Mawage

One of my fun lines from Princess Bride. "Mawage is what brings us together today." What is marriage? It's the earliest sacred institution. It is, first and foremost, a lifelong bond between a woman and a man. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Gen 2:24). The text is repeated in the New Testament. Jesus did it (Matt 19:3-6). Paul did it (1 Cor 6:16; Eph 5:31). That's the basic definition ... Old and New.

Of course, so few understand that today. Even Christians are confused, blinded by such nonsensical terms as "same-sex marriage" or "open marriage" ... terms in direct contradiction to biblical marriage. Why is that? Well, the world is in opposition to God (John 15:19; 1 John 2:15-17), so obviously it would be in opposition to those things that God ordains. But it's more than that. Marriage has special significance. Paul says that marriage is a picture of Christ's relationship to the Church (Eph 5:32). He says this specifically with reference to Genesis 2:24. Marriage is a practical image of how Christ gives Himself up (Php 2:5-8; Eph 5:25-27) for His bride. It's His idea. It's His model. It's His aim for our best.

Jesus promised the world would be hostile to us. We're suprised that it is. Instead of pushing against His gifts and images that He offers in order to help us understand and experience Him better, we should embrace it. Anyone who loves God certainly will.