Marriage Creates a New Family

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply.””(Gen. 1:27–28)

In God’s creation, maleness and femaleness are a central part, together with their being complimentary and both being made in God’s image. God’s word shows that, sexual union only occurs within marriage and giving the potential for new life, new fruit.

The sexual acts of men and women can influence the image of God they bear. Our acts either honour or dishonour the image of God which is only borne by humans. This is also true of our sexual desires – in Matthew 5.28  Jesus teaches that “Everyone who looks at a woman lust- fully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Also, our sexual acts have spiritual and moral dimensions; they are not just physical or biological. Old Testament scriptures often illustrate our relationship with God through marital fidelity, nuptial joy, fertility, harlotry, and sexual defilement.

Through the ages, the Christian Church taught an ethic of sexual self-discipline, recognizing that sex involves our souls and our bodies and that its place is only within marriage.

“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) this verse being part of Jesus’s teaching on divorce and marriage where He emphasizes the permanence and unity of marriage. (Matthew 19:5) The words “they become one flesh” show us a new intimate union being created and interdependence between husband and wife in marriage, both physically, emotionally and spiritually. Many do not fully understand the full meaning of Genesis 2.24. In particular that the phrase “one flesh” signifies a shift in priorities, establishing a primary relationship with one’s spouse instead of abandoning one’s family.

Whilst he was in prison during World War II Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote (from his prison cell) a sermon for his niece and her fiancé, within it he wrote, “Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God’s holy ordinance, through which He wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to His glory, and calls into His kingdom. In your love you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more that something personal—it is a status, an office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule, that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you together in the sight of God and man.”

Marriage creates a new entity which is designed by God for the good of the couple (the man and woman), their families of heritage and any family to come, their church, community and our nation. Martin Luther called marriage the “first estate,” which precedes both Church and civil government. A marriage with Christ at the centre seeking kingdom values will glorify God. Spouses will exercise mutual responsibility for raising their children, families becoming centres of evangelism.

God’s grace is at work in marriage, Jesus teaches us that our marital unions are capable of lifelong fidelity. In the inspired words in the book of Jerimiah, marriage was used to show God’s enduring covenant with Israel: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). Within the marriage union, the Lord affirms husband and wife exemplify the power of God’s everlasting love.
Jesus’s opponents challenged him about the lawfulness of divorce; his answer, citing Genesis, clearly stated that God joins people together in marriage “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” Unfortunately, through the continued spiritual attack on marriage, separation and divorce are sadly part of life in our world, our battle continues in this and many other areas.
Scripture shows us how to live our lives, protect our marriages and raise our families to glorify God and to shine out to the world and recover lost ground. The apostle Paul (Eph. 5.32) amongst his teachings highlights that the union between man and woman in marriage is a significant sign of the union between Christ and his bride, the church (Rev 21.2)
There is the need not only to increase our effort and numbers in our spiritual warfare but we also need maybe greater courage to educate and equip with full teaching from scripture on sexuality, sexual behaviour and the truth of “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

Do we correct or hold each other accountable (Galatians 6:1-5 and more) as difficult as it, maybe? We need to remind those in the church that the marriage covenant carries obligations of fidelity and mutual love and is morally binding on the spouses, and that covenant is before God. Scripture reminds us again and again that we must die to sin and live solely for Christ.