By Richard and Vivian Crabbe
- Marriage is God’s Idea (Genesis 2:18)
- He designed it, not mankind.
- He has His plans written out in the manual for life, the Bible. “Ode asempa no ahinta nyansafo, na we yi akyere yen nkoa.”
Relying on our own human ideas, desires, culture and traditions will cause us to fall short of God’s standards for marriage. Therefore, it is important to learn what God wants us to do—how He wants us to live with each other in marriage.
- Marriage should be between male and female (Genesis 1:27)
- That is how God created the first human beings.
- Marriage requires God’s blessing to start (Genesis 1:28)
- God performed the first marriage, brought the woman to her husband.
- Responsibilities in marriage are spelt out (Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Peter 3:7)
- Husband (man): head, primary provider, spiritual leader (Genesis 2:7, 8, 15, 16-17); show love (Ephesians 5: 23, 25-29), considerate of wife (1 Peter 3:7).
- Wife (woman): helper suitable (Genesis 2:18); submit and respect (Ephesians 5:22, 24).
- Unity is key to success in marriage (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 18:18-19)
- One flesh should be based on one mind, agreeing on how to proceed on the marriage journey. Leave physically, socially, financially, psychologically.
- Do not be selfish, but look to each other’s interest (Philippians 2:3-4).
Ultimately, marriage is to reflect the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:32).
If God has the secrets to His plan for marriage, we need His wisdom and guidance in order to succeed. Recap the 80:20 principle from Genesis 2:7-25, which shows that God should be in control, not us. Do you treat your car better than your spouse?