Question: What is marriage? If two people are really
committed to each other and are faithful to each other, isn't it the
same as being married?
Answer: According to the Word of God marriage is a covenant
of companionship between one man and one woman for life.
The unity between the man and the woman in marriage is so intimate
and strong that the Bible describes them as "joined together" and
"one
flesh." The relationship between the married couple is closer that the
tie between parents and their children. Indeed, a man leaves his
father and mother in order to be joined to his wife in marriage.
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
It should be obvious that marriage is a relationship between two persons of the opposite
sex but in our age of homosexual perversion, we must reaffirm that the Lord made a woman, Eve, for the man, Adam. As someone
has said, God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve! God made the
woman "comparable" to the man; they compliment one another.
Also, marriage is the
union of one man and one woman because the Lord created
one woman for one man. Thus, in the original pattern of
marriage, bigamy and polygamy is also excluded.
Marriage is a covenant of companionship as can be seen from Malachi
2:14: "you and the wife of your youth...she is your companion and
your wife by covenant." Indeed, the primary purpose of marriage is not
procreation, but companionship. When God created Adam, He declared that it
is not good that man should be alone. God's solution to this basic human
problem - solitude - or, to put it in another way, the fulfillment of
man’s basic need, companionship, is marriage. “It is not good that
man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18).
Marriage is for the duration of life - "till death do us
part." Jesus said: "They are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew
19:6). Elsewhere the Scripture says: "The woman who has a husband
is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the
husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband" (Romans 7:2).
The Lord God "hates divorce" (Malachi 2:16).
It is important to emphasize that marriage is not a human invention
which could be changed and replaced according to our fancy or the
shifting cultural and social circumstances. God instituted marriage.
Therefore He alone has the right to regulate marriage. It would be to
our great peril if we ignore His rules and replace them with other ideas
as we are witnessing in our godless and humanistic society.