Monday, August 21, 2006

Marriage - God's Expectation



The Creation of Marriage
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they sahll become one flesh.

Purpose of Marriage

Marriage is not intended to be a self-centered means of meeting our own needs. When we think this way, divorce becomes an option and all too often a reality.
God created marriage to
a) reflect His glory
b) meet the needs of our mate

Six Principles

1. Husbands, be the head.
2. Wives, be the helper.
3. Leave all other loyalties behind.
4. Be absolutely loyal to yur mate.
5. Be companion to your mate.
6. Work together for the glory of God.

There is a role defined distinctly for husband and wife and they cannot be interchanged. Adam and Eve werer created equal in value, dignity, worth and significance.

Responsibility

1. Husband bears the responsibility before God to lead Women, in a God-honoring manner, to sacrificially love her by protecting and providing for her well-being.

Supporting Scriptures

Ephesians 5:28-29

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Responsibility

2.Wife bears the responsibility to voluntarily submit to her husband's leadership, to support his authority, and to work alongside him in their common purpose of bringing glory to God.

Supporting Scriptures

I Peter 3:1-2

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

3. Leave all other loyalities behind.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother........." This is a very strong idea and contradicts with the 5th Cmmandment of God's law which says "Honor your father and your mother".

This does not speak about sons to turn their back on parents rather he is to leave the authority of his parents in order to establish a new authority of his own (along with his wife). Parents cannot function as a surrogate head for him. The parent-child relationship is temporary, but the husband-wife relationship is permanent - "till death do us part."

4. Be absolute loyal to your mate.

"..............and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

This verse rules out polygamy ".. be joined to his wife.." not to his wives
GOD'S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE AT THE VERY CREATION OF THE HUMAN RACE, WAS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.

Rules out homosexuality, Genesis 2:22-23 "Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." It was man and woman who was made husband and wife.

Rules out adultery, "....be joined to his wife..." not to some other woman.
If there's any lack of satisfying intimacy in your marriage, the answerr isnot going to be found outside of your marriage; the problem is inside of your marriage - that's what needs to be fixed.

5. Be companion to your mate.
"... and they shall become one flesh."

The sexual union between husband and wife only symbolizes their greater union. A preceeding union of spirits, of emotions, of intellects, of common interests, goals, plans and hopes will enhance the sexual union.

Genesis 2:18 "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

The basic obligation of marriage is to be the answer to the mate's need for genuine companionship

6. Work together for the glory of God

"... and they shall become one flesh".

One flesh refers to the entire life-union of the couple, of which sexual intercourse is the unique realization and expression. The essential moral problem with non marital sexual intercourse is that it performs a life-uniting acts without a life-united intent, thus violating its intrinsic meaning.

Between man and his wife in their perfect union there should be no guilt, hiding, blaming, alienation and conflict.

Marriages are to be a reflection, not of our own self-centeredness, but of the divine plan of redemption in which sinners, who were once lost and alienated from God by their sin, are reunited as one flesh, one body with Him. This brings God great glory and pleasure.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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