“A Good and Sacred Thing” — Why Marriage Matters to All of Us
By Family Minister, Dr. Brandon Steenbock
Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; Revelation 19:7
You might not be married. You might never be. Maybe you’re grieving a marriage that ended, or one that never began. This is for you.
We tend to talk past each other about marriage. To some, you’re only a “real Christian” if you get married and have kids. To others, there’s not much difference between living together and marrying; they’re just different stages, get in and get out when it’s convenient. Marriage is so much more than this.
What Marriage Is
Marriage is more than your happiness, more than your preference, more than a certificate with benefits. It is a sacred thread in humanity’s story, created when the world was good, and pointing toward the day when all things will be good again.
In the beginning, God gave marriage as part of his good creation:
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
Jesus affirmed the design and permanence of marriage:
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:4–6)
And Scripture closes with a wedding: the joy of the Lamb and his Bride.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7)
From garden to gospel to glory, marriage is a picture of God’s enduring love for his people. Weddings are meant to point forward to the Great Wedding – the union of Christ and his Church. That is why marriage is precious to Christians: it pictures a love more enduring than our vows and more faithful than our best intentions.
Why This Matters to All of Us
If marriage is a sign of Christ’s covenant love, then we all share a calling to honor and support it, whether married or not, divorced or widowed, and yes, even the one who is celibate or experiencing same-sex attraction. Your circumstances don’t change the beauty of God’s creation.
Not everyone is called to marriage. Singleness, widowhood, and celibacy aren’t second-class lives – they’re honored vocations in God’s Kingdom. But as one body, we uphold the goodness of marriage together.
How? By speaking well of covenant faithfulness in an age of cynicism. By praying for our married friends when the days are tough. By resisting the lie that cohabitation can give you what only the covenant of marriage offers. By offering to babysit for weary parents, by sitting with the lonely spouse whose marriage is suffering, by giving the healing hope of Jesus to those whose vows have been shattered.
Marriage is a sacred thing, woven into the fabric of humanity. And it needs the whole Church to protect it, support it, and speak of its goodness. So whoever you are and wherever you find yourself today, be a voice for the good and holy gift of marriage. Encourage your friends who are married; they may need it more than you know. And every time you go to a wedding, see the love of Jesus that is forever faithful to his Bride.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Bridegroom of the Church, teach us to honor marriage as your gift and to love one another with your faithful love. Strengthen every weary marriage, comfort the broken, and dignify the callings of those who are not married. Amen.
Reflect:
- What is one concrete way you can uphold a marriage in your church this week?
- If you are married, where do you most need Christ’s faithfulness to shape your faithfulness right now?
Read the rest of our devotion series about marriage, here.