Marriage

 

Marriage is the first designed institution that 

God made between people.

 

Genesis 2 states :          1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

4This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,    7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 15Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

18And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.     23And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones        And flesh of my flesh;        She shall be called Woman,        Because she was taken out of Man." 24Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

 

Studying Genesis verse by verse:  God made Adam first. (vs. 7) and gave Adam work to do (v. 15).   Then “the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." … But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. “   So God made Eve.  And this is God’s design for every marriage >> “…Because she was taken out of Man." 24Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Notice God brought the woman to the man.  And nothing was to separate them (and they shall become one flesh).  To reiterate this, "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, Malachi 2:16  Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.  Matt 19:8

            The next look at marriage pertains to the marriage relationship.  Marriage is a model of God’s love and marriage to His Bride, the church.  It is based on Agape Love.  It must be a two-way genuine, sincere, deep, and earnest love on the part of both the man and the woman.  Both people must know each other well, sincerely and truly.  They both must want the very best for the other. They should be unselfish, caring, trusting and wise.  They must look out for the very best interest of the other, nurturing each other in the Word of God and in obedience to the Bible themselves. 

             There should be no phoniness, no pretension, no falsehood or hiding of faults.  Just as one comes to Christ for atonement, a person lays bear all of his or her sins and faults.  For, God already knows us (Psalm 139) for God is all-knowing.  And God already loves us, for God is Love (1Jn 4:16)  And God sees all of our faults; So we are to come God personally, plainly and clearly, just as we are to come to the one we want to marry.  Just as God is truthful with us, so we must be truthful with each other.  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  Jn 14:6

             The only way this kind of a relationship can occur is when both are saved, born again, and equally yoked.    “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” 2Cor 6:14,15   

A believer believes, adheres to and completely trusts Jesus Christ, the Word of God.  (Read http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/the_word_of_god.htm)   The Bible says a believer is one who adheres to the Word of God, Jesus Christ, with his or her full weight and heart/mind submission to the Bible alone with no other books or man’s manipulation and has surrendered their life and control to the Living God through the atonement of the unblemished Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God.   (Read http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/born_again.htm and     http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/atonement.htm  )

             Each husband and wife are to be : imitators of God and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.   … there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. … Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.      

    22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

    25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5

 

How Troubles Can Begin Before Marriage - Warning: 

  1. When one coerces or manipulates the other to marry.  This could be either through use of emotions, physical force, or spiritual bullying.   
  2. When it is a forced marriage from an outside source: a preconceived notion, idea, or outside force that causes this unwanted union on at least one of the people.
  3. When either the man or woman do not agree they should marry each other.
  4. When there is deception to make the marriage occur. 

 

God never forces people to “marry” Him. 

  1. The Lord God states – “Come to Me,”  Matt 11:28  (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/CometoMe.htm )
  2. "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Jeremiah 31:3 (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/everlasting_love.htm)
  3. Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.   Psalm 55:22 NIV  (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/cast_your_cares.htm)
  4. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted.  Psalm 34:18  (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/broken_hearted.htm)
  5. With lovingkindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3 (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/everlasting_love.htm)
  6. God gives us freewill to choose Him, or to not.   “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  Joshua 24:15  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”  Matt 23:37 (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/big_picture.htm)  (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/world_violence.htm)

         A man and a woman must be truthful and honest with each other and treat each other with the same lovingkindness, with the same care, gentleness and nurturing.  Read the above information again.

 Love is not a feeling or an emotion based upon hormones, appearances, or physical pleasures, although these sometimes play a part.  Instead, Love is a decision. 

 Marriage Love is a commitment to serve the other person in honesty and truth, care and nurturing, and always to the goal of bringing the person and themselves into a greater love-relationship with the Living Lord God Almighty through His Son Jesus Christ on the terms set forth by God’s Word, the Bible, and all for the glory of God alone. The match cannot be made by ideals or imaginings, but by God’s decision or will played out in the tangible decisions of both persons’ wills being in conformity to God and in agreement with God’s decision.  Each person must is equal in this knowledge and accountable to God directly and independently. 

 Knowing God’s will is found here: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2   

        Freewill -       13"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."                    19"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

            24"Then he cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25But Abraham said, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'

            27"Then he said, "I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30And he said, "No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31But he said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."'   Luke 16   

The Bible says there are only two places to go.  “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” Heb 9:27    You will either go to  - (http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/hell.htm   or http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/heaven.htm )

 

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