The Foundation of Biblical Marriage

What Is Marriage?

In today’s culture the meaning of marriage is a controversial topic. Over time society has changed the meaning of marriage to fit cultural fads or trends. In particular, how would today’s culture in the United States define marriage?

Cultural Definition: Marriage is the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship (Dictionary.com)

Biblical Definition: Marriage is the sacred, covenantal union of one man and one woman formed when the two swear before God an oath of lifelong loyalty and love to one another. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

Clendenen, R. R. with Kelly Brent R. (2003). Marriage. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1082). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

What Is The Design For Marriage?

Genesis 2:15–25 ESV

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

As we see the design for marriage is an institution ordained by God between a man and woman.

What are some characteristics of this design that we can get from this text?

Companionship

Helping each other in life together

Joined together as one

To have relationship with God together (Genesis 3)

They are one

Can be naked together!

What Is The Purpose For Marriage

What Is The Purpose Of Marriage

Purposes of Marriage

God’s Glory: If man’s chief purpose as the image of God is to glorify God and enjoy our relationship with Him forever (; ), clearly this is the chief purpose of marriage. Paul explains in that the marriage relationship is to be patterned after that of Christ and the church. An inference to be drawn from that is that a husband and wife are to display in their relationship the nature of our relationship with Christ, our divine Husband, as His bride, the church. (Will Be Discussed More In Week 3)

Marriage is also God’s unique gift to provide the framework for intimate companionship, as a means for procreation of the human race and as the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards.

Companionship: Whereas the creation of male and female mankind was “very good” (), the creation of the male alone had not yet fulfilled God’s purpose for man as the image of God (). This expresses no failure on God’s part; instead, it instructs us that a male creature alone is not the perfect creation that God had in mind. Adam needed a wife to be all that God intended him to be, as is normally the case with all men unless God grants otherwise (see ; ). The same, of course, would be true of the woman whom God made for the man (see ).

Adam needed “a helper who is like him,” that is, someone to complement or complete him, whose nature corresponded to his own (). He needed more than a vessel for the production of children; he needed a “help,” not a demeaning term since it is also used of God (; ; , ; ; ; ; ). Together, under God’s direction and the husband’s leadership, they could find satisfaction in fulfilling the purpose for which God had created them. The companionship that is shared between husband and wife in marriage enables physical, psychological, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Companionship within marriage is expressed in acts of love. The pattern of love that ought to define a marriage is found in . Thus, marriage should be a place of patience, humility, joy, truth, peace, affirmation, and hope. Conversely, marriage is not a place for abuse. Nowhere in Scripture is a husband or wife given authority to strike or demean his/her spouse.

Procreation: Marriage is also for the purpose of producing and rearing godly children (; ). From the moment of conception children are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord. They are a source of joy in a marriage (). Parents are responsible for the moral and spiritual education of their children (). They are to lead their children by a consistent godly lifestyle and loving discipline so that children can learn to make choices based upon biblical truths. Children also have a responsibility to care for their parents in their old age. Though the OT places a high value on the firstborn son, all children are considered valuable to God from conception to maturity (; ).

Sexual Intimacy: Marriage is also for sexual intimacy. God’s intention is for sexual acts to occur exclusively within the unique monogamous relationship of marriage as a reminder that they are “one flesh,” bound together by covenant. Sexual intimacy was part of God’s good creation (; ). Intercourse is part of the natural expression of love within a marriage and provides emotional intimacy, deepens the couple’s friendship, and helps to develop a servant attitude within the oneness of marriage (; ; ). Sexual intimacy is to be a time of joy and mutual satisfaction for both the husband and wife (). God has given to both members of the marriage conjugal rights ().

Things To Thing About For Next Week

Next week we will be talking about the biblical qualities of a husband and wife. So in the upcoming week be thinking about the following questions:

What qualities should a wife have?

What qualities should a husband have?

How do these things influence your choice of a spouse?