Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh ~ Genesis 2:24.
Introduction
The words — marriage, homes and heaven — are some of the most beautiful words in the human diction. Yet, not much is known or taught about them; hence, they are much abused and this provokes untold agony in the human society today.
Marriage is very central to life, and to our assignments on earth in many ways. Undoubtedly, enduring success in life begins in the home, which is the primary place where positive values that attract good success are formed, nurtured, shared and imparted.
Besides, some major promises of God, which unarguably define the success of our sojourn on earth, easily find their truest identities and fulfillment only within the marriage union (Matthew 18:19). Marriage produces successors for our successes.
A normal godly marriage makes one better (Ecclesiastes 4:9; 1Corinthians 7:9); stronger (Ecclesiastes 4:12); complete (Genesis 2:18); fulfilled (Genesis 2:23); responsible and healthier; matured and honorable (Hebrews 13:3-5).
The positive image people have about you in the significant districts of your life, including your marital status, matters to your overall success on earth. And, for these reasons and many more, the devil incessantly launches his vicious attacks against homes.
Now, much free advice is given by “professionals” as well as “armchair marriage counselors” today on how to make marriage happy and successful. Some of their guidelines are good, but some are rather funny, frivolous and merely incidental along a broad spectrum of cultural divide.
For example, some “counselors” insist that husbands must give flowers to their wives on daily basis, and some others curiously command that the wife should always kneel to serve her husband’s food, even if the man is not present at the table.
Meanwhile, marriage is not a product of the world, so the opinions, views and philosophies of the world cannot sustain it. Albeit, a successful and happy marriage doesn’t just happen. It has to be built, though not on human philosophies or cultural inclinations, but rather on the platform of God’s Word, the Bible, with divine virtues and ingredients of love, submission, loyalty, truth and sincerity.
Origin and History of Family Life
Biblical marriage is the union of one man and one woman in holy wedlock, whereby they both become one flesh (Matthew 19:5). “Holy wedlock” bespeaks the legal and spiritual union of the man and woman for life. Hence, marriage is a contract, both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death separates them.
Marriage was instituted by God Himself in Paradise when man was in innocence (Genesis 2:18-25). It is articulated as a solemn, lifelong covenant union between the husband and his wife under the watchful eye of the Almighty God (Genesis 2:24). Evidently, monogamy was the original law of marriage (Matthew 19:5; 1 Corinthians 6:16).
The Lord Jesus Christ personally honoured the marriage institution, and dignified it by performing His first recorded miracle at a marriage ceremony in Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11). He described marriage as a relationship so intimate that "the two become one flesh", emphasizing unequivocally that it is God-made and lifelong (Matthew 19:4–6).
Godly, Yet Happy Homes
Now, the question often arises in view of the various contemporary human experiences regarding marital unions and homes: can we still have godly, yet happy marriages today? Yes indeed, homes can be godly, and happy once the necessary Bible ingredients are cherished within their walls.
Examples of godly, blessed and happy marital unions abound in the Word of God: Adam and Eve (before the fall), Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Aquilla & Priscilla (Acts 18:1-3).
Even today, marriage and family life can still be happy and beautiful ventures. They were originally designed to be happy and sweet (Proverbs 18:22). However, the marriage union tends to be happy only when a good man marries a good woman (Proverbs 19:14; 31:10-12).
Albeit, the adjective “good” as used here above does not necessarily connote a sense of being perfect, but rather being wise, honest, forgiving, straightforward, noble-hearted, teachable, trustworthy, believing, abiding in the marital covenant and sincere in the marital relationship.
For the avoidance of doubt, we all need a honest, intelligent and practical understanding of the Word of God on how to make our homes a foretaste of heaven on earth. And for heaven’s sake, we ought to act, and not react when such teachings come.
Quite evidently, marriages do flounder here and there, not necessarily for major naughty issues like infidelity, financial problems and third-party interference, but mostly on lack of basic necessary information. Where there is no proper Biblical information on marriage, deformation and reckless abuse become inevitable.
The good news here is that anyone can still enjoy a successful, happy, and blissful marriage, if they apply themselves to it by taking heed to Biblical guidelines.
Fundamental Requirements for Happy Homes
A careful study of Genesis 2:18-25 reveals some underlining laws of marital bliss, which are: the law of identification (v23), the law of unification (v24) and the law of communication (v25). Couples ought to discover, and be excited about God’s plan for marriage. They should be united in spirit, soul and body, and should be able to tell each other the truth without shame.
Fundamentally, to make your marriage strong, healthy, happy and successful, it’s quintessential that you keep God first, always. Yes, don’t allow people or things to come between you and your spouse, no matter their status or apparent positions. However, God is the One Person you cannot and should never do without in your home.
Friends, this holy union can be fulfilling only when and where God's primary purposes and principles are fully tracked, clearly understood and lovingly embraced. Unarguably, godliness is a must in every home that cherishes joy and marital success.
Jesus Christ must be the Lord indeed over your family, if you desire to make a success of it. Joshua said: ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:15). Moreover, in planning to keep and be happy together, God’s standards of love, submission, faithfulness and forgiveness should never become outdated in your home (Ephesians 5:20-27; Hosea 2:19-20).
Brethren, let’s depend implicitly upon God to make a success of our marital unions. We cannot afford to imitate the world, but rather embrace the standards of God’s Holy Word. Christian couples must determine to fully serve the Lord together, and love each other till death. Then, we will surely enjoy together the pure bliss of heaven on the earth, in Jesus Name. You won’t miss it. Amen. Happy Sunday!
** Bishop Taiwo Akinola,
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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