Love & Marriage

Sunday 7-19-2020

How is marriage defined in the Bible?

Marriage is born from the love of man and is manifesting the love of God.

 Corinthians 13:4-7  

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Essentially all Christian denominations hold marriage to be ordained by God for the union between a man and a woman. ... They consider marriage a solemn covenant between wife, husband and God. Most view sexual relations as appropriate only within a marriage.

There are many factors that contribute to a satisfying marriage/relationship such as; Love, Commitment, Trust, Time, Attention, Good Communication including Listening , Partnership, Tolerance, Patience, Openness, Honesty, Respect, Sharing, Consideration, Generosity, Willingness/Ability to Compromise..

What does God say about finding love?

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. ... If you want to be or get married and want love to come to you then God will give you that because He gives us the desires of our heart.. It is all rooted in faith to walk with him.

Corinthians 7:1-40

 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ...

 Peter 3:7: 

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

What does marriage symbolize?

“Marriage is a sacred, legal, and binding union of two people to journey through adult life as partners in a personal relationship of companionship, fulfilment, and love; and for the purpose of producing offspring. Marriage is the foundation of family, and family is the fundamental unit of society.”

The marriage covenant and institution was founded by God and on God, as seen in the joining of Eve to Adam in Genesis. Divorce was not God's plan or idea for any couple that He has joined together. In spite of what Adam and Eve went through, it was never recorded that they had a divorce because the foundation of their marriage was God. He made and brought Adam his wife and He conducted the wedding ceremony i.e the joining of the couple....Mathew 19:4-6. Verse 6 of this scripture says " What therefore GOD HAS JOINED together, let no man put asunder ".

What should a marriage be based on?

Malachi 2:16

“For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.” What does this mean to “Cover your garment in violence”?

In the Old Testament, "covering someone with your garment" is a metaphor for protection. A classic example is Ezekiel 16:8, where God describes His love for Israel using the symbolism of a man and wife. As the protector and provider, men are supposed to "cover" their wives. Malachi's two-part criticism in this passage is that this is not happening. Israeli men are marrying pagan women (Malachi 2:11), and they are divorcing their Jewish wives in order to do it (Malachi 2:14). This is exactly the opposite of "protection." In fact, it is an act of spiritual violence against her and against God….

A God-ordained marriage is a tripartite union and covenant relationship between the couple and God - collectively and individually, with God being at the apex of this union while the couple is joined laterally. So, divorce in this case, is not merely separation among the couple but also separation from God, in this regard.

What happens when marriages are formed by man for dishonest or deceptive reasons. For money, through drunkenness, to circumvent immigration laws and many more….

The fact is that there are a lot of marriages that are not ordained of God, so it is expected that God will not be involved in the joining, so then whatever God has NOT joined together can be put asunder because the foundation is faulty. The right foundation is very pivotal to the sustenance of any relationship or thing. As much as God hates divorce, I believe the underlying message is : Avoid divorce by all means and at all cost, by realigning with God's original intent and purpose for our lives. When we embrace the redemptive work of Christ and align with it, we come into a holy union with the Lord the same way Adam was before the fall. His heart was totally taken over by the Lord, so accepting God's will for him in marriage was not a problem. He accepted Eve as God's will for him.

As believers, our intimacy with the Lord is very pivotal to our marital destinies in Christ.

In conclusion let us pray.

Lord we thank you for all the blessings that thou hast bestowed upon us. We thank thee for our sight. Help us to see thee more clearly. We thank you for our fellowship with one another. Bless our Bible Study and everyone in it. May those here today feel the power of your spirit as we seek to follow thee? Help us to be an example to others in a way that would be pleasing to you each day. Guide us Lord to touch the hearts of those who are in pain. May they not suffer greatly. Bind us today with your holy spirit.

We ask these things in Jesus’s name.

Amen