THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE

In Genesis 1:27-28 the creation of humankind as male and female is immediately linked with the blessing that we are to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over” it. That is to say, the first way in which marriage leads to the service of God is through the procreation, and then the godly nurture, of children. Children are a blessing from God. Not every married couple is given this blessing. When they are not, it is a cause of sadness. A marriage is still a marriage, and can honor God deeply, without children. But we are to esteem the procreation of children as a costly and sacrificial blessing. Our prayer is that children will grow up in “the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) and become—in the language of Genesis 2—fellow-gardeners under God to care for his world.

– Sex

This brings up another very important topic. God created for sex to be an intimate expression of love between a husband and wife. It was created as a holy act of worship to God. Since it is holy, that means that sex is set apart and is to be honored and esteemed as a precious, beautiful experience. Unfortunately, the world has turned it into a quick, empty thrill. God created it as an overflow of love and connection between a husband and wife. And it is to only be experienced between a husband and wife in holy matrimony. Any form of sexual pleasure outside of the context of marriage is fornication and sensuality. And sex with someone that a person is not married to is adultery. Genesis 2:24 perfectly explains God’s view and intention for marriage. It says “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” God created marriage to be a physical expression of two souls uniting in holy matrimony to become one flesh, one unit, almost one person. This brings up another very important point

– Cohabitation

Since marriage is one of the most important institutions that God has established from the beginning of creation, anything that is done outside of the context of marriage in terms of relationships and sexual intercourse is displeasing to God. And that goes for cohabitation. Cohabitation is when two individuals who are in an exclusive relationship decide to dwell together under the same roof, in the same household, before they have walked down the aisle, exchanged vows and are declared married. In other words, it is when one man and one woman decide to live together without being married. The reason why this does not please the Lord is because if a couple decides to live together before marriage, it is no guarantee that the couple will proceed with marriage. Statistics say that about 50% of couples who live together before marriage come to the conclusion that they should not get married. So cohabitation is detrimental for a possible marriage because the purpose of marriage is to express to another person that you are committed to them no matter what may transpire throughout life, whether it be sickness, loss of a job, loss of a relative, a natural disaster or even cheating. When a person decides to cohabitate, they are in essence saying “I do not trust you enough to commit my entire life to you in marriage, but I do trust you enough to enjoy the benefit of having you around and living with you.”

Genesis 2:25 says “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” From the beginning, the Lord created marriage with the intention that a man and a woman would be able to connect on the deepest levels emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Ashamed means embarrassed or guilty because of one’s actions, characteristics, or associations. So, based upon the scripture, the man and his wife were not embarrassed to be vulnerable and transparent with each other. This is very important because a lot of spouses in different marriages are separated and hiding from each other, while yet living together under the same roof. God did not create for any couple to have divided bank accounts, divided loyalties, and to conceal any matters. God created each spouse to be able to be honest and trust each other. God created spouses to be able to be completely honest and open about each other’s weaknesses, strengths, dreams, aspirations, childhoods, backgrounds, temperaments, and personalities. This is one reason why saving one’s virginity for marriage is so important. When a virgin decides to marry, they do not have to worry bringing other past interactions, relationships, and experiences with other partners into a marriage.

Same-Sex Attraction

Genesis 1:27 states
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Although the world, in general, has accepted the belief that God has created some men in women’s bodies and vice versa, the Bible does not support or endorse this view. This scripture is so relevant to our culture because it lets us know that, first of all, mankind was created in the image of God. That means that all mankind was created to reflect His glory as human beings. So we were not created as animals, aliens, rocks, precipitation, asexual, binary or anything else. We are not any other species.

The second part of that scripture is equally important. It states that God created two genders only: male and female. Although some people in our culture are very divided and confused about this matter, the scriptures do not leave it up for debate. Contrary to what the world may say, their is no such thing as transgender, non-binary, gender binary, or gender dysphoria. The Lord created all human beings as one of those two genders.