Bible teaching on marriage | 10 things you should know

This is what the Bible teaches about marriage

• Marriage was instituted by God (Genesis 1:26-28).
• Marriage should be between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24–25).
• Marriage should be between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:8, 2:24).
• Marriage was instituted for procreation (Genesis 1:28).
• Marriage was instituted for companionship (Genesis 2:18).
• Marriage was instituted for intimacy (Genesis 2:24).
• Marriage was instituted for rulership (Genesis 1:28).
• Marriage vows are permanent (Matthew 19:3–9).
• Marriage is meant to be exclusive (Hebrews 13:4).
• In marriage, the husband is the head, and the wife is the helper (Genesis 2:18).

Let us consider each of the identified attributes of marriage as taught in the Bible.

1. Marriage was instituted by God

In the book of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, the Bible tells us that, after God had finished creating the Light, the firmament, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the plants, and all the animals in the waters, air, and land, HE CREATED MANKIND.

This is recorded in Genesis 1:26-28 as follows:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; MALE AND female, He CREATED THEM.

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

From this passage, it is crystal clear that by creating a ‘male and a female’ human being and commanding them to be ‘fruitful and multiply, God essentially established the FIRST COUPLE on the earth.

2. Marriage should be between a man and a woman

The Bible is also very clear that marriage should be between a man and a woman. In this arrangement of things, the MAN is to play the role of a HUSBAND, while the WOMAN is to play the role of a WIFE. This instruction from God is found in Genesis 2:24:25, which says

“Therefore A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, and THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.

And they were both naked, THE MAN AND HIS WIFE, and they were not ashamed.”

What God is telling us in this passage is that the ONLY UNION between two individuals that can result in TWO BECOMING ONE FLESH’, is WHEN A MAN IS married TO HIS WIFE, which translates to MARRIAGE.

Consequently, a union between a man and a fellow man or a woman and a fellow woman CAN NEVER RESULT IN the one FLESH UNION’, as foreseen and established by God. Therefore, when a man purports to ‘marry’ a fellow man or a woman purports to ‘marry’ a fellow woman, the two will always remain two flesh’, an arrangement that HAS NO PLACE IN God’s ORDER OF THINGS. Remember, God did not create two Adams, nor did He create two Eves! Instead, He created Adam and Eve, that is, male and female, who were individuals of OPPOSITE sexes.

3. Marriage should be between one man and one woman

When you read the book of Genesis 2:18, you clearly get God’s principle of one man, one wife, as follows.

“And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him A HELPER comparable to him.’”

From this verse, it is clear that according to God, Adam needed A helper, meaning ONE HELPER, to deal with his loneliness—not three, not ten!

The one-man-one-wife arrangement is further emphasized in Genesis 2:24, when God declares

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to HIS WIFE, and they shall become one flesh.”

From this verse, we understand that God intended the man to be joined to his wife, not WIVES!

This shows that God favors a MONOGAMOUS MARRIAGE rather than a polygamous one.

The idea of polygamy is first seen in Genesis 4:19, in the case of a descendant of Cain called Lamech. This is what the bible says in the identified verse

“Then Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.”

Notice that this kind of marriage arrangement was man’s IDEA and NOT God’s.

In the New Testament, the one-man-one-wife arrangement is also emphasized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 when he stipulates the qualifications for becoming a bishop or a deacon. This is what the scriptures say

“A bishop then must be blameless, THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, and able to teach;”

“Let deacons be THE HUSBANDS OF ONE WIFE, ruling their children and their own houses well.”

4. Marriage was instituted for procreation

The next thing the Bible teaches about marriage is that, it is the institution through which God INTENDED TO POPULATE THE EARTH. In fact, the instruction to procreate was a COMMAND from God. We read this in Genesis 1:28 as follows:

“Then God BLESSED THEM, and God said to them, ‘BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY; FILL THE EARTH, and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

God is a ‘GOD OF MULTIPLICATION‘. This attribute of God also comes into play during the creation of plants and animals.

After creating plants, God designed them with the ABILTY TO SELF-PROPAGATE or MULTIPLY, either through the SEED or VEGETATIVELY. This we read in Genesis 1:11–12, which says

“Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, THE HERB THAT YIELDS SEED, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, WHOSE SEED IS IN ITSELF, on the earth, and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that YIELDS SEED according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

God’s agenda of MULTIPLICATION is replicated during the creation of animals of the waters and birds of the air, as recorded in Genesis 1:21-22, as follows:

“So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY, AND FILL THE WATERS IN THE SEAS, AND LET THE BIRDS MULTIPLY on the earth.’”

A similar pattern is observed with the creation of the animals that occupied land. They were also created with the ability to SELF-PROPAGATE.

So, back to mankind. God created them IN ORDER to fill the earth. Thus, POPULATION of the earth would ONLY TAKE PLACE WHEN A MAN AND WOMAN (not a man and another man nor a woman and fellow woman) CAME TOGETHER THROUGH SEXUAL INTERCOURSE. The product of this act would be ANOTHER HUMAN BEING, with an INBORN ABILITY TO MULTIPLY.

We read this in Genesis 4:1-2, which says:

“Now Adam KNEW Eve his WIFE, and SHE CONCEIVED and BORE Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the LORD.’ Then she BORE again, this time his brother Abel.”

The Bible uses the term KNEW to imply the ACT OF SEXUAL INTERCOURSE between Adam and Eve.

Also in Genesis 4:25, we see multiplication at play as follows:

“And ADAM KNEW HIS WIFE AGAIN, and she BORE a SON and named him Seth, saying, For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.’”

Also in Genesis 4:16, we read the story about Cain’s family as follows:

“And Cain KNEW his WIFE, and she CONCEIVED and BORE Enoch. And he built a city, and he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.”

5. Marriage was instituted for companionship

Another reason why God instituted marriage is so that couples can keep each other company. This is articulated in Genesis 2:18, 2:21–24, as follows:

“And the LORD God said, ‘IT IS NOT GOOD THAT a man should be alone; I will make him a HELPER comparable to him.’”

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib that the LORD God had taken from man, He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

And Adam said:

‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.’

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be JOINED to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

So through marriage, the problem of loneliness is overcome since the husband and wife SHARE with each other whatever challenge either of them is going through.

The role of companionship in the marriage institution is further echoed in Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 as follows:

“TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE, because they have a good reward for their labor. For IF THEY FALL, ONE WILL LIFT UP HIS COMPANION. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for HE HAS NO ONE TO HELP HIM UP. Again IF TWO LIE DOWN TOGETHER, THEY WILL KEEP WARM; BUT HOW CAN ONE BE WARM ALONE? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

6. Marriage was instituted for intimacy

The Bible teaches that it is only through the institution of marriage that intimacy should be exercised. This is accomplished through the act of sex between husband and wife.

As already mentioned, it is ONLY through the act of sexual intercourse between the husband and wife that they become ONE flesh, as documented in Genesis 2:24, which says

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and THEY SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”

The joining mentioned in this verse is the act of sex between the man and his wife.

The Apostle Paul also talks about intimacy between husband and wife in 1 Corinthians 7:2–5, as follows:

“Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. LET THE HUSBAND RENDER TO HIS WIFE THE AFFECTION DUE HER, AND LIKEWISE ALSO THE WIFE TO HER HUSBAND. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do NOT DEPRIVE ONE ANOTHER except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

This passage expressly teaches that in marriage, the husband should not deny his wife’s sex, and likewise, the wife should never deny her husband sex.

However, the ONLY exception is when either of them or both engage in a period of prayer and fasting. But this should NOT be overly prolonged to the extent of causing either of the couples to lose self-control and engage in sexual immorality.

7. Marriage was instituted for rulership

After creating the first couple and blessing them, God told them to be fruitful, to multiply, to subdue the earth, and to dominate or RULE over the fish, the birds, and every living thing on the face of the earth (Genesis 1:28).

This rulership was to be exercised within the confines of the marriage institution. In this context, the man was to be in charge, while the woman was to be his HELPER (Genesis 2:18).

Consequently, in order for the husband and wife to function optimally in their pursuits of life, whether at home, at the workplace, in the community, or in any other sphere of activity, they must always work in unison. Any attempt to pull in different directions will always result in very little or no progress at all.

This is why the Bible teaches that

‘two cannot walk together, UNLESS THEY AGREE’ (Amos 3:3).

This clarion call is in fact MOST APPLICABLE IN THE MARRIAGE INSTITUTION.

8. Marriage vows are permanent

When God established the marriage institution between Adam and Eve, He meant it to be a lifetime commitment. In other words, divorce was not on God’s cards as far as marriage is concerned. We know this by referring to the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees as recorded in Matthew 19:3-6, the scriptures

“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?’

And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’ So then, THEY ARE NO LONGER TWO BUT ONE FLESH. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

Two things emerge from this passage:

Firstly. Jesus was implying that when husband and wife are JOINED during marriage, God is also involved in sealing the covenant. Thus, man, through the courts of law, cannot SEPARATE THE two because, God’s AUTHORITY is higher than man’s.

Secondly, through marriage, the husband and wife become ONE FLESH. Thus, it becomes IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THEM. You cannot separate ONE thing, only TWO or MORE!

So where does this leave us? We can conclusively say that the only thing that can bring about a separation between a husband and his wife is DEATH.

Despite getting a satisfactory answer from Jesus, the Pharisees pressed on with another question in order to trap Him. This is recorded in Matthew 19:7-9 as follows:

“They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?’

He said to them, ‘Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, BUT FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO.’ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

What does this mean?

This statement by Jesus implies that, though one may get divorced, they still REMAIN ONE FLESH with their former spouse! So, if they get into another relationship that leads to marriage, they will be committing adultery because, as far as God is concerned, they are still MARRIED’ to their former partner as long as they remain alive!

In 1 Corinthians 7:10, the Apostle Paul urges married couples to keep their vows by saying:

“Now to the married I COMMAND, yet not I but the Lord: A WIFE IS NOT TO DEPART FROM HER HUSBAND. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And A HUSBAND IS NOT TO DIVORCE HIS WIFE.”

In other words, God COMMANDS that a wife SHOULD NOT LEAVE HER HUSBAND while the husband SHOULD NOT DIVORCE his wife. Doing contrary to this commandment implies subverting the will of God.

9. Marriage is meant to be exclusive

In Genesis 2:24, when God said that ‘a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and become one flesh, He meant that NO THIRD PARTY should be entertained by the married couples.’

Of course, there is always room to accommodate good advice, but any form of interference that may negatively impact the marriage SHOULD BE IGNORED by the couple WITHOUT APOLOGY!

A case in point is when Satan interfered with the marriage between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The outcome of this interference had disastrous consequences for all the parties involved (Genesis 3).

Another common intruder in a marriage institution is sexual immorality. This occurs when either party engages in extramarital affairs.

In fact, there are two commandments that God gave the children of Israel on Mount Sinai that relate to sexual immorality. These are recorded in Exodus 20:14–17, as follows:

“You shall not commit adultery.”

And also

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR neighbor’s WIFE, not his male servant, not his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

In the book of Hebrews 13:4, the author warns against extramarital adventures’ by saying

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

These sentiments are also found in Proverbs 5:15–20, as follows:

“Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. LET YOUR FOUNTAIN BE BLESSED, AND REJOICE WITH THE WIFE OF YOUR YOUTH. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times, and always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman and be embraced in the arms of a seductress?”

In 1 Corinthians 7:2–3, the Apostle Paul also emphasizes the need for married couples to be faithful to each other by saying:

“Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, LET EACH MAN HAVE HIS OWN WIFE, AND LET EACH WOMAN HAVE HER OWN HUSBAND. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.”

10. In marriage, the husband is the head, and the wife is the helper

We have already seen that God created the woman as a HELPER for man (Genesis 2:18). This was God’s way of instilling order in the family unit.

The Bible teaches that the husband is the head of the wife, and as such, a wife should submit to her own husband. We read this in Ephesians 5:22, which says

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For THE HUSBAND IS HEAD OF THE WIFE, as also Christ is head of the church; He is the Savior of the body.”

On the other hand, husbands are urged to love their wives and not use threats against them. We read this in Ephesians 5:25 as follows:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”

Similar sentiments are echoed in Colossians 3:19, which says

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them”. From these passages, it is clear that God intends for a man to love his wife and treat her well at all times. When this happens, the marriage will blossom.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed what the Bible teaches about marriage. The article is beneficial not only to those who are married but also to those who intend to enter into a marriage union. This is because it acts as an eye-opener in terms of what is expected of the husband versus what is expected of the wife. The article is not in itself exhaustive in terms of what the Bible teaches concerning marriage, and I would thus encourage you, the reader, to dig deeper into the scriptures to learn more about the subject. Marriage is an exciting adventure full of ups and downs, and both the husband and wife are encouraged to hang in there, till the end. I leave you with a scripture from Ecclesiastes 9:9 that says:

“Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.”

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: Is it ok to marry a divorced man?

You can buy us coffee as a thank you gesture by clicking on this link: Buy Me a Coffee

Are you a born-again Christian? If not, kindly say the following prayer from the bottom of your heart, and you will get saved.

Prayer to become a born-again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent of your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/