Marriage

God designed marriage, during the act of creation, as one way to help reflect His image and glorify Himself. Although not everyone is called to be married¹, for those that are, marriage is a unique calling to a lifelong covenant relationship between one man, one woman, and God². God recognized it was not good for man to be alone and as a result, He formed the woman from man. God presided over the first marriage, by presenting Eve as the first bride, to her husband Adam³. In the covenant of marriage, God is joining a man to his wife, and they become one flesh⁴.

Not only are man and woman created in the image of God⁵, they are both co-heirs of the grace demonstrated through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ⁶. As a result, they are equal in value in God’s eyes, yet have been uniquely designed to fulfill different roles within a marriage. A husband is called to sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the Church, sanctifying her in the Word and putting her needs above his own. A wife is called to respectfully submit to the servant leadership of her husband, as she ultimately serves the Lord⁷. As husbands and wives walk in these uniquely created roles, they glorify God and reflect the relationship between Jesus Christ and His church to the world around them⁸.

Footnotes:¹ 1 Corinthians 7:6-9; ² Matthew 19:4-6 ; ³ Genesis 2:18-25; ⁴ Genesis 2:24; ⁵ Genesis 1:26-27; ⁶ 1 Peter 3:7; ⁷ Ephesians 5:22-30; ⁸ Ephesians 5:31-33