what does the bible say about marriage
What the Bible Says About Marriage
This article will tell you what the Bible says about marriage. We'll have a look at some verses and their meanings.
Given the high incidence of divorces, teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and spread of AIDS, many people are of the belief that these evils in society could have been avoided and can still be curbed, provided we all go back to living our lives and marriages as prescribed by the Holy Bible. Today, both men and women date and have sex with multiple partners, before they eventually get married. Once married, there is no guarantee that the relationship will last a lifetime.
People do not have the patience and time to deal with marital problems, and so, there might be a separation or divorce over minor disagreements. Many believers feel that modern marriages are totally in contrast to the definition of marriage in the Bible, and hence, are much more fragile. That's why, young people should go back to living their lives as prescribed in the Holy Bible.
The Holy Bible says that, although marriage should be based on love, that is not the 'be all and end all' of it. Marriage should fulfill certain criteria. The man and the woman who are married have to perform specific roles in a marriage, only then it will be considered as successful.
Gen. 2:18, 21-24
The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him'...and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Interpretation: According to these Bible verses, friendship, companionship and intimacy between the man and the woman are a must in a marriage.
Romans 1:26-27
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Interpretation: A marriage can take place only between a man and a woman. Homosexual marriages are forbidden in Christianity.
Ephesians 5:23-32
For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything.
And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body.
Interpretation: These verses say that the husband is the leader and the provider for the family. He should be ready to lay down his life for the security and safety of his family. The wife, on the other hand, should accept the man's leadership and give him her support and care.
1 Peter 3:1-5, 7
In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over by watching your pure, godly behavior.
Don't be concerned about the outward beauty...You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God...In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard.
Interpretation: There is always a confusion about the sayings of the Bible in terms of gender equality. Well, the Bible does not say that men are superior to women. It simply states that they should perform different roles in a marriage i.e. the wife―who cares and submits and the husband―who protects and leads.
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Interpretation: The Bible says that the man and woman should keep themselves pure until marriage, by not indulging in pre-marital sex and once married, they should not commit adultery. Adultery, either by a man or woman is a sin and thus, will be punished by God one day.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Interpretation: The Bible says that for an everlasting marriage, the man and the woman should be kind and gentle towards each other. They should be respectful and forgiving of each other's faults.
Matthew 5:31-32
Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Interpretation: A man cannot divorce his wife and marry again unless she has committed adultery, as after marriage, the man and the woman become "one flesh" and are no longer "two individuals" so they cannot be separated.
There is no doubt about the fact that if men and women follow these scriptures, many of the social problems today can be truly eradicated.