Though sex is a wonderful and sacred aspect of marriage, there is much more than a linkage of two bodies. A whole marriage also joins the souls of two people so there is a harmonization of their minds, emotions, and wills. Even more important is the union of spirit in which they share a strong faith and know how to cover each other and their family in prayer. Thus, a whole marriage is a “three-thirds” marriage—the intimate union of spirit, soul, and body.
The Church of Scotland’s General Assembly will soon consider a proposal to erase “husband” and “wife” from its official marriage ceremony.[1]
Changing worldview and their inherent values are gradually bringing about a slow but accelerating fade of marriage as described in the Bible.
It’s not just the homosexual movement impacting the view of marriage, but the wide acceptance of pre- and non-marital sex even among purported Christians. In a 2020 survey, Pew Research found that forty-six percent—nearly half—of Evangelical Americans see no problem with sex outside of marriage, despite Bible teachings.
As a minister ordained in 1962, I can look back over the years and attest to the fact that the number of weddings I was asked to perform shrunk significantly.
Biblical instructions have faded into the searing flashes of one-night stands, common-law marriage, and casual couplings.
In addition, given the homosexual movement, “husband” and “wife” are awkward terms.
What civil governments do with marriage is public business, subject to the voters, However, civil government has no constitutional authority to order a church or a denomination of churches to alter their doctrines of marriage and sexual relationships.
Too often, however, governments do not have to give such mandates because there are churches who will bow to contemporary political correctness on their own, in the name of relevance.
Sadly, they are like ships who’ve lost their moorings in stormy seas, carried about by “every wind” of social change and tsunamis of politically correctness.
One can only imagine how they would be responding now to churches even considering approval of culturally contrived ideas that amount to the destruction of the family as revealed in Scripture.
I speak of marriage with some knowledge and experience since my wife and I will celebrate our sixtieth anniversary this year. Further, in decades as a pastor I have “been to the altar” more times than I can count—performing weddings, of course. I have spent hours upon hours counseling couples trying to heal marriages sickened by the social viruses loosed at pandemic levels in our culture.
Both as a husband and pastor I have learned some vital things about the style and contributions of healthy marriages to society:
A healthy marriage is a “whole” marriage.
Though sex is a wonderful and sacred aspect of marriage, there is much more than a linkage of two bodies. A whole marriage also joins the souls of two people so there is a harmonization of their minds, emotions, and wills. Even more important is the union of spirit in which they share a strong faith and know how to cover each other and their family in prayer. Thus, a whole marriage is a “three-thirds” marriage—the intimate union of spirit, soul, and body.
