Why Marriage?
Woodstream Church
Sunday, May 07, 2017
Ephesians 5:28-32
Modern society questions marriage, purporting a consensus that it is an antiquated concept that needs to be redefined or redesigned. Perhaps it needs to be discarded since it is a repressive and oppressive institution. Yet for Christians, fornication and common law relationships are not acceptable options. The problem in general is that many don’t have a Biblical understanding of marriage, and even those who have a measure of understanding only have a superficial level of knowledge. A deeper understanding requires the Biblical understanding of both God and the sacrament of marriage.
Marriage Is A Divine Participation. Marriage not only involves vows that we make to our spouses, but also is to be a covenant oath we make to God. It is a God-ordained creation so we can love more deeply, intimately, unselfishly, tenderly and compassionately through our intellect and emotions. Marriage is an oath of covenant not only between spouses, but also is a privilege of sharing in the communion of love among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Marriage Is A Divine Proclamation. Marriage illustrates the sacrificial, unselfish, patient, forgiving, cleansing and protective love Christ shows for His Church, and the submissive, devoted, respectful, obedient love the Church shows Christ. Those qualities are to be inherent within marriage, and why believers are to only sacramentally marry other believers in the Lord. The ignorance of many is dangerous, leading to the failure and disrespect of marriage in society.
Marriage Outlines Divine Preeminence Of Relationships. Concupiscence is by definition a disordering of desires. The natural hierarchy of relationships and responsibilities is thrown into chaos by concupiscence. The disruption of marriages when one or both spouses suffer from it is evident in the chaos of their finances, communication, associations, activities and priorities. Marriage is about that which is divine, and is a mystery, a sacrament of the faith.