“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Here we have an ancient description of what we continue to experience today. The Defense of Marriage Act may have been stricken down, but “let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4 ESV). Every passing day causes us to wonder how our culture has digressed so far into corruption and the sacred seems so very far away.
CORRUPTION BEGINS WITH THE NEGLECT OF THINGS HOLY. As culture becomes more prosperous, people become more pernicious. The children of Israel affirmed their allegiance to the Holy God of Heaven at the foot of Sinai, but soon grew weary of witnessing something sacred and turned to something profane only to profane themselves. In order for the love of God to be perfected among us, “we must keep his word” (1 John 1:5). Let us again “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace” (2 Peter 3:14).
CORRUPTION GROWS WHEN THINGS SACRED ARE VIEWED AS COMMON. Just as a child’s worth is erased by calling it a fetus, the value of marriage has seen rapid decay in Western society by calling it as just a lifestyle choice. How did this devaluing of marriage begin? The erosion of mankind’s value of marriage, one of the central building blocks of society, began when married people did not treat one another in Godly ways. The Biblical ideal is that each marriage be a reflection of God’s love for his church (Ephesians 5:22-33). In that Biblical marriage we see love, respect, protection, service, and the construction of emotionally and spiritually healthy children. Our Adversary the Devil wins major victories every time a husband and wife cease to love and respect one another.
The Devil further attacked marriage by removing the great pillar of permanence. God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman for life. The New Testament affirms the permanence of marriage. Please read Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:2-12; and 1 Corinthians 7. Malachi 2:15-16 says, “So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence” (ESV).
God was taken from the home and the home crumbled. With the solidifying elements of love, respect, and permanence devalued and often even ridiculed, marriage and family became little more than social custom. Since marriage is just a custom to so many, why would they feel the need to defend it, protect it, or hold it sacred in their hearts?
THE ONLY HOPE FOR OUR CULTURE IS A RETURN TO BIBLICAL MARRIAGE. This means that a husband will love his wife in the same way that Jesus loves the church, and the wives will respect their husbands in the same way that the church respects Jesus. Mothers and fathers will use their marriage as God’s primary tool for Christian training of children. The permanence of marriage must be restored in our minds, hearts, and in our practice. When God’s people understand and live as though marriage is a most sacred union, it will again be respected, defended, and successful.
your grateful preacher,
D. L. DeBord