Marriage

 

What Is “Marriage”?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.SC., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 27, 2024

In today’s culture, there are many problems—you could probably name quite a few off the top of your head. And these problems have their roots in sin—going back to the very first sin by Adam and Eve in Genesis 3!

Some might say that marriage is problem today. Actually, marriage isn’t the problem; it’s the variations our society often attaches to marriage as well attacks on marriage that are actually what causes issues.

To clarify, marriage is good, but some people try to define things as “marriage” that aren’t (e.g., pseudo-marriage) or divorce for no reason—which makes certain people adulterers (Matthew 5:32). To understand this better, let’s define what marriage is according to God’s Word—which is the standard for marriage for all time.

Marriage Definition

God defines marriage. In His Word, marriage is a divine institution established by God as a covenantal union between a man and a woman. It is designed for companionship, the production of godly offspring, and the reflection of God's relationship with His people.

When God created the first marriage in Genesis, it was one man and one woman for life—Adam and Eve—our respective grandparents. The doctrines of marriage and family are predicated on the Bible being true—these are Christian institutions. 

The Bible introduces marriage in Genesis 1 and 2. In Genesis 2:24, it says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." This passage highlights the foundational aspects of marriage based on the creation ordinance reflecting Genesis 1:27 of being male and female and made in the image of God.

Jesus Christ defended the doctrine of marriage as a creation ordinance when He quoted the sections on marriage from Genesis 1 and 2 in Matthew 19:4–6 and Mark 10:4-9. The BAM Statement of Faith rightly states that:

“Marriage is based on the creation ordinance in Genesis 1 and 2, sanctioned by God through the joining of a naturally born man and a naturally born woman in union as delineated in Scripture.

God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and his wife who are married to each other and has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, abuse, or any attempt to change one’s gender, or disagreement with one’s biological gender, is sinful and offensive to God. (Genesis 1:27–28, 2:24; Matthew 5:27–30, 19:4-5; Mark 10:2–9; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; Hebrews 13:4)” 

A man and a woman leave their families to form a new, exclusive relationship—the covenantal bond of marriage. The "one flesh" union reflects intimacy, partnership, and the desire for lifelong inseparability.

Keep in mind that marriage is not merely a human tradition but was instituted by God at creation (i.e., a divine institution; Genesis 1:27–28; 2:18–25).

The purposes of marriage are many. Here are a few: (1) Companionship per Genesis 2:18. Marriage provides relational fulfillment and companionship.

(2) Godly procreation per Genesis 1:28 and Malachi 2:15, God commands the first couple to "be fruitful and multiply," establishing procreation as a central purpose of marriage and Malachi 2:15 indicates that this is to produce godly offspring.

(3) It is a reflection of God's covenant: Marriage symbolizes the relationship between God and His people, seen in texts like Judges 8:27-33, 2 Chronicles 21:13, Jeremiah 3:6-8, and Hosea 4:15 and 9:1; and most vividly we see heavenly marriage in the New Testament where Christ's relationship with the Church is the foreshadowed bridegroom and His bride (Ephesians 5:22–33).

Pseudo-Marriage

There are people trying to defy God and attempting to redefine marriage in modern culture (e.g., same-sex unions, polyamory, etc.). Such deviations contradict the biblical design and undermine the gospel's integrity, as marriage points to the relationship between Christ and the Church.

According to the Bible, any non-heterosexual relationship is not a marriage. The Bible consistently defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman (e.g., Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4–6, 1 Corinthians 7:2, Ephesians 5:31) and never refers to any other human-human relationship as a “marriage”.

Any alleged homosexual “marriage” is a human contract at best but definitely not a godly covenant of marriage as defined by the Scriptural mandates. Sadly, in today’s culture, people have the audacity to mock God’s doctrine of marriage with pseudo-marriages like this and expect Christians to defy God as well by recognizing these abominations as marriage.

A pseudo-marriage is a false marriage or a parasite meant to look like a marriage but in God’s eyes, are nothing but lust and sexual immorality that keeps one from salvation unto heaven (e.g., Genesis 19:5, Romans 1:27, Revelation 22:15). Any homosexual, “beastialic”, or polyamorous “marriage” is not a marriage according to God but would be a pseudo-marriage.

These sinful behaviors are a counterfeit of actual marriage—kind of like a fake gold coin isn’t the same a real gold coin. If someone tried to give you a counterfeit/fake coin pretending it was a gold coin to would you accept it as payment equivalent of a true gold coin? No! It shows that there is something wrong with the one who is trying to cheat you and if you accept it, then you would have a problem as well!

This is why Christians should be very careful about attending a homosexual “marriage”. Attending means affirmation—which is mocking what God says on the subject. Pseudo marriage is not a marriage but merely a pagan ritual and Christians should not be caught up affirming anti-Christian rituals and revelries.   

While polygamy is recorded in Scripture, the ideal for marriage is monogamous, as evidenced in the creation account and reaffirmed by Christ (Matthew 19:8) and the apostles (e.g., 1 Timothy 3:2, 3:12; Titus 1:6). Nevertheless, even a polygamous marriage is still between a man and a woman and technically keeps within the doctrine of woman being made for the man as in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9; though, these marriages are obviously tarnished in a sin-broken world. Nevertheless, God recognized both Leah and Rachel as being the wives of Jacob—and they clearly had their issues!

Scripture also emphasized the permanence of marriage, stating, "What God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:6). It is a lifelong commitment. Where only sexual infidelity were grounds for divorce. In keeping with this, sexual purity is to be within marriage. Sadly, since the 1960s, generations of kids—even in church homes—have been subjected to the secular views on “free and open” sex, impurity, deviancy, and unspeakable adulteries.

Growing up in secular state education in high school and state colleges and universities, it was terrible and around every corner. And we wonder why so many people have broken marriages, families, and damaged souls from relationships for decades now—it’s a cultural norm today—which is terribly sad. And it has had a devastating effect.

Final Remarks

The Bible confines sexual relations to the marriage covenant (Hebrews 13:4). Any sexual activity outside of marriage, such as adultery or fornication, is deemed sinful. Marriage requires exclusivity and fidelity, reflecting God's unwavering commitment to His people. Marriage is not a cultural construct but a creation ordinance established by God. This is foundational to understanding its universal and timeless nature.

Who would have thought that just 100 years ago that marriage would be seen as a key battleground doctrine in affirming biblical authority and truth.