What Does God Say About Marriage?

What Does God Say About Marriage?

Marriage is Temporary (Matthew 22:23-30)

The Sadducees ask Jesus about marriage in the Resurrection (heaven, eternity.) His answer bothers many Christians. He emphatically states that no one is married in heaven. Your wife will no longer be your wife; your husband will no longer be your husband. Why does this clear teaching bother us so much? Why we err Jesus’ answer bothered the Sadducees as well. The reason? They were ignorant of Scripture and the power of God. Although we think we have it figured…

Role Reversal (Genesis 3:6, 16; 4:6)

Role reversal The very first sin was a case of marital role reversal. Instead of leading and making the decision Adam followed Eve. Instead of supporting Adam Eve made the decision. Every single marital problem I have ever encountered has had its roots in role reversal. Submission is not the curse, it is the solution Many people have classified God’s instructions to Eve concerning submission as part of the curse; however, God is simply instructing Eve on how to avoid…

Singleness (1 Corinthians 7:6-8, 32-35)

Why study singleness? Most marital problems are personal and spiritual issues that existed in both individuals before they were married. What you struggle with as a single person will explode when you get married. We also have a wrong view of singleness; we believe that there must be something wrong with a person if they are not married. Also, our view of marriage is far more influenced by our culture than Jesus Christ. Everyone who is married was single first;…

Common Problems: Money (Matthew 6:24-33)

The problem is not money Financial problems is the number one stated reason for divorce in the United States. However, this simply is not the truth. Financial stress brings out the true character of people, thus leading to marital problems. The money was never the issue; it was simply the catalyst that brought out the real underlying issue. The problem is priorities Financial issues are always issues of priorities. The problem is not that your spouse is spending money on…

Common Problems: Children (Genesis 1:28)

There are many common marriage problems. Children can often bring to the surface deeper issues and tensions within the marriage. As we will see children are not the problem. They only bring out the true underlying issues. The Trinity’s Overflowing Delight In order to understand the underlying issues we turn once again to God and His character. Before there was anything God existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three separate beings with separate roles and operations have always…

Permanence Within Marriage (Hosea 1:2-2:5, Matthew 19:3-9)

Hosea and Gomer’s background Hosea is a poor prophet who God commands to marry Gomer, a woman with a very questionable reputation (to put it mildly.) Early on in their marriage it becomes apparent that Gomer is probably being unfaithful to Hosea and her last two children may not be his. She then leaves Hosea to sell herself into sex slavery. Instead of a happy life with a godly man, she chose slavery and prostitution, abandoning her children for Hosea…

What a Man Needs from His Wife (Proverbs 14:1)

A wise woman In the spirit of Matthew 7 we must remember that a wise woman will not complain about her husband’s faults but seek how she might contribute to the solution. A woman has massive influence on her husband for good or bad. A wise woman will seek to learn how to best influence her husband for good. Without a word In 1 Peter 3, we are told something remarkable. We are told that a woman can influence her…

What a Woman Needs from Her Husband (Ephesians 5:22-33, 1 Peter 3:7)

The man is the head The man is not supposed to be the leader in his home; he is the leader in his home. He is either leading poorly or leading well. When a man complains that his wife will not “let him” lead he is in fact still leading; he is just leading poorly. Although women are sinners, most of the time when a woman will not follow her husband’s leadership it is evidence of poor leadership. A woman…

The Best Marriage Advice (Matthew 7:1-5)

In all relationships there is conflict No two human beings are exactly alike, and because of this there will always be conflict in relationships. Jesus’ teaching here goes well beyond marriages and applies to all relationships. The reason behind all conflicts is universal, pride. Therefore, the solution is universal, humility. We maximize other’s faults and minimize our own The Bible’s teachings on marriage and relationships are universal, one size fits all, without exceptions. This bothers us because surely our situation…

The Blood Covenant (Genesis 15:7-21)

The Blood Covenant In our text Abraham rips animals in half and then God makes a promise or vow while passing between the halves of the animals. This is the highest form of agreement people can enter into, the blood covenant. God is essentially saying, “If I do not keep this promise, you can rip me in two like these animals.” Our salvation is also a blood covenant. Jesus’ body was broken and His blood shed sealing the covenant for…

You Need God in Your Marriage (Psalm 127:1)

You need God The only way that you can have a successful marriage is God. All other means will fail. You can do everything imaginable, but unless God intervenes your marriage will not be great. This is true for single people seeking marriage and those who are already married. This same principle applies across all of life not just in marriage; you need God or you will fail. Repent Many people want God to work within their lives and marriage,…

What Is Marriage? (Ephesians 5:31-32)

Societal collapse Virtually every problem in our society can be traced back to the breakdown of marriage. Poverty, violence, incarceration, education, grades, depression, suicide, risky sexual behaviors, etc. are all directly tied to the breakdown of marriage. We all know this to be true. However, how can you fix something that you cannot even define? Confusion Over the last decade our society has debated marriage, traditional vs. marriage equality. The arguments made before the Supreme Court made one thing clear,…