God's Design For Marriage Series

God's design for Marriage

The Bible tells us; "If the Lord does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless; if the Lord does not protect the city, it does no good for the sentries to stand guard." (Psalm 127:1-2GNT).

We live in a time of massive marital discord and family disintegration. There is no question that, educationally, scientifically, industrially and economically, we are much better off than they were 50 years ago. The problems in the modern family of twenty-first century are not economic but moral and spiritual. This century is the century of selfishness, corruption, uncertainty, cynicism and apostasy, the century in which materialism and secular humanism replaced morality and Spirituality as the predominant world-view. Many despised God's ordained lawful means of preserving the sanctity of life and family. The sexual violence, with its premarital sex, pornography, adultery, rape, lust and covetousness, no-fault divorce has left in its wake broken families, untold heartaches, violence, suicide, poverty and abortion. We have watched in horror and disbelief as the number of divorce and domestic violence has increased, as the percentage of children either abandoned or left to their own have skyrocketed.

The breakup of families and the problems associated with marital discord have not been without a response. World has a thriving pop-psychology industry that caters to the misery and heartaches of unhappy couples. There are literally thousands of books, hundreds of videos, and hundreds of seminars by psychologists and counselors that deal with having a happy marriage. The problem with modern psychology and psychiatry is that they simply do not work. Because when someone ruin moral and spiritual values as a God's image bearer - it is ultimately sin against God. To solve the sin problems that occur in the family we must avoid syncretism with human theories and depend solely upon God's Word. God will not patch his grace onto some humanistic psychological formula even if that formula is embedded in scriptural terminology. There is no neutrality. The problems of the family are moral and spiritual; therefore, we must focus our attention to God, What instruction does God's word provide to help us have homes that please Him and accomplish His will and pray for wisdom and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify our families before God.

God created the marriage relationship to be a blessing to everyone involved. Yet many families today are clearly troubled. Alienation often exists between husband and wife, between parents and children, or among brothers and sisters. A study of the Divine pattern for the home: how family members should treat one another. What are the duties of the husband, wife, parents, and children? How important are love and commitment in marriage? God's word gives inspired instruction to guide us to happy homes. The Bible contains God’s plan for achieving quality and health in family life. we are constrained to take very seriously the Word of God as it relates to the family.

The family life is not man centered but God centered. Marriage is one of the greatest gifts God ever gave to humanity. But, it is truly beautiful when it is operates like God intended it to. God and His Word must come first. Biblical ethics shows how the man and women in Christ must live in the presence of God and in the power of the Spirit. Biblical ethics flows out of one's relationship with God. In Biblical ethics, man is considered unique. He has a special place in God's creation (Gen 1:26; Ps 8:4; Heb 2:5). He is a responsible being. Some day he has to give an account to God for all his deeds. Personal responsibility and accountability are key concepts in Biblical ethics. In our age, people blame family, society, the environment, their genes, their upbringing, the government and organizations for their own moral failures. But on judgment day, not families, governments, societies or organizations will stand before God's holy throne: individuals will appear before the Lord, the Judge of all mankind. Ethics, therefore, has to do with the individual.

Origin and union of the Family

The Bible teaches that the institution of family is of divine origin and purpose. The Bible also provides guidelines for good relations within the family. A commitment to the Bible’s teachings and principles provides today’s best hope for the recovery of family life. God’s purposes for the family have been challenged, but they have not been changed. In the Bible, God gives the principles and the power by which His purposes for the family can be fulfilled.

The concept of family is extremely important in the Holy Scripture, both in a physical sense and in a theological sense. God initiated the first family unit. (Genesis 2:21-22). The idea of family was introduced in the very beginning, as we see in Genesis 2:18, “The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.". God's plan for creation was for men and women to marry and have children. “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” (Genesis 2:24). God created people so as to need and find fulfillment in human companionship. A man and a woman would form a "one-flesh" union through marriage and they with their children become a family, the essential building block of human society.