God's Design In Marriage (Part 1)

Some of you might be thinking – hmmm what could Cameron possibly know about marriage, after all, I’ve only done it once and that was ten years ago! But in reality it is a very fair question to ask of me. Who am I to speak on a subject of such great importance. The only reason I’m willing to speak here on this subject is because of my Maker and His Manual. I’ve come to learn that He speaks with authority on every subject in the Bible and this includes marriage. And I’ve come to learn that His advice trumps Oprah every time. God is always right about everything – hey, it isn’t arrogant if it’s true! So my answer to the question is that I can speak with authority purely because God speaks with authority through His Word and God is so kind that He made His Word knowable for a simpleton like me.

The God Who made the universe also designed marriage. He knows how it works and He gives clear counsel on how to make it work. This is because marriage is an earthly picture of Christ’s love for His Church. The book of Ephesians tells us:

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband (Ephesians 5:22-33).

The wife is called to submit to her husband just as we are called to submit to Jesus Christ. This verse is very unpopular in “modern Denmark” and many try to deal with it by ignoring it or denying it. I think we should try and understand it because the One Who made woman, and knows what is best for her, gave the Bible to teach her everything she needs to know about everything. To understand God's calling for a wife, she needs to see the big picture in this – and it is something very glorious!

The Scripture teaches that the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. It is made up of all the people who have repented from their sin and trusted in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). So first of all we know that the call to submit does not categorize the wife as someone of lesser value, but rather someone different in function. Secondly, we see that she is not called to submit to other men in her role as a wife but to her husband, and that he belongs to her. His body is her possession. Thirdly, submitting to her husband is not about slavery. It is about a devotion that is so great that it paints a picture to the rest of the world of how devoted the church is to Jesus Christ. This is God’s design and plan for the wife in marriage.

Continued on Monday . . .

Go On To Part 2