Why View Marriage as Sacred

Most people today would most likely claim that they believe in the sanctity of marriage.  Why, then, do so many unions end in divorce?  For some, marriage is little more than a romantic promise and a legal agreement.  But promises can be broken.  People who view marriage this way find it quite easy to give up on their marriage when things go wrong. How does God view the marriage arrangement?  The answer is found in Hebrews 13:4:  “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge”.  The word “honourable” carries the thought of something that is precious and highly esteemed.  When we value something we take care that we preserve it and do not want to lose it, even accidentally, and the same should be true of the marriage arrangement.  Christians are to view marriage as honourable, as something precious that they want to protect. Obviously God arranged marriage as something sacred between a husband and wife. How can we show that we share His view on marriage?

Love and respect.  The marriage arrangement requires that husband and wife honour each other, “Be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another” (Rom. 12:10).  The apostle Paul wrote to first century Christians, “Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband” (Eph. 5:33).  Granted, at times a spouse may not act in the most honourable or respectful manner; still, Christians must show such love and respect.  Paul wrote again to the Colossians, “…forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things, put on charity (love), which is the bond of perfectness” (Col.  3:13-14).

The married couple who view their union as sacred take time to fulfil each other’s physical and emotional needs.  The Bible says, “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband, and the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife” (1 Cor. 7:3-4).

Bro. Amnobe Iyungu (Kigoma, Tanzania)


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