Marriage

THE GODLY MODEL FOR MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY

The Godly Model for Marriage and the Family

Britain was once a leading nation on believing, living and encouraging the Divine Model for marriage and the family - sex is confined to heterosexual marriage.   Britain went afar and wide into the world to help people understand God’s intention for marriage and the Family. Sadly, Britain’s champion for marriage and the family is drifting from the very thing that made it a blessed and a great nation – obeying the Law of the Most High God – the God of the Bible!

The following is taken from the book:  ‘I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY!’ by the brilliant Bible teacher, Dr David Jeremiah – the Turning Points Ministry.

Stable marriages and families are the basic building blocks of society and that part of our moral and spiritual confusion can be tied to the break down of marriage, it makes sense; if the building blocks crumble, it is inevitable that the entire structure of society will also crumble! (Dr David Jeremiah)

 Prosperity can lead to apostasy: National affluence is a blessing from God that is the natural result of a people building their society on He’s laws.  This was true of Ancient Israel (2 Chronicles 20:20) and it has also been true of the United Kingdom and America, which owe their prosperity to the solid Christian principles built into its foundation.  (Dr David Jeremiah)

Hosea 13:6 Apostasy, I feed them they were satisfied they became proud; they forgot me. (Dr David Jeremiah)

 Israel followed this trail which led them into destruction, Britain is going the same direction and now America is about to follow them too. Prosperity permits people to rely on their own resources instead of depending on God.  It lets us gratify our desires for pleasure, comfort and freedom from constraints that we might have kept under control had we lacked the resources to pursue indulgence. (Dr David Jeremiah)

There is a push to redefine family as the pairing of any two (or group of) people who consent regardless of gender, age, or model of sexual expression.  It all comes down to the desire for an autonomous self – the old sin of Adam and Eve.  (Dr David Jeremiah)

Common view points: “Why should I be bound by societal restrictions or ancient, outdated mores?  I want to rule my own life!”  But as Proverbs 16:25 tells us, there is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.  Or, as Aptly summarised by the nineteenth century Scottish author George MacDonald, “The one principle of hell is, “I am my Own.”

The changing views on marriage in our culture reflect a fundamental shift in the foundation of our values – from being based on God’s Word to being established by societal consensus.’ (Dr David Jeremiah)

What marriage is not: marriage is not the union of multiple partners or same-sex partners. (Dr David Jeremiah)

‘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. ‘   (Genesis 2:23-24)

When no suitable companion is found among all the living beings, God fashions a woman from the man’s own flesh – Genesis 2:23-24 highlights the sense of oneness that exists between the man and woman.  Adam joyfully proclaims ‘this at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh’.  This sentence and Eve’s creation both point that marriage creates the closet of all human relationship.  It is also important to observe that God creates only one Eve for Adam, not several Eves or another Adam.  Heterosexual monogamy is the divine pattern for marriage.

 1 Corinthians 6:16-17 tells us the unity with Christ is incompatible with all sin (Romans 6:6) but particularly with sexual sin because sexual union has a spiritual component.  Sexual activity outside marriage is unique sin both against Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15) and one’s own body (1 Corinthians 6:18).  Prohibited sexual practice, see 1Corinthians 6:9-10, 12-20, Romans 1:26-27, 1Timothy 1:10, Leviticus 18:22 & 20:10-20. (The English Standard Bible Version – Study Bible)

 The basic definition of Marriage is: ‘the legal union of two adults of the opposite sex who are unrelated to each other.’ (Dr David Jeremiah)

Defending a Meaningful Marriage (Dr David Jeremiah)

‘The marital ideal – one man and one woman bound in body and soul, sharing, comforting, communicating through good times and bad – is very appealing even, or perhaps particularly, in a cynical age.’ (Dr David Jeremiah)

One man and one woman united spiritually, emotionally, physically, publicly, and legally, in a lifetime bond of loyal love, for procreation, channelling sexual and emotional energy, and serving as a civilized and stabilized factor in society. This Biblical ideal for marriage goes back to the creation of the world, when fundamental natural and human order was established.  God created humans, both male and female, to be bearers of His image and stewards of all creation. (Dr David Jeremiah)

In the beginning, God did not create a social group of multiple humans and then pair the males with females as a way of bringing order to society. Marriage does bring order, but it has a far deeper purpose: it is fundamental to the very design of life on earth.  Marriage is a male and female coming together to function as “one flesh.”  It is a united pair whose synergistic potential is greater together than if they remained single and simply lived together without permanent commitment.  Something stable and immovable happens when two individuals unite as one in a permanent bond.  The permanence enables them to build for the future, passing on to their progeny material security, education, ethics, and knowledge of God – all of which form building blocks for a stable society.  This is fundamental to the way couples are to use their paired identity to act as stewards of creation and bear the image of God to the rest of creation.   (Dr David Jeremiah)

God made man – a male.  And then He designed another human beings who was the same as him, but different – a woman, a female.  The man and woman corresponded to each other in a unique way, both in terms of their bodies and their personalities.  And God brought them together and gave them to each other in a special relationship.  This was the first marriage, and it was the pattern of marriage.  From the very beginning, it was designed by God as a gift to humanity and the foundation of social order. (Dr David Jeremiah)

It’s important to notice that the union God established in Genesis 2 was characterized by the words of husband and wife.  The word wife appears in Genesis 2:24 “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.”  And the word husband appears seven verses later: “She also gave to her husband” (Genesis 3:6) Dr David Jeremiah

Marriage then is a covenant partnership between one man and one woman who unite in an exclusive relationship as husband and wife. (Dr David Jeremiah)

We cannot reinvent our fundamental institutions without going against the created order.  To think God’s creation is malleable – that the sexes are interchangeable or that men and women can find personal fulfilment in other ways often leads to disaster, bother personal and societal.  Nothing ultimately functions correctly unless we use it in the way it was created to be used.  To employ the human body and psyche in ways they were not created to be used will lead to the same kind of disaster as trying to use your automobile as a motorboat.  You may feel exhilaration and freedom as you fly though the air after driving your car off the pier, but it will not float for long when it lands in the water.   (Dr David Jeremiah)

God Designed Marriage for the Purpose of Procreation

Shortly after Adam and Eve were create, they received their first commission: God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:22) This command was repeated at the ‘second beginning’ of humanity following the great flood: God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’ (Genesis 9:1) Procreation is part of God’s creation mandate for the man and woman... (It) ensures the continuation of the human race and enables it to fulfil God’s mandate of cultivating the earth for God. (Dr David Jeremiah)

But some say, ‘why prevent people who love each other from getting married?’ 

Because, love alone is not enough – here’re some of the problems: 

The arguments will proceeds along the same lines as – ‘I want to have four wives, because we all love each other.’ (Polygamy) And another man says, ‘Why shouldn’t   I be able to marry my sister?’ And yet others make more exotic claims: ‘I love my dog and my dog loves me.’ The point is that love is a desirable, but not sufficient, condition for marriage.  (Dr David Jeremiah)

Marriage is not merely a private arrangement between two persons.  It is a core social institution, one that helps to ensure the economic, social and emotional welfare of countless children, women, and men in this nation... Marriage is the incubator of children – it is the only known mechanism for the healthy cultivation of the next generation.  (Dr David Jeremiah)

Note, while Adam was single, Satan did not approach him or tempt him to disobey God - He waited until after Adams’ marriage to launch his attack.  You would think it easier to attack one person instead of two, but by waiting he was able to attack not just an individual, but also God’s foundational building block for harmony and stability – marriage.  By attacking marriage, he was able to create division and disharmony between humans themselves as well as between humans and God.  Satan still follows that strategy today.  He knows that, as marriage goes, so goes stability in the societies of the world.  The more disruption he can create in societies through attacking marriage, the better are his chances taking people’s eyes off God and their own survival.  (Dr David Jeremiah)

Pray

Dear Lord God

Thank You that You have promised in Your Word to deliver us when we cry out to You.  I come to You on behalf of myself and all people of the United Kingdom and ask that You would deliver us from any ungodliness that may be threatening to become a stronghold in our lives and in our country - God bless the United Kingdom! Amen (Stormie Oartian)

Jesus Christ loves you!