What is one of the primary “importances” of marriage?
God created marriage when he made the first man from dust and made the first woman from the man’s side (rib).
Genesis 2:24 KJV – “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
Now, in Malachi chapter 2, there was a situation where Israelite men were divorcing their wives and marrying pagans or taking on multiple wives. They were perverting marriage as God ordained it to be. The prophet Malachi (under the inspiration of God) spoke to these people and stated,
Malachi 2:15 KJV – “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.”
Let’s analyze this verse. Did he not make them [a reference to the first two humans, Adam and Eve] one [one flesh: a reference to Genesis 2:24 that God made the woman from the man; thus in marriage they become one, as they were one flesh], with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking [what was the purpose of this union, of two who become one]? Godly offspring.
Note, a primary purpose of this union was not just to produce offspring but “godly offspring.”
Godly Offspring
As a Christian, as I emphasize over and over, we need to ensure we build all our thinking on God’s Word to ensure we have a truly biblical worldview in every area. So, in regard to marriage and producing godly offspring, we need to make sure we understand what God has instructed for the roles of the man and woman in marriage and the methods and priorities for raising children.
The family is the first and most fundamental of all human institutions God ordained in Scripture. The family is actually the educational unit God uses to transfer a spiritual legacy to the next generation and to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Back to Biblical Basics
Let’s summarize one of the basic principles God gives us for raising a family.
1 Corinthians 11:3-5 KJV – “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.”
The father (husband) is to be the spiritual head of the home. Remember, God made Adam first and gave him the instruction not to eat the fruit of the tree of the cknowledge of good and evil. That’s why Adam gets the blame for sin, not Eve.
There are many Scriptures that make it plain that the father is to be the spiritual head.
Ephesians 6:4 KJV – “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Isaiah 38:19 KJV – “The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.”
Psalm 78:5-8 KJV – “For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, Even the children which should be born; Who should arise And declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; A generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”
How Quickly It Can Be Lost
Not only does Psalm 78 remind fathers to teach their children, it tells us that Israelite fathers were rebellious and didn’t do what God had commanded them. We see the result of this in the generation produced by the generation that saw God’s miraculous hand in taking them across the Jordan River—they served pagan gods. In one generation, the spiritual legacy was lost because fathers didn’t train their children as they should have.
We have a similar situation in the church today. Sadly, most fathers do not carry out their God-given role to be the spiritual heads of their families and ensure they are leading their families spiritually. Most have abdicated their spiritual headship role and leave it up to the church or others. And most kids from church homes attend public schools where mostly (there are exceptions, of course) pagan teachers have the greatest impact on shaping the kids’ thinking.
There has also been a great lack of teaching from the pulpits to train fathers concerning their God-given role in the family.
And there is a devastating situation today in that there is a massive percentage of single-parent homes; homes with major marriage or sin issues; or homes where a Christian married a non-Christian, resulting in all sorts of problems.
The devil knows the family is the backbone of the culture, and he has used many different means to attack and destroy the family.
A Challenge for the Better
I challenge Christian fathers to kneel humbly before the Lord and commit to being the godly husbands and godly fathers they should be and to be obedient to the Lord and his clear instruction in Scripture to take charge of the spiritual upbringing of their families.
I challenge fathers to teach their children that a Christian should never knowingly marry a non-Christian.
I challenge church leaders to teach men how to be godly husbands and fathers and to help those families where there are issues undermining the family.
I challenge godly wives to encourage their husbands toward the godly leadership of their families that God requires of them.
I challenge fathers to carefully consider who is really shaping their children’s thinking and make the right decisions for the children’s education, understanding the most important part of their education is the spiritual input as that impacts them for eternity.
There’s nothing more important than that your children know Christ. Take to heart what God, through the Apostle Paul, states,
Philippians 3:7-8 KJV – “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”
