A vocal minority is seeking to redefine marriage in the United States. As Christians, we believe that marriage is meant to be between one man and one woman….but do we know why? Let our thinking be informed by Ephesians 5:31-32, which says, “’For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.”
Our culture is confused about the purpose of marriage, and this gives rise to the current controversy. Marriage’s primary purpose is not for our edification, sanctification or pleasure. Nor is procreation the ultimate goal. These are, of course, vital parts of a biblical marriage. But Paul tells us here that marriage is even more than this. It is no less than a representation of the relationship between Christ and His church, and a witness to the beauty of the Gospel.
Marriage must reflect the union of Christ and His church accurately. Polygamy communicates that Christ can have more than one bride. Adultery indicates that Christ and His bride are not required to be faithful to one another. Divorce insinuates that Christ’s covenant with His bride can be broken. Premarital sex suggests that Christ can be intimate with His bride without making any kind of lasting commitment to her. And homosexuality implies that there can be two brides or two husbands. Every perversion of marriage is an affront to God, as it presents false testimony about Christ.
Christ laid down his life to redeem His bride, and they have become one flesh. He loves, leads, and purifies her, and she submits to Him willingly.
The world is watching. We need to be repenting every day of the sin within our own marriages, which veils this glorious Gospel. The church needs to stand for the sanctity of a creation ordinance which is about more than mere freedom of choice or personal preference.
John the Baptist was killed for defending biblical marriage. Are we willing to take a stand?
For a more in-depth presentation on this crucial topic, I highly recommend Jordan Lawrence’s podcast The Battle for Biblical Marriage, which can be downloaded at Blue Behemoth.com.
This post was first published on Mentoring Moments for Christian Women.
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