And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone;

I will make him a helper comparable to him.”…

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam,

and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh

in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man

He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

—Genesis 2:18, 21–24

In today’s news media, stories abound about how our society is experiencing a “loneliness epidemic.” Even though technology has allowed human beings to be more digitally connected than ever before, the sad reality is that these superficial relationships don’t fulfill our need for deep, meaningful interactions with other people.

This need for flesh and blood community—especially in marriage and family—is a God-given desire.

The First Marriage

After the Lord created Adam, He brought all the animals to him to be named, “but for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:20). The Lord knew that Adam’s solitude was “not good,” in contrast to all of creation, which He’d proclaimed “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Unlike the animals, man had no possibility to procreate because he didn’t have a suitable counterpart.

Whereas God had created Adam “of the dust of the ground,” He created woman by removing the man’s rib and forming her from it. The Lord then presented the woman to Adam, who immediately recognized her as his counterpart (Genesis 2:7, 21–23).

You might hear people say that marriage was an invention of the church or the state. Other times you might hear people say things like, “Marriage isn’t important—all that matters is that two (or more) people love and respect each other.”

All of these and any similar ideas reject the truth we find in Genesis: that God created man, then woman, and that He made them to be one flesh as husband and wife. God Himself instituted marriage—He was the Father who gave away the bride at the wedding and blessed the union. Marriage is a profound mystery, and it is God’s intention for this union to provide intimate companionship and mutual support.

The Purpose of Marriage

However, the highest and foremost purpose of marriage was clearly stated in the command and benediction the Lord spoke to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Marriage was and is intended for procreation—for man and woman as one flesh to have children and fill the earth. When children are raised with God’s guidance and love from both a mother and a father, they have the opportunity to witness a Christ-centered marriage, receive care and encouragement from both parents, and most important, learn to love the Lord and His Word.

In our fallen world, some marriages don’t result in children, through no fault of the husband or wife. Yet that doesn’t alter God’s original intention for such unions.

The Role of Wives in Marriage

The Bible clearly outlines the roles men and women have in marriage. In Ephesians 5:22–24, Paul distinguishes these roles, beginning with wives: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” And in Colossians 3:18 he writes, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Today, when people—especially women—hear the word “submit,” it’s likely to elicit an emotional and rebellious response. After the fall into sin, Eve was burdened with pain in childbirth, but she also was susceptible to resisting her husband’s authority: “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). While the fall into sin didn’t alter God’s order of creation, sin did affect marriage dynamics, tainting both Adam’s perfect headship and Eve’s perfect submission. Satan’s goal is always to drive a wedge between those whom the Lord has joined together, whether husband and wife or parents and children.

Nevertheless, for Christian women, submission is a joy because it’s aligned with God’s will for them.

The Role of Husbands in Marriage

Paul also wrote, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them” and “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.… So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church” (Colossians 3:19; Ephesians 5:25, 28–29). These verses speak to another purpose of marriage: to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church.

Just as Christ died for His church, a husband should be willing to die for his wife. People in positions of authority, including husbands, are to take the posture of a servant, as Jesus Himself did: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). When a husband loves his wife in this manner, her submission flows from a place of love and gratitude.

Paul’s Guidance for Families

Paul also addressed families in general: “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged” (Colossians 3:20–21). His words in Ephesians 6:1–4 expand on these ideas: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

The parent-child relationship is another area where properly maintaining God’s divine design—with parents exercising authority over their children and children submitting to their parents—allows families and individuals to flourish.

Marriage & Family in America

God designed marriage as a sacred institution. Marriage and families are the basic building blocks of any thriving nation, and a society that shuns either of these won’t succeed.

All we need to do is look at the United States to know that when marriage and families aren’t a priority, chaos abounds. We see this in our country’s high divorce rate, increased cohabitation apart from marriage, the growing trend of having children out of wedlock and with multiple partners, and ongoing abortion access, among other vices.

Marriage and the traditional family structure have come under significant attack in recent years, and movements to eradicate differences between the sexes—an impossible and foolhardy goal—strive to undermine God’s good and holy order of creation. In the same way that shifting tectonic plates cause earthquakes that destroy infrastructure, shifting away from God’s design causes tremors that result in societal collapse.

While our current cultural climate might seem dire, we can strive to turn the tide by setting an example for others. In our marriages, wives can submit to husbands, and husbands can love their wives as Christ loved the church. In our families, we can raise our children to fear, love, and obey the Lord. In our communities and nation, we can support laws and organizations that advocate for biblical marriage and families.

Most critical of all, we can share the truth of God’s created order with others, as well as the redemption we have in Christ Jesus.

Prayer

Father, when You created Adam and Eve, You established both marriage and the family as the basis for civilization. However, we confess that we haven’t done enough to honor Your divine order. In our nation, may You bring about a revitalization of respect for the sanctity of marriage and family, that all might be blessed by the love, peace, and stability that abound when we adhere to Your design. Amen.

For Further Reflection

• In what ways do you think the lack of respect for the institution of marriage has affected our nation?
• How has the breakdown of the biblical family structure impacted individuals, communities, and our nation?

“Oh, Blest the House,” stanzas 1–2. Lyrics by Christoph Carl Ludwig von Pfeil. Translated by Catherine Winkworth. Public Domain Us“Oh, Blest the House,” stanzas 1–2. Lyrics by Christoph Carl Ludwig von Pfeil. Translated by Catherine Winkworth. Public Domain Use.

Excerpt taken from One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women by Amanda C. Bauch.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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