A Lasting Covenant

I must apologize for the delay in this post, as I was out of town celebrating the marriage of a very dear friend. As I participated in the glorious celebration, I began to reflect on what it truly means to be married.

The most important thing to realize is that marriage is not a man-made institution. It did not originate in a lawyer's office, the government did not create it, and no other religion had it before Christianity. The first union between a man and a woman took place when God created a helper for Adam. Of all the creatures He had created throughout the six days, all of them were male and female. Except for Adam. He was the only one of his kind.

This was the only time in the whole story of the creation that God decides that something was not good. Adam was alone and God saw that he should have a helper, yet of all the beasts of the fields that were brought to Adam, none were the helper that Adam's heart was seeking. So God created that helper, and that helper was woman. Her name was Eve.

Immediately following the creation of Eve, the Bible says that a man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife. In the very second chapter of the first book in the Bible, marriage is already mentioned. Eve was no longer just a woman, she was a wife.

Jesus then took this institution and redefined it. He explained to us how he is like the bridegroom and the Church is His bride. After teaching us this, He then proceeded to give His life so that His bride had a chance for eternal life. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, asking only that we serve and support Him.

That in itself is the ultimate definition of what it means to be married. A woman will submit to her husband. This is a sign of her love, as women were cursed with the desire to rule over their husbands after eating from the forbidden tree. In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church.

Women are to submit. Men are to sacrifice. Both are two monumental tasks that are extremely difficult for our sinful natures. Why? Because both of these commands require us to put another before ourselves no matter the circumstances.

So how is this possible? The answer is simple. A marriage without God is no marriage at all, for He was the Divine Creator of the institution. It is not between a man and a man. It is not between a woman and a woman. In fact it isn't even a commitment between a man and a woman. It is a covenant. A lasting covenant between a man, a woman, and God. It takes three to make a marriage work.

Marriage calls for forgiveness, but how can we forgive if we do not know Mercy? Marriage calls for sacrifice and submission, but how can we know these traits if we do not know the Servant? Marriage calls for strength, but how can we stand up to anything if we don't know God's Strength?

Above all, marriage calls for love. But how can we love, how can we truly, selflessly, fully love someone, if we do not know who Love is?