Marriage

Okay, wow, I went to an amazing service tonight!

We've been talking about sex and sexuality for the last 5 weeks in church and it's just been amazing! This being the fifth week, we were talking about sex and sexuality from the marriage perspective, and it was eye opening.

I always knew that there was some kind of theology behind marriage and knew that God had created it with intent, but never had I given it all that much thought...mainly because I am no where near, what I would say is ready, or experienced with marriage. The most experience I have is from observing my parents, aunts and uncles, and now in these last couple chapters my friends who have married. So, I'm no authority and so therefore a lot of what I say may be old to you, the reader, but it's very new and amazing to me...so bare with me.

Okay, let's start with this idea of the "Theology of Marriage." What did God intend for marriage? Why did he create it? Well, there are actually several answers to this question, but they ALL fall under the following idea: Marriage always points to something bigger.

Okay, so what's that mean?

Well, for one it means that there are forces, or ties, or SOMETHING that is above us that can pull two people together and fuel their love for 50, 60 or even 80+ years! There has to be something bigger than us, otherwise we wouldn't be able to last that long; we'd end up killing each other if there wasn't.

Okay, why else is there a theology for marriage? Well, in Genesis 2 when Adam names his partner "woman," he declares that because, "she is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone...a man will leave his parents to be with his wife...and the two will become one flesh." This is one of the only passages that talk about two people becoming one...and go figure, it's a similar concept to God being three-in-one! Could it be that marriage and sex resemble God when it is between a husband and wife? I think so!

Another thing about marriage, the Bible begins with marriage and ENDS with marriage too! I never noticed or thought about this, but it's true. Genesis 2 opens the Bible with marriage and Revelation 19 and 21 end the Bible with marriage.

In Revelation 19: 6-9, John talks about a cry from the heavens he heard, "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be gblad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready...Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" Okay, so obviously the "Lamb" is Christ and the bride, guess what, is the church. So WOW, a wedding that will put the Church and Christ together forever!

Revelation 21: 2 talks about how the new Jerusalem descends down "from God dressed as a beautiful bride for her husband." Again, symbolism for the church and Christ.

Let's not forget the other 20-30 passages like, Isaiah 62: 3-5 or Hosea 2: 14-17 or Jeremiah 3:8 or Matthew 9:14-15 or Matthew 22: 1-3 or Matthew 25: 1...and many, many more.

Okay, so now that we have a handle on the theology of marriage, why is there a theology? Well, God ordained marriage and sexuality for a specific reason, I believe: So God has a language or method to show and tell us His passion and love for us. Is that hard to grasp? It was at first for me, and then I started thinking about it and it totally makes sense! In what other aspect of life is God able to communicate to use His community, his union with his church?

Okay, and another thing! (Marriage is just HUGE!) God always gave us signs or symbols to remember His promises and props right? Right, for the flood, He gave us rainbows; for the promise to Abraham, he gave us circumcision; for His death, he gave us the wafer and wine. Well, Jesus used marriage as a prop in many of His teachings and in the beginning through Adam made the promise of the union and, therefore, He gave us a sign...SEX! Sex is what unites the two into one. Sex is what God gave us to remember His union and His relationship with us, the church.

I'm not sure if any of this is making sense, because it's getting quite late...So for that reason (and this is amounting to an extremely long blog...I call it, "Isjami-blogging") I will end this blog, and continue on the thoughts and misunderstanding of Ephesians 5...Yup, that will have to wait for another blog.