Making choices for marriage – Part 1

We’ll begin a series on making enduring choices for marriage. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, with a view to building a family. The formalisation of this union involves making verbal exchange of vows of unconditional commitment to each other, in the presence of witnesses appending their signatures on a certificate. Marriage is God’s original idea, which began the structure on which societies and civilizations are built. Commitment and Trust are the key pillars of the marriage institution. Marriage is not just about two people cohabitating, but their commitment towards God and one another to build a stable family. Marriage is the oldest institution in the world, with its origin in God (Gen 2:18-25).

Biblical marriage is a covenant relationship between a man, woman and God, the Author of marriage, which is binding for life. Biblical marriage is the commitment of two people of opposite sex to the person of Jesus Christ and to each other without fear or hurt. It is a pledge of mutual fidelity and submission. Faithfulness and loyalty are the key words grafted into the act of that submission. Each party sees the other as a joint heir of God’s grace, which empowers their love, honour and submission to God and one another in the marriage relationship. None of the parties involved sees each other as less, but treat themselves as joint heirs to the grace of God, daily contributing to the strength and character of their home (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, I John 4:18).

For anyone to enjoy marriage as God intends it, he/she must be open enough to embrace the biblical model as an essential building block for stable families in the society. Kingdom marriage has a divine blueprint (God Factor), union of two humans (male and female) and covenant relationship (of till death do us part) Ephesians 5:21-31.

The Bible remains our reference as we explore this series defining what marriage means from the principle of first mention, before man’s known civilisation. God made everything to reflect His nature. Every star, plant, animal, cell, light, wind, and sound were created for a purpose (Romans 1:20). Creation was only good until the introduction of man and woman, which made it very good. God’s decision to bring the man and woman together in marriage wasn’t an afterthought, but for His purposes to be fulfilled through the family unit. He used marriage to reflect His love and redemption plan for man. Marriage is not just a man and woman living together with a legal document signed in a state ceremony. It was created for cooperation, companionship, compassion and teamwork. The symbol of unity within marriage is a powerful tool for stability in the society. Marital relationship, when operated in obedience to God’s Word, is the representation of the gospel of man’s reconciliation to God. 

Ayo Daniels is a healthy family practitioner and will love to hear your questions, testimonies and attend to your counseling need ayodaniels@mrlworld.coml