Marriage Under Attack!
By Doug Long
I have read a lot about marriage in the paper lately. It seems that most politicians willingly speak highly about the sanctity of marriage. I think it is ironic that these same politicians who speak about the sanctity of marriage are the ones who have passed laws or allowed them to stand that make it easy for the general population go get a divorce for just about any reason.
I think any discussion about the sanctity of marriage should include what has happened to it in this country over the past 50 years, and not just include what has happened in San Francisco recently. It is clear that the bible condemns homosexual behavior, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. It is equally clear that if God condemns homosexual behavior that he likewise will condemn the marriage between them, but God goes further by telling us what he expects of us in marriage. In Malachi 2:16 God tells us that he hates divorce. In Matthew 5:31 tells us that God gives us only one excuse for divorce, sexual immorality. In Ephesians though God gives us a blueprint for the perfect marriage. Here are the verses:
Ephesians 5:22-33
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."32This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Here we have a wife who respects her Husband, and a husband who loves his wife and puts her on a pedestal. I can’t think of a better combination for a good marriage. In our world people make a mockery of marriage. All you have to do is think of Brittany Spears or Jennifer Lopez to see that. It is a real shame that they do this. One thing is clear however, there is marriage that man recognizes, and there is marriage that God recognizes. The two used to be fairly close together, but they have been growing farther and farther apart. It isn’t our duty to judge these folks, but it is our duty to tell them the truth.
