THE ESSENCE OF MARRIAGE

                   THE ESSENCE OF MARRIAGE

1. Companionship:

–          In Genesis 2:18, the Lord said it is not good that man should be alone, therefore He would make a helper comparable to him

1. Intimacy and Partnership:

–          In Genesis 2:21-22, the Lord caused a deep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and God took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place

1. Procreation:

–          In Genesis 1:28, God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.’

–          Production of Godly seed

–          Genesis 18:16-19

1. The Power of the Tongue (Proverbs 18:20-21):

–          In Genesis 1:23, Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

1. The Mystery of Becoming:

–          In Genesis 1:24-25, the Bible says, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.’

1. The leadership of a man over his home as a priest is established, just as there is a hierarchy and order in the Godhead.

–          1 Corinthians 11:3

–          However, a man has been called to be a servant-leader over his home, just as Christ did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for others (Mark 10:45)

–          Feminism is a condition, not a position

–          The Daughters of Zelophehad

–          Numbers 27:1-8

–          Genesis 1:26-27

1. The followership and submission of the woman to her husband, is a submission to God Himself, and should not be contingent upon the sincerity and genuineness of the husband’s love for the wife, as also the husband’s love for the wife must not be based on the wife’s submission to her husband.

–          Ephesians 5:22-33

1. Private and Bed Matters:

–          The Husband owns the Wife’s body and the Wife owns the Husband’s body – No one should deny the other party the pleasure, comfort and use of their body, except by mutual consent, for reasons of fasting and prayer, while waiting on the Lord; but normal intimate relations must resume as soon as possible, so they don’t fall into temptation.

–          1 Corinthians 7:3-5

–          One reason why God ordained marriage is create a divinely acceptable way of satisfying sexual desire

–          So sex must not be used as (a weapon of mass destruction), nor should it be conditional.

1. Understanding and Patience are a necessary:

–          1 Peter 3:7 (Amplified)

–          Hebrews 6:10-11

1. Money Matters

–          Ideally both should maintain one purse/account, but if for convenience this is not possible, both parties should manage their finances together as one.

1. The married couple are a team, united for the purpose of serving God and winning the race of life.

–          Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

–          Psalm 133:1-3