while they are living in a state that the Bible clearly states is sinful? I’m well aware of the unpopularity of an answer like this, and I’m not degrading anyone for having a same sex attraction, necessarily. But all of us face attractions and temptations as Christians that would be wrong for us to act on.