Your Marriage Is Awesome
Imperfect, but Still Awesome
Your marriage, like mine, is imperfect. But your imperfect marriage is amazing, more than you might think.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, they opened their Bibles to Deuteronomy 24 and the law of Moses. But when Jesus answered them, he opened his Bible to Genesis 2 and the story of Adam and Eve. He went all the way back to the first marriage in the Garden of Eden. Their marriage was perfect. But Jesus considered their perfect marriage relevant to our imperfect marriages today.
What did Jesus notice about the wedding of Adam and Eve? He saw that God brought them together. And God still brings couples together in marriage today. Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6).
When Adam and Eve got married in the Garden of Eden, it wasn’t just Adam and Eve falling in love with each other. It wasn’t just the promises they were making to each other. It wasn’t just them. God was there. God was involved. God joined Adam and Eve together as husband and wife. And God still does that today.
One thing I always say to engaged couples during their premarital counseling is this. I say, “Guys, American weddings can get crazy. It’s easy to lose sight of the amazing thing that’s actually happening. So, on your wedding day, I want you to remember one simple reality. There will be only three important people in the room: the bride, the groom, and God. The rest of us, including the pastor, will be mere witnesses to what God is doing. But you two, with God, will be the participants. Keep your focus there.”
Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel
Ray Ortlund
By laying out a cosmic vision of marriage as the Bible teaches from Genesis to Revelation, this volume honors and exalts marriage as a grand display of the gospel, offering hope for our marriages today.
So here is the amazing truth about every true marriage, including yours. God joined you and your spouse together. He did this on your wedding day. He was there. He was involved. And the fact that Jesus quoted the story of Adam and Eve to help us understand our flawed marriages today means this. Your marriage is as sacred as was the marriage of Adam and Eve. Your marriage too is of God. Your marriage too is a miracle from above.
See your marriage this way. Revere your marriage this way. Steward your marriage this way. It really is amazing.
This article is adapted from Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel by Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.
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