Before I unveil some good news for BIBLICAL LOVE and MARRIAGE, let me mention why we need to hear some good news.
Our American culture has been abusing marriage since the late 1960s. How often have you heard someone belittle marriage by noting that since 50% of marriages end in divorce, why bother. More recently, I imagine you have heard that the divorce rate between Christian couples and non-Christian couple is about the same; discouraging, huh. On top of that 85% of Americans think that living together is AOK without marriage. Also, during 2010-2020 there were more couples between 18-24 yrs. living together than getting married. Then consider the Defense of Marriage Act. It became law in 1996 and was aimed at maintaining the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court butchered it in 2013 and again in 2015 and made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Finally, consider what movies, television and social media have done to a Biblical view of love & marriage. So we certainly need to hear some good news about Biblical love & marriage.
First, that 50% figure on divorces is a LIE. The Barna folks did a significant study, asking people from the general population in America if they had ever been married and ever divorced: turned out that only 33% of those who had ever been married, had ever been divorced; far cry from 50%.
Second, when the Barna interviewers dug a little deeper they discovered that the divorce rate of church-goers was only 27%, only about half of that 50%. Another LIE.
Third, the Family Life group did a marriage/divorce study of 50 different churches, interviewing 6,171 people who said that they were part of the “ever married” group. Only 1,357 said that they had ever been divorced. That makes for a 22% divorce rate among church-going folks; very different than the non-churchgoers. That’s good news.
Fourth, biblical love & marriage has been under violent attack by the LGBTQ community for many years now. One would think that this particular community had exploded in growth, to the point of domineering size. However, that too would be a LIE. Currently the LGBTQ community is only 4.5% of the general population in America. Of course, that certainly isn’t the impression anyone would get from what we see through every media source available. Although they dominate much of the media scene, they are still a tiny portion of America. Again, good news for Biblical love & marriage.
Now to the most important good news for Biblical love & marriage.
Fifth, the CREATOR created marriage between a man and a woman.
Genesis 2:24 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Not 2 men, not 2 women. Biblical love & marriage has God’s stamp of approval; just doesn’t get any better than that.
Sixth, the LORD God only joins a husband and a wife together in marriage.
Mark 10:6-9 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” No other pairing is married in the eyes of God. Remember that God isn’t all that impressed with the United States Supreme Court’s decisions on marriage or any other issue He cares about. Heaven’s stamp of approval is all that will count in eternity.
Seventh, the LORD God blesses a marriage between a man and a woman. Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. No other type of couple can receive this marriage blessing from God because God does not recognize any other type of relationship as a marriage.
Eighth, another piece of good news for Biblical love & marriage is that CHRIST’S LOVE is the measuring stick for BIBLICAL LOVE & MARRIAGE. Ephesians 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, people have never hated their own bodies, but they feed and care for them, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. The only relationship where Christ’s love for the church is supposed to be tangibly visible on earth, is in a loving marriage between a son of God and a daughter of God.
So Bible loving, church-going, believers need to be encouraged. Don’t let the lies of the devil get you down. Biblical love & marriage are still the order of the day and always will be, all the way into eternity. And remember that it is more important than ever to reach out to those confused by Satan’s lies. Reach out to them with the love of Christ in one hand and the truths of Scripture about love & marriage in the other. God bless.
Mike Sublett is a pastor at Hi-Land Christian Church, 1615 N. Banks St., Pampa, Texas 79065. Email him at pawdad@nts-online.net.
