As promised, we'll be examining practical reasons why the unmarried should have marriage in mind – specifically, a Biblical vision for marriage.
But before we go there, I think a disclaimer is probably necessary:
I realize that not everyone is ultimately called to marry. Scriptures such as Matthew 19:10-12 and 1 Corinthians 7 point out that some, for specific purposes and in light of certain circumstances, are called to singleness.
But rather than going into the meaning and implications of these texts (There are many great commentaries and resources on these passages), I want to look at singleness and marriage in this series from the general perspective that marriage is normative, or rather, most will marry.
But before we go there, I think a disclaimer is probably necessary:
I realize that not everyone is ultimately called to marry. Scriptures such as Matthew 19:10-12 and 1 Corinthians 7 point out that some, for specific purposes and in light of certain circumstances, are called to singleness.
But rather than going into the meaning and implications of these texts (There are many great commentaries and resources on these passages), I want to look at singleness and marriage in this series from the general perspective that marriage is normative, or rather, most will marry.
~
In his article, Reflecting on the Mystery of Marriage, evangelical leader Al Mohler says,
“From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible assumes that marriage is normative for human beings. The responsibilities, duties, and joys of marriage are presented as matters of spiritual significance. From a Christian perspective, marriage must never be seen as a mere human invention — an option for those who choose such a high level of commitment — for it is an arena in which God's glory is displayed in the right ordering of the man and the woman, and their glad reception of all that marriage means, gives, and requires.”
That marriage is the norm is true statistically speaking, and as Mohler alludes, makes sense when we look at a broad view of marriage in Scripture: starting with the creation account, we see that the joining together of man and woman was part of God’s original and good plan:
“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…” (Gen. 1:27, 28)
Moving into the New Testament, we see the theme of marriage developed in that earthly marriage was created to echo the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. (We’ll take a closer look at this in a future post.)
So while it is true that not all will marry (perhaps because of the changing dynamics of life after the Fall), we do see that marriage is designed by God, is declared good, and that most are called to marriage.
With this is mind, we’ll look at some practical reasons why the unmarried should have a vision for marriage in the next post!
“From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible assumes that marriage is normative for human beings. The responsibilities, duties, and joys of marriage are presented as matters of spiritual significance. From a Christian perspective, marriage must never be seen as a mere human invention — an option for those who choose such a high level of commitment — for it is an arena in which God's glory is displayed in the right ordering of the man and the woman, and their glad reception of all that marriage means, gives, and requires.”
That marriage is the norm is true statistically speaking, and as Mohler alludes, makes sense when we look at a broad view of marriage in Scripture: starting with the creation account, we see that the joining together of man and woman was part of God’s original and good plan:
“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…” (Gen. 1:27, 28)
Moving into the New Testament, we see the theme of marriage developed in that earthly marriage was created to echo the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. (We’ll take a closer look at this in a future post.)
So while it is true that not all will marry (perhaps because of the changing dynamics of life after the Fall), we do see that marriage is designed by God, is declared good, and that most are called to marriage.
With this is mind, we’ll look at some practical reasons why the unmarried should have a vision for marriage in the next post!
1 comment:
Ohhh can't wait for the next instalment! :) I like the quote you have here from Al Mohler, especially the part; "...marriage must never be seen as a mere human invention..." That is good to remember, both for the single and the married, thanks I'll put that to heart! *love*
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