John declares, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down 1:27]… and the

the two will become one flesh. [Gen 2:24]”

his life for us" (1 John 3:16).
God first "poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us" (Rom 5:5).
God's love then awakens a response in those who accept it.
God loves through believers, who act as channels for His love.
Ultimately we cannot study what the Bible teaches on Marriage
without asking how it relates it to
God’s plan for our Salvation through Christ.
The whole Bible speaks of this plan.
The Setting of Marriage: God’s Provision of Salvation
• OT looks forward through promises and anticipatory patterns to the
Messiah (Hebrew)
• NT looks back to their fulfilment in Christ (Greek)
Biblical teaching on Marriage must be understood in this wider context
Christ is at the centre of the meaning and purpose of Marriage
God’s plan of salvation through Christ depends for its fulfilment on
the proclamation of the Gospel through the mission of Christ’s Church
in obedience to the Great Commission
To Discuss
•Why is it more important to ask about the “why” of marriage
before we tackle the “what” and the “how”?
• How do you think of Christ as being at the centre of a Christian
marriage?

Next Session
Genesis 1
MAN:
Made in God’s Image
Why We Begin With Genesis
• Why start with Genesis?
• Jesus did (Mk. 10:6ff and Matt. 19:4ff)
“At the beginning of creation God made them male and female [Gen
Marriage OH 1.0 So it is a good idea to consider
What the Bible Teaches about Marriage What is the purpose of marriage?
The Big Picture The Church has normally claimed that marriage and sex exist to fulfil three
main areas:
To Discuss • Relational needs,
• Who invented Marriage? And why? • Procreation
Some marriage books focus on: The “How?” questions.
• The ‘public order’. (restrain immorality)
How can we communicate better? How can we resolve conflict? However, the most important question is:
Other marriage books focus on: The “What?” questions. Why did GOD institute marriage?
What is marriage? Is cohabitation the same as marriage? How Marriage?
We will start with: The “Why?” question: The next most important question is
Why Marriage? How can WE live a truly godly marriage?
We cannot begin to understand marriage unless we know what the We cannot live a truly godly marriage unless we enter into the relationship
Creator intended when he made it. that we call marriage with the same goals that the Creator had when He
This is different from asking what purpose people have when they marry, made male and female.
with their various expectations, hopes and dreams.
Equally this is not the same as asking what the socially accepted purposes To Discuss
of marriage are. • But how can we know God’s purpose in instituting marriage?
To Discuss • Do we find it simply by experiencing marriage itself?
• Why do people marry? • Where should we look for an answer in Gods Word?
What are some of the less obvious reasons for getting married? Understanding What is Taught about Marriage:
NOTE: All Discussion Questions should be discussed in small groups before Teaching is found in various kinds of writings from different parts of the
viewing the next frame
Bible. The Old Testament provides:
Expectations
When two people enter the marital union they do so with an almost endless
• An Account of the inauguration of marriage
- God’s original pattern for marriage
list of expectations
They may be openly expressed or secretly cherished, but each of us enters
• Examples of godly and ungodly marriages
the relationship for our own reasons. • Laws about marriage and its aberrations
We all, consciously or unconsciously, have our marriage plans • Advice about marrying and marriage
When one or more of these expectations is not met often the relationship
flounders.
• Songs in praise of the marriage state
This teaching is expressed in various kinds of literary forms (genres) e.g.: That seeking and bridging reaches its pinnacle when God sends his Son
• Narrative into the world to rescue sinners and to provide them with eternal life
• Law (John 3:16; Rom 5:7-8; Eph 2:1-5).
• Wisdom literature
• Poetry, etc
In turn each form needs its own appropriate way of being interpreted, e.g.:
• Creation narrative as explanatory
• Law as prescriptive
• Narrative as descriptive
• Wisdom literature as normative
To Discuss
•Why do you think the Bible’s teaching on Marriage is scattered
around many different books and expressed in many different
formats? Why was it not presented as a guide or “Manual on
Marriage” in a single book?
Marriage in the Bible:
Its Setting (Canonical Context)
An important topic in the Bible, set in a particular context
The primary focus of divine revelation: God’s provision of salvation
The Bible’s Focus
The theme of the entire Bible: The self-revelation of the God of love.
First Expression of God’s Love
God’s Protection from Evil:
In the garden of Eden, God commanded that
"you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Gen 2:17).
Love’s Search
We are not prepared, then, when God looks for Adam after his sin,
calling out “Where are you?” to discover that God seeks Adam,
not to put him to death, but to re-establish a relationship with him.
God, the Lover, will not allow sin to stand between Him and His creature.
He personally bridges the gap.
Love’s Rescue