Marriage

CHARACTERISTICS OF BIBLICAL MARRIAGE
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Biblical Marriages
For Christians, Bible is the ultimate constitution of marriages, and they base their indulgence in marriage to it. A Biblical or Godly marriage strives in the following characteristics – communication, authority, adaptability, and commitment. The latter, according to Christians, is the foundation on which the union between couples grows. The Bible holds that Christian couples are to stick to their marriages, stressing the need for commitment. Apostle Paul, through 1 Corinthians 1: 11, states that “I give these instructions to the married, not myself, but the Almighty God, that the wife should never run away from her husband. If she does, she must not remarry, unless she reconciles with the husband. Similarly, no husband should ask his wife to leave.” In other words, the married husbands and wives must stay marriage (committed to their marriages).
Another quality of a biblical marriage is communication, and Christian couples need it to strengthen the bond between them. Effective communication starts with the discovery of transparency, which the Bible covers in the first book. Genesis 2:25 states that “both man and wife did not have clothes on them and did not feel ashamed.” At the start, Adam and Eve did not have any covering or disguise, and just as they stayed physically uncovered, they did cover up their emotions. In other words, they communicated with transparency, being open to themselves and unafraid of being rejected by the one another CITATION Gre14 l 1033 (Brown 2014 ).

However, things changed after their fall. Genesis 3:7 holds that “They learned about their nakedness, so they sewed leaves together to make loin coverings.” Those fig leaves introduced cover-ups and many other factors that interrupt openness and transparency in communication. As a result, many people, including married Christians, use several methods of hiding their insecurities, which only ruins the way in which they communicate with their partners and other people. For that reason, Christian couples must learn how to avoid and handle all the factors that can bar them from being honest and transparent to their partners CITATION Gre14 l 1033 (Brown 2014 ).
Authority is another characteristic of biblical marriage that married Christians should incorporate in their lives. The Bible provides that couples should demonstrate their authority in marriage through many ways. For example, Ephesians 5:29-30 states that “A husband who shows love to his wife, has the love for himself too. After all, nobody can hate himself, but he cares for and feeds it, in the same way, Jesus relates to the church – because we are parts of His body.” 1Peter 3:7 adds that “God gives husbands the responsibility of loving, nurturing, caring for, honoring, and respecting their wives.” Following these readings allows both the Christian wives and husbands the opportunity to stamp their authorities in the marriage as they become equal partners.
Adaptability is a crucial feature of marriage as it enables the couples to conform to their new life. The Bible reckons this factor and covers it in the first book. Genesis 2:24 states that “For the same reason, a man shall depart his mother’s and father’s home to start a new home with his wife, and the two shall become one.” Marriage is a new life and one that is different from the previous ones that the couples had. They have to adapt to the changes to have a successful marriage with their partners. For example, the husband must learn how to love, care for, honor, nature, and respect his wife; where the wife must remain submissive to him CITATION Gre14 l 1033 (Brown 2014 ).
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Brown, Gregory. “11. Characteristics Of A Godly Marriage (1 Peter 3:1–7).” Bible.org. 2014 . https://bible.org/seriespage/11-characteristics-godly-marriage-1-peter-31-7 (accessed November 22, 2016).