Marriage - 1.1 Big Picture Oh Pr. Vers

John declares, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down 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

1:27]… and the two will become one flesh. [Gen 2:24]”

Marriage OH 1.0

What the Bible Teaches about Marriage

The Big Picture To Discuss

• Who invented Marriage? And why? Some marriage books focus on: The “How?” questions. How can we communicate better? How can we resolve conflict? Other marriage books focus on: The “What?” questions. What is marriage? Is cohabitation the same as marriage? We will start with: The “Why?” question: Why Marriage? We cannot begin to understand marriage unless we know what the Creator intended when he made it. This is different from asking what purpose people have when they marry, with their various expectations, hopes and dreams. Equally this is not the same as asking what the socially accepted purposes of marriage are. To Discuss

• Why do people marry? What are some of the less obvious reasons for getting married? NOTE: All Discussion Questions should be discussed in small groups before viewing the next frame

Expectations When two people enter the marital union they do so with an almost endless list of expectations They may be openly expressed or secretly cherished, but each of us enters the relationship for our own reasons. We all, consciously or unconsciously, have our marriage plans When one or more of these expectations is not met often the relationship flounders.

So it is a good idea to consider What is the purpose of marriage? The Church has normally claimed that marriage and sex exist to fulfil three main areas:

• Relational needs, • Procreation • The ‘public order’.

(restrain immorality)

However, the most important question is: Why did GOD institute marriage? How Marriage? The next most important question is How can WE live a truly godly marriage? We cannot live a truly godly marriage unless we enter into the relationship that we call marriage with the same goals that the Creator had when He made male and female. To Discuss

• But how can we know God’s purpose in instituting marriage? • Do we find it simply by experiencing marriage itself? • Where should we look for an answer in Gods Word? Understanding What is Taught about Marriage: Teaching is found in various kinds of writings from different parts of the Bible. The Old Testament provides:

• An Account of the inauguration of marriage - God’s original pattern for marriage

• Examples of godly and ungodly marriages • Laws about marriage and its aberrations • Advice about marrying and marriage • Songs in praise of the marriage state

This teaching is expressed in various kinds of literary forms (genres) e.g.: • Narrative • Law • 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

That seeking and bridging reaches its pinnacle when God sends his Son into the world to rescue sinners and to provide them with eternal life (John 3:16; Rom 5:7-8; Eph 2:1-5).