What is Marriage?
by Admin
Posted on March 09, 2020 at 06:03 AM
"Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what you should do as Christians. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."
Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God, one that should not be taken for granted. It is the right atmosphere to build a family life. Getting married in a church, in front of God, is very important.
In Christian marriage, the union between a man and a woman is instituted and appointed by God as the lifelong relationship between one man as husband and one woman as wife.
A marriage is a public acknowledgement of love and commitment. This acknowledgement is made in front of friends and family in a church ceremony.
What constitutes marriage according to Bible?
The Bible nowhere clearly states at what point God considers a man and a woman to be married. Due to the Bible’s silence on this matter, identifying the actual moment a man and woman are married in God’s eyes is a complex undertaking. Here are the three most common viewpoints:
- God only considers a man and a woman married when they are legally married—that is, when they become husband and wife in the eyes of the law.
- A man and a woman are married in God’s eyes when they have completed some kind of formal wedding ceremony involving government laws.
- God considers a man and a woman to be married at the moment they engage in sexual intercourse. Let’s look at each of the three views and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each.
God only considers a man and a woman married when they are legally married—that is, when they become husband and wife in the eyes of the law:
The scriptural support typically given for this view is the command to obey the government’s laws. It is definitely biblical for a couple to submit to the government as long as the requirements do not contradict God’s Word and are reasonable.
However, there are some weaknesses and potential problems with this view. First, marriage existed before any government was organized. Second, even today, there are some countries that have no governmental recognition of marriage, and/or no legal requirements for marriage. Third, there are some governments that place unbiblical requirements on a marriage before it is legally recognized. Fourth, to make the authority of the marriage union completely reliant on government statutes is to indirectly sanction the statutory definition of marriage, which may vary.
A man and a woman are married in God’s eyes when they have completed some kind of formal wedding ceremony involving government laws:
In John chapter 2, Jesus attended a wedding ceremony. Jesus would not have attended such an event if he did not approve of what was occurring. Jesus’ presence at a wedding ceremony by no means indicates that God requires a wedding ceremony, but it does indicate that a wedding ceremony is acceptable in God’s sight. Nearly every culture in the history of humanity has observed some kind of formal wedding ceremony. In every culture there is an event, action, covenant, vow, or proclamation that is recognized as declaring a man and woman to be married.
God considers a man and a woman to be married at the moment they engage in sexual intercourse. Let’s look at each of the three views and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each:
There are some who take this to mean that a married couple is not truly “married” in God’s eyes until they have completed the marriage physically. If a couple is legally and ceremonially married, but for some reason is unable to engage in sexual intercourse, that couple is still considered married.
If sexual intercourse causes a couple to become married, it could not be considered immoral, as the couple would be considered married the moment they engaged in sexual intercourse. There is absolutely no biblical basis for an unmarried couple to have sex and then declare themselves to be married, thereby declaring all future sexual relations to be moral and God-honoring.
What constitutes marriage according to Society?
Pope St. John Paul II said, as the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.
In most societies, a marriage is considered a permanent social & legal contract and relationship between two people that is based on mutual rights and obligations among the partners. A marriage, however, does not simply exist between the married partners, but rather, is summarized as a social institution in legal, economic, social, and spiritual/religious ways.
In many societies, including the Western world and the United States, marriage is widely considered the basis of and foundation for family.
The Role of Marriage in today’s society:
Marriage is one of the norms established by people, which reflect attitude, beliefs and behaviors. Marriage is a mutual relationship with general or religious acknowledgment which is often created as an agreement. Here are 5 reasons that explain the importance of marriage.
- Beginning:
Marriage is the beginning—the beginning of the family—and is a life-long commitment. Marriage is more than a physical union; it is also a spiritual and emotional union. This union mirrors the one between God and His Church. - Oneness:
When a man and woman get married, the “two become one.” Marriage is not a contract, it's a covenant. It’s a sacred union between a man, a woman, and God. It’s about a couple becoming “one flesh.” It’s a union of body, mind, and spirit that reflects something of God’s nature. - Purity:
Marriage is designed for purity. The bond of marriage gives us the support to defeat temptation by engaging in deep, satisfying love – a love that gives to, and receives from, our mate physically, emotionally, and spiritually. - Parenting:
Parenting is the process of encouraging & supporting the physical, emotional, social, and psychological development of a child from childhood to adulthood. Parenting refers to the aspects of raising a child aside from the biological relationship. When children are raised in a healthy marriage, they get a front row seat to see and experience the lasting benefits of a strong family. - Love:
Love is an especially powerful word. Love is one of the most acute emotions that we experience as humans. It is a variety of different feelings, states and attitudes that range from mutual affection to pleasure.
What constitutes marriage according to God?
According to God, the One who designed and instituted marriage, Love is a choice. It’s a matter of Obedience, not emotion. Marriage is ordained by God as an intimate and permanent partnership between a man and a woman in which the two become one in the whole of life. Sexual, emotional, physical and spiritual fulfillment are important goals of a marriage relationship that places God at its Centre. Christian marriage is the ideal foundation for the birth and raising of children.
What constitutes marriage according to Catholic Church?
“He made them male and female. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together”
"Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband”
Marriage is a very important ritual in life, and as such, should have the unconditional respect of all, especially of the two partners concerned. The main aspect of a marriage in traditional and religious settings is to procreate and have children to fill the world and continue ones generation or lineage.