Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. (NKJV).

The issue of marriage is in the news a lot lately in almost every country. The politicians are debating this issue and are being pulled this way and that by both sides of the issue; which is, really, quite clear. The debate is on, and governments are passing and have passed laws which will affect our future for centuries to come. It is an important time.

God highly honours marriage which He instituted at creation. Sexual activity in marriage is pure, but any sexual activity outside of marriage brings one under divine judgement. God prescribes serious consequences for the sexually immoral.

John MacArthur, Pastor of Grace Community Church USA says this: “Marriage is the capstone of the family, the building block of human civilisation. A society that does not honour and protect marriage undermines its very existence. Why? Because one of God’s designs for marriage is to show the next generation how a husband and wife demonstrate reciprocal, sacrificial love toward each other.

“But when husbands and wives forsake that love, their marriage fails to be what God intended. When marriage fails, the whole family falls apart; when the family fails, the whole society suffers. And stories of societal suffering fill the headlines every day.

“Now, more than ever before, is the time for Christians to declare and put on display what the Bible declares: God’s standard for marriage and the family is the only standard that can produce meaning, happiness, and fulfillment”.

How true those words are!

When one wonders about how something should work, how it should function properly, it is always a good idea to check out the origins, the original design and intentions of that thing. Such is surely the case when considering the question of marriage. Where did marriage come from? When was it started?

Well, actually, it is a God thing. Right back at the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden God created the world, the animals, and then the pinnacle of all His creation – mankind. The first man, Adam, had named all the animals, and yet he was still alone in his need for someone to relate with on his level. So God took some of him, and created Eve. There wasn’t anything in the created universe that he can connect with in a relational fashion. And then God doesn’t just bring him another man, but wonder of wonders, the perfect compliment; woman! That was the first marriage, and that set the tone for how it should be ever since. One man, married to one woman.

Some people think God’s ways are too restrictive, too confining, rules that don’t allow them the “rights” to be and do what they want. But we need to understand that boundaries are to help us stop sinning and are designed to protect us from pain and harm.

Sin is sin, whatever it is. It is going against God’s ways and living to our own rules. When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18 to “flee sexual immorality”, this is not God saying, “here it is but don’t do it”. He’s not like that. But God does put boundaries on our sexual life so that we can enjoy it as He intended.

All of the 10 Commandments are laws from a God deeply in love with us who only wants the best for us, and intends the best for us. To help provide for our protection and blessings, and knowing the pain, the sorrow and heart-ache that comes from going our own way, He put these boundaries in place. They are like the fence at the top of the cliff. (God’s grace, mercy forgiveness and healing is always available though at the bottom of the cliff).

So when God says “You shall not…” there’s very good reasons, for the married, and for the single. Actually, there’s incredible FREEDOM within God’s boundaries. Just think of fish. In the sea they have amazing freedom, but out of the water, they die! So boundaries give us an area in which to function. Boundaries are always for our long-term good. Boundaries allow us the freedom to legitimately, authoritatively say NO. Boundaries are areas where there’s no guilt, shame, fear, or pain. We can blissfully and completely enjoy! Boundaries give us security, because God protects the boundaries. Boundaries define for us what is right and what is wrong. (Something we desperately need in today’s PC world).

The marriage relationship is a picture of Jesus and His Church coming together. So the Devil is trying to destroy marriage. Homosexuality, prostitution, adultery, fornication, abortion, sodomy, etc., all cause tremendous damage in our society. This is because the devil is resentful of the creative power in people through sex. He can’t create so he is out to destroy, ruin, and scar people’s lives in the area of greatest creativity and procreation, even starting early in children. The devil wrecks a lifetime of joy in the sexual area. He starts early. Marriage problems often come from damage done in teenage years.

Our laws over the centuries started out recognising morals and values set at the beginning of time. We’ve seen that when a society veers away from those values and principles, it introduces multiple more troubles and woes. When a nation turns it’s back for example on the tried and proven reference points in law gained from the 10 commandments, we see an increase in turmoil and strife and the painful relational results we’re seeing today.

It’s a sad day for any nation when they start off in a direction that wasn’t the original intention for marriage. Let’s pray and contend for the Biblical mandate for marriage! Let’s be fearless in declaring these truths, let’s encourage our local politicians to uphold these divine already-blessed pillars of our societies. Let’s show the world what marriage is all about, by demonstrating with God’s grace in our own marriages the wonder, the blessedness, the joy, and the security of marriage.