The formalisation of the union involves the verbal exchange of vows of unconditional commitment to each other in the presence of witnesses. Marriage is God’s original idea and cannot be solely run on the ideologies of men. Marriage started before any form of civilisation when God instituted it as the bedrock of society. It is the oldest institution in the world dating back to the beginning of times (Heb. 3:4).
Commitment and trust are the key pillars embedded in the marriage institution. It is not just about two people cohabitating, but their commitment to God and each other, synergising to raise offspring for the society (Gen. 2:18-25).
God honoured marriage as the total commitment of two people of the opposite sex to Jesus Christ and to each other without fear of intimidation when the couple decide to live out their purpose in oneness (I John 4:18). Marriage is the pledge of their mutual fidelity and submission where faithfulness and loyalty are grafted in such an act of submission. The couple sees each other as joint-heirs of God’s grace as no one is treated as inferior to the other but treating one another in love, honour, respect, and total submission (Eph. 5:21).
Today many marriages run into troubled waters when we choose to live contrary to God’s original design. Most of the issues can be traced to the family of origin, which are deepened in cultural beliefs and not the word of God. Believers in Christ must consistently embrace biblical doctrines as the essential building block for their homes, which guarantees stability through the storms of life and not nullify the word of God (Mark 7:13). The understanding is that a believer’s marriage is a covenant relationship of mutual agreement between a man, a woman and God, the author of marriage, which is binding for life (Eccl 4:9-12). Kingdom marriages have the divine blueprint of the God factor, the union of two believers, male and female, and a covenant relationship of till death do us part (Eph. 5:21-31).
There are various reasons why people get married but the biblical “cause” for marriage is “for a man to LEAVE to CLEAVE and BECOME ONE FLESH” which provide adequate room to start a new family generation (Gen. 2:24-25).
LEAVE: It doesn’t suggest abandonment of parents, family and friends, but a physical relocation and the awareness of emotional detachment from seeming strings of controls to assume independence and interdependence status in your relationship.
CLEAVE: Cleaving is the process of adapting oneself to changes that marriage will bring into the lives of the married. These are essentially narrowed down to the noticeable points of differences in the upbringings of the married couple.
BECOME ONE FLESH: The adequate awareness of strengths, weaknesses by the couple, daily handled with mutual love and understanding.
Ayo Daniels is a healthy family passionate who writes from Lagos and will love to hear from you: ayodaniels@mrlworld.com
