Bible on Marriage: Q1 response

The question is, “Does the Bible define marriage between a man and a woman?”

In order to discover this answer, I think marriage has to be defined.  It is unfortunate that the term “marriage” is thrown around so loosely today.  The whole effort against marriage is to minimize the importance of marriage thus allowing for it to be cut open and raped and used by whomever for whatever purpose they have to edify themselves.  Minimize the purpose of it, minimize the sin against it, and maximize the personal advantage, all the while ridiculing and scorning those who have protected, sacrificed, and established all that marriage represents.

I have bad news for these people.  You can’t have marriage without God.  Neither sex, laws, nor religious ceremonies establish a marriage.  Marriage is sacred relationship before God.  Marriage is a covenant between man and God.  Since God is involved, no part of the marriage can violate His Word.  Otherwise, God is a hypocrite for allowing something He clearly says is immoral in one part of His Word to be allowed in another way.  This is inconsistent with God’s character.

God says in Leviticus 18: 22, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination,” and in Leviticus 20:13, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination,” and in Romans 1:26-28, “For their woman exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.  And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”   Other references are in Jude 1:7 and 1 Timothy 1:10-11.  Therefore, if God says in these that homosexuality is unnatural, an abomination, and the subject of a debased mind, then it is contrary to believe that marriage, which is a relationship and covenant with God, would allow something He clearly does not condone.

Further, 1 Corinthians 7:2-4, “let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.  Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.  The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”  Where in this description of marriage relations does it indicate anything other than a man and a woman in marriage?  It is not there, in fact, there is no description in Scripture that even hints of marriage not as a man and women nor has there ever been.

A man and a woman close to God chose to begin a covenant relationship with one another and they should start it with an acknowledgment that God created them, that God is love, and that if they are to love one another correctly they will have to have the source of love, God Himself in their relationship.  In order for God to be in the relationship, it cannot be opposed to God’s Word.  God Himself establishes the relationship when the man and woman commit it and themselves to God.  They recognize first that God is the authority over them and second, that the marriage will exists only if God keeps it.  

I have yet to see a homosexual argument that puts God’s authority first and faith in God alone as the protector of marriage second.  This is only because you can’t have God somewhere He doesn’t fit.  We are not to define God by our faith, our faith is defined by God.  That is, we are not gods.  We do not put the only one true God in a box and insert Him where He fits into our life.  We serve Him and He defines how we are to walk and where we are to go.