THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

1. The First Husband & Wife

   • Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

   • Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man [Adam] of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

   • Genesis 2:19-24 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: "This is now 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 mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

   • Genesis 3:2-6 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" And the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

   • Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."

   • Genesis 4:1-2 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man from the Lord." Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

2. Divine Origin

   • I Corinthians 7:1-2 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

   • Matthew 19:4-6 And [Jesus] answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

     Marriage is an institution established by God. The divine commandments which relate to marriage are just as binding as those which relate to the plan of salvation or to worship. Though earthly governments allow divorce, God's laws forbid it unless adultery is involved. To ignore God's rules for marriage destroys the home and causes great sorrow.

3. Divine Pattern

   • Ephesians 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

   • Genesis 3:16 Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

   • Ephesians 5:22-25 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.

   • I Corinthians 7:3-4 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

   • Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the [marriage] bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

     Fornication is the sin of any sexual activity between people who are not married. Adultery is the sin of any sexual activity between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband. God has clearly indicated that sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful and can result in eternal damnation.

   • Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

   • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

   • Romans 7:2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.

   • I Corinthians 7:39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

     To marry means to leave father and mother, to be faithful to husband or wife, and to become one flesh through sexual union. The marriage must be honored till death of one of the partners. Also, the laws of the government must be followed for a marriage to be legal and acceptable. (Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.)

     The Bible teaches us that God is the Creator of marriage. As the Designer of marriage, God can best teach us how a husband and wife should live together.

4. Divine Purpose

   • Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

   • Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.

   • Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

   • I Corinthians 7:2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

     God's plan for marriage is to provide companionship, to prevent sexual immorality, and to provide children with loving parents. Elders and deacons are allowed only one wife. One wife was permitted for one man at the beginning of time. One wife was authorized for one man by Jesus Christ and by the apostle Paul.

     Marriage can provide a home where Christianity is practiced. In the Christian home God is considered in every decision. The husband, wife, and children are encouraged to live as Jesus wants us to live. The Christian home serves as an example to non-Christians who want the same kind of happiness they see in the home of Christians. If you want a better home, then learn to live as Jesus means for us to live.

     May God help us to have better marriages and better families. May our families honor and glorify God.

Michael S. Cole, M.D.

THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE (part 1)
Bible study, 22 - 26 September 1993
Tabwakea Church of Christ, Christmas Island, Kiribati

Copyright © 1993
Permission is granted to freely copy and distribute with text unchanged, including author's name.

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