MARRIAGE WAS

CREATED FOR

RELATIONSHIPS

No Christian life is worth living without a good relationship with God and others. This is why in the creation stories, God insisted on getting Adam a partner. In His words it is not good that the man should be alone. God did not want Adam to just have a relationship with Him alone so He created Eve for him.

God created Adam

and Eve so they might

also learn to live and to

love each.

CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES REFLECT

CHRIST‟S LOVE FOR THE CHURCH:

The Bible suggests that the marriage relationship between a husband and the wife should reflect the relationship the relationship between God and Israel, and selflessly sacrificed for her, so St. Paul expects husbands to love their wives. (Ephesians Chapter 5) Marriage is based on love which must not be merely sentimental, but as expressed in 1Corinthians 13.

„Love is patient and kind;

Love is not arrogant or rude.

Love does not insist on its way,

It is not irritable or resentful;

It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.

Love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. So faith, hope and love abides,

These three, but the greatest of these is love‟

THE VOWS

“I” - This is the first word in the vows and

it is often followed by the name of the

person. This affirms that even though the

words are mostly repeated after the

officiating minister, it is not a mere

repetition of words as they have been

owned by the one repeating them.

“DO TAKE THEE”

The 2nd set of words, which is

followed by the name of the

addresses, shows that a particular

person is being addressed. This

identifies the other party, ie. apart

from God, in the covenant.

“TO BE MY WEDDED WIFE/HUSBAND”

Traditionally, polygamy is allowed and

even encouraged in our cultures. The

laws of Ghana on marriage also affirm

this. When one weds, however, it is a

public and legal affirmation that one is

going to stay with that one partner.

The Christian has no excuse whatsoever, for indulging in any such behavior. So God created woman to complement man.

Adam was overcome with emotion and wonder when he saw the new creature and he proclaimed “this, indeed, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh…”

In taking a wife or a

husband, therefore, one proclaims

and re-echoes that which Adam said:

“I‟ve found the one who makes me

complete.” To go away from this

person therefore is to put a big

question mark on that which we claim

had come from God

It is, perhaps, to buttress this

point, that some traditions add

“Do you promise, forsaking all

others…and holding only unto

her/him?”

“IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD”This is the most crucial thing about marriage

vows. That, the vows are being said in the presence of God, is a stark and most timely reminder that God is a Partner in the marriage. When one breaks one‟s promise to a spouse, it is first and foremost a betrayal of God. So, in his prayer of confession in Ps. 51:4, David says: “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight…” Infidelity to a partner is primarily a slap in the face of God.

“BEFORE THIS

CONGREGATION/WITNESSES

This is another crucial aspect of the vows: that

is, the fact that the vows are being said before

an audience who testify to what is being done.

In the true sense of “no man is an island” this

phrase should remind the couple that the

outcome of their marriage has consequences

not only for themselves but to the “cloud of

witnesses” gathered there.

“PROMISE AND COVENANT”Eccl. 5:4 & 5 cautions about making

vows to God and not fulfilling them. A Christian who thus stands before God and the people of God and vows to his partner is duty bound to keep this vows. They must, therefore, be taken with all the seriousness it deserves and assiduously kept.

“LOVE (OR LOVING), HONOUR, CHERISH

AND PROTECT”

They mean, primarily, that one is

prepared to put one‟s needs on

hold, if necessary, to ensure that

other‟s comfort is secured. In the best

of situations, however, these are not

concepts that are demanded but ones

that are given. In other words

it is not a matter of: “you promise

to love, honour, cherish and

protect me and I demand that you

do so”, it is more of: “I promise to

love, honour, cherish and protect

you and I am doing so”.

“FAITHFUL”It must be taken in the complete form in

which it sometimes appears: “…forsaking all else, be faithful to…”. All too often, people do not think they have been unfaithful until they have had sex outside marriage. Faithfulness demands that the spouse becomes the most important person in one‟s life.

“DUTIFUL”A spouse who knows and perform his/her

duties to the partner is indeed beautiful to be hold!

“The man must work hard in his calling to provide for the home” the woman must take care of the home” it is even more embarrassing when everyone knows that the groom is unemployed and the bride a professional. The question however still remains, “what is one to do in such circumstances?”

“UNTIL GOD SHALL SEPARATE US BY

DEATH”

It means that absolutely nothing –including adultery and even incest can or should cause a couple to go their separate ways. Once they have taken the vows, they have to stick together through thick and thin.

“To have and to hold”

“ for better, for worse”; “ for richer, for

poorer”, “in sickness and in health”,

.“To have” is almost automatic, to

hold to one another in love demands

a forgiving spirit, maturity, prayer and

a constant in filling of the Holy Spirit

as well as a deep commitment that

desires to go on when one hits the

inevitable dry patches in marriage.

COUPLES NEED:

A well utilized courting time: this should include, at least 3 months of good Christian. Sex should be put on hold till after the marriage; even for non virgins.

The couple should seek good role

models: as divorces increase and

urbanization rises, many children are

growing up without god marriage role

models. It is important that a couple

preparing for marriage prayerfully choose

a good Christian couple to guide them.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN

MARRIAGE IS COMMITMENT TO:

GOD

THE SPOUSE

THE MARRIAGE