Welcome to the second in the four-part series on the Christian marriage. I encourage you to ensure that you read through part I if you have not done so because backgrounds or foundation are vital for good understanding and correct perception of concepts. Remember, the postulation is that the Christian marriage is that contemplated and instituted by God for all of mankind as prescribed in Chapters 1 and 2 of the Christian Bible. The portion of verses 1 to 7 in Chapter 2 of Genesis summarized the creation story in Chapter 1 and verses 8 to 14 described the state of the world of the first man on earth. Verse 15 described the task of the man, namely “to work and keep it (the beautiful, perfect world, Garden of Eden)” NIV. Working and keeping it was translated as “tend, guard and keep it” in Amplified Bible; “work and keep in order” in Message Bible; “tend and care for it” in New Living Translation.

The pleasure of God is for man, whom He “created in His image”, to perpetuate a beautiful, good world created for man. God’s pleasure was for man to be fruitful (productive in all ways), fill the earth and subdue, tame, dominate it etc. according to Gen. 1:28-31. Alas, the omniscient God knew what could limit man in accomplishing his task as the man pulling away from His fellowship becoming self will and living in gross disobedience to God. He thus gave express instructions and warning to help.  (Gen. 2:16-17). God, also, quickly knew how best man could be helped and in verse 18 to 24 established the basics of a Christian Marriage. Thus, in Proverbs 18:22, God says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains Favour from the Lord” (NKJV). It is almost impossible for any man (human being) to be totally fulfilled or accomplished without a God made helpmeet, “Helper suitable for him/her” (NIV); “Helper comparable to him/her” (NKJV); “Helper, suitable, adaptable, complementary to him/her” (AMP).

What then constitutes this Christian Marriage?

For a Christian Marriage that is not merely a Church Marriage, the personae involved must have the following seen in the Godly marriage established by God.

The Man:

• Must be matured, knowing what he needs to be complete (Gen. 2:19-20).
• Must be in good standing in his Relationship with God (Gen. 2:15-18).
• Must be totally or wholly dependent on God to find or make him his own woman (Gen. 2:21-22).
• Must understand God enough to know when God brings to him his own woman and totally accept God’s choice (Gen. 2:22-23).
• Must leave his father and mother, (the beginning symbolized by wedding ceremony) and
• Must cleave, cling or be united in openness, intimacy, soulish friendship into one with his woman(wife).

Woman:

• Must be made from heaven uniquely for her man.
• Must be a craft of God and be totally submissive to God in choice of husband (good standing in her Relationship with God (Gen. 2:22b).
• Must leave, (not elope or run away), her father and mother, (the beginning symbolized by wedding ceremony); and
• Must cleave, cling or be united in openness, intimacy, soulish friendship into one with her man (husband).

God:

• Must be the designer, creator and maker of the relationship and marriage; He shall be in constant fellowship with the Union.

Family and Friends:

• Must be consenting to the act of God for the marriage. This is the import of ‘leave’ in Gen. 2:24. Over time, ‘this leaving’, the Christian Community wants it being done in the presence and with the proclamation of the blessing of God as that witnessed by the Lord Jesus Christ at Cana, Galilee (Jn. 2). This explains the concept of Church wedding.

Where a Church is not a

Community of true believers, that Church wedding or marriage is merely a religious one. Where the man or woman does not possess the nature described, the marriage cannot be said to be a Christian marriage, essentially because such marriage cannot produce the fruits of the God established Christian marriage. Let us now patiently move on to examine the fruit of the Christian Marriage in Part III of the episode.