HAVE OFTEN HEARD it said, “Mar- riages are made in heaven, but they are lived out on earth.” How true! Marriage is a divine institution, designed for the good of human existence on earth. It is perfect in design and wholesome as is.
The problem with many couples is they enter marriage without the proper knowl- edge of marriage, and with lack of adequate preparation, faulty understanding of love, and poor commitment dynamics. Other couples enter marriage with a wounded self-image or unnecessary baggage. The problem is not marriage; it is people! Rather than fixing the “people” problem of mar- riage, many experts are determined to redefine it. But the only person who could change the marriage institution is God, and His plan has not changed.
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The Creator established marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman as outlined in Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18, 23-24. Throughout history, humanity has accept- ed that norm. Today, however, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands have legal- ized same-sex marriage. The United States and many other countries are fighting court battles over redefining marriage. The day same-sex marriage is legalized in any country, the Pandora’s box of all sexual immoralities is opened. There will be no limit to how far humans will go to degrade themselves in sexual debauchery and des- ecrate the institution of marriage. Marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman, but today gay and lesbian groups in society and some within the institutional church are trying to rede- fine the law of marriage to include same- sex unions. However, God established the marriage institution to be holy, sacred, and blessed, and no law will nullify God’s law. In His court of justice, the marriage union is not up for debate. Why? Because the Creator of marriage has embedded a blessing in marriage (Genesis 1:28) that can be released only when it operates by
10 EVANGEL • JUNE 2010
The SANCTITY
His laws and government. A blessed mar- riage is a place where each person in the relationship can grow and be a healing agent of love.
The Hebrew word for blessed, as used in Genesis 1:28, is barak, and the Greek counterpart is eulogia. The meaning is “to endue with God’s beneficial power.” It has a self-contained beneficial force that one transmits to another. In other words, when marriage is blessed, it is endued with spiritual authority and power to fulfill all potential as determined by God for marriage union. God empowers you to fulfill His blueprint for success in mar- riage and life.
Marriage as a sacred institution is a divine partnership of two whole people
made in the image of God. God endows each person in the partnership with cer- tain responsibilities and functions to fulfill the oneness of marriage.
The Christian marriage is not merely a contract between two people; it is a sacred covenant that can only be nullified by death or by God. Therefore, when a couple enters into a Christian marriage and makes a vow to love forever, God holds them accountable to their obligations. On the other hand, the sanctity of marriage does not remove marital prob- lems. But embracing the sanctity of mar- riage will motivate couples to stop running away from problems and, instead, com- mit to resolve them. Problems cannot be solved by running—they will only follow.
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