What is Marriage?

In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus said, “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

There are a lot of common, sinful practices in our society now. I want you to briefly consider the application of Jesus’ teaching to three of them:

  • First, same-sex marriage. While we acknowledge the fact that individual states and/or the federal government may redefine marriage from a legal standpoint, the Bible teaches that marriage is a right that is given to us by God — not the state. Jesus said that God “made them male and female,” therefore, same-sex marriages are wrong.
  • Second, polygamy is the practice of having two or more wives at one time, and polyandry is the practice of having two or more husbands at one time. In Matthew 19:4-5, Jesus showed that polygamy and polyandry were not part of God’s marriage plan. He said that a man shall be joined to his wife (singular) and that the two (not three or more of either gender) shall become one flesh. Marriage is between one man and one woman.
  • Third, living together takes the place of marriage among many now. A man and a woman live together as husband and wife, enjoying all the pleasures and benefits of marriage, sometimes even raising children in their home, without actually being married. Jesus taught that this was wrong also (cp. Hebrews 13:4). Furthermore, many studies have reached the conclusion that cohabiting couples have a higher likelihood of divorce over those who marry from the start.

These kinds of “marriages” are growing in popularity, but they are sinful in the light of scripture. The moral foundations of our nation are being chipped away piece by piece. Jesus said that marriage is one man joined to one woman for life. That settles the matter.

Adapted from Heath Rogers

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