Of all the institutions held in high esteem by our society, God’s institution of marriage isn’t one of them. In our text from Hebrews 13 we hear our God admonish us to honor marriage. What is more, God reminds us that this isn’t a game. He promises judgement for all who abuse marriage and God’s gift of sex.
During Sunday’s sermon we looked at the foundation of marriage, the organization of a marriage, and the goals of marriage.
The foundation of marriage is love – the love that we reflect from our God and the love that we choose to give to our spouse. The essence of a marriage is the choice to love, the commitment to our spouse. That is to say that if a Christian man and a Christian woman were on a desert island they could be married in God’s sight.
The organization of a marriage is that of a head and a helper. God explains how this should work in Genesis at the creation account, Ephesians 5, and Colossians 3. There are other places in Scripture where God offers more instruction too. God lays out that the husband should be the head and the wife should be the helper. Nowhere does God say that if the husband doesn’t do his job then the wife should take over. Nowhere does God say that if the wife will no submit to her husband’s leadership then he needs to force her to do so. Of course, living in a sinful world, married to a sinful spouse, our ability to follow God’s plan is at best imperfect. That does not mean there is something wrong with God’s plan. He gave us his plan because he loves us.
The goals of marriage are companionship, chastity, and children. There can be other goals a couple will undertake as well, but from God’s perspective those are a great place to start. If you go to a movie by yourself, it’s not nearly as fun as going with a friend. If you go to a movie with your spouse, you’re on a date. Chastity is great for alliteration, but sexual happiness is probably a clearer expression of our second goal. A husband and a wife were created for each other. They physically fit together. There is nothing dirty about sex in a marriage. Yes, you can even have sex to the glory of God! Finally children are an amazing blessing from the Lord. They add joy and perspective. It is hard to find a greater purpose than to raise a child in the training and instruction of the Lord.
When marriage as an institution everything that was covered in the goals can fall apart. What is more the break down of the family is the start of the break down of our society. Want to learn more about God’s gift of marriage? Watch this week’s sermon from Hebrews 13.
Topic(s): FamilyBook(s): Hebrews
Series: Ref500
Tag(s): Marriage
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg