Marriage: A Portrait Of God

On June 26th of this year, the Supreme Court of our country ruled in the case Obergefell vs. Hodges that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution. With the ever-increasing pressure for Christians to support the homosexual agenda, clear comprehension of God's purpose for marriage is urgently needed. It is not enough to scream to the world that homosexuality is deviant and God-condemned (Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, etc.). Our ability to persuade people will depend on our preparedness to explain what marriage is, not just what it is not.

Therefore, in a nutshell, what is a marriage? Fundamentally, marriage between a man and woman is a living, breathing picture of God himself. Genesis 2:26 says as much when Moses records "So God created man(kind) in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." A man and woman living and working together is a sacred representation of his unique characteristics and personality. Although we could make many points about the similarities between God and marriage, I'll describe a several of them below:

1 } God's infinite oneness. After the Genesis account of Eve's creation, Moses gave divinely inspired commentary and concluded that any man who joins a wife becomes

one flesh" with her (Genesis 2.24). Physically, mentally, spiritually, a married man and woman are to be one. Similarly, we are shown throughout scripture that although God is three persons, nevertheless "the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6.4). Even in the beginning God's unity is seen in the mutual decision to create special image-bearers: "Let us make man(kind) in our image..." (Genesis 2.28).

2) God's life-giving power. Adam and Eve were created out of the intimate, perfect unity that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Similarly, new human life is created by intimate, sexual unity between a man and a woman. Interestingly, the fact that children resemble their parents is another parallel to our creation as people made in the image of God.

3) God's selfless relationship with his people. In Ephesians 6.32, after Paul has described the nuts and bolts of living in a marriage relationship, he makes a startling statement. "This mystery is profound and l am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." In other words, marriage is intended to be an earthly portrayal of the cosmic relationship between God and the people he saved. Husbands are told to unselfishly love their wives because Jesus loved the church. Wives are told to submit to their husbands because the church submits to Jesus as their head.

Marriage, therefore, is not a relationship defined by humans that exists for the selfish pleasure of two individuals. It is a relationship that bears God's holy image. Let us not alter the portrait of God; instead, may we strive to show the world what God truly looks like by living righteously in our marriage. Nathan