Why Did God Invent Marriage?

The Supreme Court recently confirmed a lower court ruling allowing a young man who identifies as a woman to use the boy’s restroom in high school. The lower court ruled that transgender students are allowed to use bathrooms matching their gender identities. We live in strange and bizarre times.

It’s not surprising that a society confused as to which bathroom a student should use is also confused about marriage. Marriage is not a social construct. Marriage did not originate in the culture. No person invented marriage. God invented marriage. Any attack upon marriage is a direct attack upon God Himself.

God invented marriage for a number of reasons. Procreation or having children is one purpose. Another purpose is pleasure. Companionship is another reason for marriage. Two are better than one! However, the primary reason God created marriage is to illustrate the gospel. In Ephesians 5:22-33 God assigned husbands and wives two unique, distinct roles.

First, a husband is to love his wife as Jesus loved His church. Verse 25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” We husbands play the role of the Lord Jesus. We are to love our wives as our Lord Jesus loves His church.

Jesus left heaven and became poor to save His people. He sacrificed. He worked as a carpenter. After His father Joseph died Jesus was responsible to provide for His brothers and sisters and His mother Mary. Jesus kept the Mosaic Law perfectly. He never sinned! He went to the cross and died for our sins.

Today Jesus is sanctifying His church. Verse 26 continues, “…so that He (Jesus) might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word…” We as husbands are to be good spiritual leaders. Pray with your wife. Read the Bible with her. Attend church together.

We are also called to love our wives as we love our own bodies. “So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (verse 28).

Verse 29 says that we to “nourish and cherish” our wives. Nourish means to meet physical needs. Cherish means “to warm with body heat.” It was used of a young mother feeding her baby.

Our love toward our wives is to reflect the perfect love that Jesus Christ has for us. We are called upon as husbands to illustrate Christ’s love for us.

Second, a wife is to follow her husband as the church follows the Lord Jesus. Verse 22 says, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Verse 24 says, “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be their husbands in everything.” A wife is to illustrate the church’s love for the Lord Jesus.

We live in a society filled with moral confusion. The highest courts in our land cannot figure out which bathroom we should use! One step in restoring moral clarity to our nation is to understand and follow God’s purpose for marriage. Marriage illustrates the gospel of Jesus. Let’s follow God’s plan for our culture.

Pastor Ethan Hansen

Faith Bible Fellowship

Big Lake, AK