Marriage: God’s Plan - Part 1

Welcome back to my blog, and thank you for visiting. Today, we start an important dialogue about traditional marriage.

 

God’s plan for marriage encompasses several key aspects:

1. Reflecting His image: Marriage is meant to reflect God’s image. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect unity, a husband and wife are called to be united as one.
2. Raising godly children: Marriage provides the foundation for raising children in a godly environment. Parents are entrusted with nurturing their children’s faith and character.
3. Establishing and building His kingdom: Married couples work together to advance God’s kingdom. They serve others, share the gospel, and contribute to the well-being of society.
4. Maturing as Christians: Marriage challenges us to grow and mature. It reveals our weaknesses, teaches us patience, and refines our character.
5. Submission and forgiveness: Both spouses submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. They confront sin in their own hearts before addressing it in each other, and they extend forgiveness as often as needed.
6. Modeling our relationship with Christ: The relationship between Christ and the Church serves as a model for marriage. Husbands are called to sacrificially love their wives, and wives are called to respect and submit to their husbands.

Remember that God’s plan for marriage is beautiful and purposeful, and it’s a journey of growth, grace, and love.

 

As important as these attributes are regarding marriage, spiritually, it is even more important. The Bible describes the main purpose of Christian marriage as demonstrating to society the precious relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:21-33). Stated another way, marriage is primarily an evangelical tool!

 

Marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church.

 

Wow! Why is this, considering all the other important reasons for marriage? Please consider the following:

• God’s goals – God’s plans are greater than our own and His plan is to sum up all history in Christ (Ephesians 1:10-11). Consequently, viewing marriage and its purpose within the overall construct of God’s plan is important and appropriate. God wants all people to come to know Him and so marriage is primarily evangelical as we demonstrate Christ’s loving relationship to the church.
• Importance to us – Although marriage as a witness to society, it is also vital to our own marriage relationship, as it reminds us that we were married for God’s purposes and not primarily for our own desires such as: sex, a wonderful marriage ceremony, and having children (as wonderful as they are). Remembering God’s goal in marriage also minimizes whatever expectations for marriage we might hold such as the responsibility for household tasks and interactions with extended family.
• God defines the relationship – Knowing that the purpose of marriage is to reflect Christ and the church reminds us that we primarily serve Christ and our spouse. When we leave and cleave from our prior families our priorities are clearly to be toward our marriage partner and God (Ephesians 5:31-32).

 

How then does marriage reflect the relationship between Christ and the church?

• The love between a man and a woman reflects the love Christ and the church have for each other.
• The love of the husband, and his complete devotion to his wife, reflects the love and devotion of Christ to the church.
• The submission of the wife to her husband reflects the submission of the church to Christ. The prescribed order of people and institutions in the Bible is important not only for the function of society, but for the church and family as well (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Romans 13:1-7; Colossians 3:18ff, 1 Peter 2:13-20; Ephesians 6:1-9). It is within the confines of order that the gospel best goes forward to bring people to Christ.
• This combination of order, love, and devotion provides a productive, caring picture to society of what Christ does for the church. Marriage should attract people to the gospel.

 

Marriage is a wonderful institution that God has ordained and provides marvelous benefits to the church, society and individuals. However, at its highest purpose is an evangelical tool that God uses to attract people to the gospel.In summary, traditional marriage, rooted in biblical principles, is a sacred institution designed by God. It serves as a reflection of His love, unity, and purpose for humanity. 

 

Thanks very much for joining me today. Join me next time as we discuss the scientific benefits of marriage, or read more at https://teleiosresearch.com/marriage-gods-plan/. 

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

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