Worship Through Marriage
by Anthony Wilson
Last month, Kenzi and I celebrated nine years of marriage! Each year allows us to reflect on our marriage to one another but also causes us to praise God for what he has done through us. God is the designer of marriage and is the one that has defined it. Our culture wants to change the definition and make marriage no more than a financial partnership with some extra fun. Christians must reject the culture's definition and look to God to understand marriage. The only way to do this is to examine the word of God and see his imprint on marriage from the beginning. Our dating and marriages should be a form of worship to the triune God.
"Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.' God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.'" -Genesis 1:26-28
God's instruction to Adam and Eve, the first married couple, was not to merge bank accounts and be roommates; instead, God instructed the married couple to "Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it!" Is this what you are thinking about dating and looking for a spouse? Are you looking for a person to have fun with while also building the kingdom of God? This is what God has defined marriage as. He uses the union between a man and a woman to take dominion over his creation. Let me push this further to point to the fact that biblical marriage reflects the triune God. In Genesis 1, God says, "let us make humankind in our image." Humans are the only part of creation made in God's image. Also, we see God use plural language to demonstrate his triune nature. With a biblical understanding of God as one yet three persons, we can see how marriage between one man and one woman forming one union is a reflection of God.
"So what's the point of all of this? The Bible defines marriage very specifically for a reason: It represents the Trinity and it is used as a metaphor for salvation and our relationship with God. When we start to tamper with what the Bible says about marriage, we start to tamper with the way we reflect God to the world. Sure, men can marry men; sure, divorce and adultery are earthly realities; men and women alike rule over their spouses. But if we get back to what the Bible says about marriage, we get back to a method of showing the world what God is like through our life, our relationships, our marriages." -Zachary Payne, "The Trinity and Marriage."
Questions to ask yourself
If you are married, do you think about how your marriage reflects God?
Do you recognize the differences yet unity between you and your spouse?
Singles, are you seeking a spouse in a desire to glorify God and fulfill the commandment he gave Adam and Eve in Genesis 1?
What is your reason for wanting to get married? Is it the biblical or cultural reason?