A Line in the Sand -- Marriage

My first line in the sand that I am drawing is the one about the sanctity of marriage. What is marriage? Marriage means different things to different people, but what you or I think about marriage does not matter. What matters is what marriage is. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary marriage is “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.” That definition nails down what marriage might be a little more, but still a dictionary gives definitions to what words mean to people today. History shows us that the meanings of words change, i.e. "neck" used to mean "parcel of land" (as in neck of the woods) or "awful" meant "deserving of awe". These examples show us that we can not trust a dictionary to tell us what marriage is, it can only show us what today's interpretation is.

So, where do we go to define what marriage is? Our current system of marriage is a contractual (a covenant) relationship. Where did we get this design for marriage? That's right. From the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and continued in the New Testament. Agree with the design or not, that is where our current system of marriage was based from. What does the Old Testament say?

“Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." -- Genesis 2:18 (ESV)

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” -- Genesis 2:24 (ESV)

Here in Genesis, God establishes the first marriage. There is reason a God that made us man and woman. We compliment each other! Men have their strengths and weaknesses just as women do, but when we marry, our flesh combines as one and we are complete! Now, what does the New Testament say about marriage?

“23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” -- Ephesians 5:23-32 (ESV)

Here in this verse, Paul is showing how marriage is more than a just covenant between two people; it is a picture of Jesus' relationship to Church. We husbands have a huge role to play in our marriage! We are to represent Jesus Christ's attributes in our relationship. And wives, you are supposed to treat your husbands like the Church is supposed to treat Jesus. How high and holy an image do our marriages represent! The writer of Hebrews tells us how we should view this:

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” -- Hebrews 13:4

Here the writer God sees adulterers and the sexually immoral as defilers of marriage. I think we can all agree what adultery is (sex outside of marriage,) but what are the sexually immoral?

"24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

"26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." -- Romans 1:24-27 (ESV)

"A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God." --Deuteronomy 22:5 (ESV)

"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination..." -- Leviticus 20:13 (ESV)

Let me say this LOUD and CLEAR - I do NOT hate homosexuals. I do however believe that God sees homosexuality, bestiality, and adultery as a abominations. Remember, the writer of Hebrews told us that the marriage bed should not be defiled. I think a logical line can be drawn to say that such abominations are a defilement.

As a Christian, I believe that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God. Agree with the Bible or not, it is plain that marriage was based on Biblical principles. Careful study and an open mind shows us that marriage is between a man and a woman.

If you see that I have erred in any way, please do not hesitate to tell me. If I have not rightly handled the Bible and used it out of context, PLEASE tell me! I do not want to blaspheme the name of God by misusing his Word.

-- The Wretch