Battling Over the Definition of Marriage

In Maine, as in most of the country, we are fighting a political battle over the definition of marriage, with those who would redefine marriage wanting to allow the pairing of same sex couples. Whether they will be politically successful or not is yet to be determined; but on another front, they can never be successful, because marriage simply is what it is.

When the framers of the Declaration of Independence were crafting their words, they came up with this beautiful phrase, "We hold these truths to be self-evident." It is self evident that a marriage is between one man and one woman. Anyone who takes time to observe the differences between the sexes should agree. God created the two sexes to be different but mutually complementary. We are created with different bodies to allow procreation. We are created with different emotions, to allow us to better fit different roles. Everything about our design as different sexes shows that we were meant to be joined. We were created male and female to complement one another - to complete one another. This is the way that God designed it to be. Same sex couples can never experience this same complementary relationship

In Genesis 2, according to God's eyewitness account, God looked over His creation, a creation He had deemed very good, and found something that wasn't good. Genesis 2:18 says, "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him'." A comparable helper (helpmeet in the old King James Version) isn't a subservient term, but rather it means to complete, to fulfill, to compliment. That is what Adam needed, someone to fulfill and complement him - not another someone just like him. So God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam, and God took a piece of his side and formed it into a woman. Then God brought the woman to the man and presented her to Adam as his wife. God's commentary on the situation is found in Genesis 2:24, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." This is what God designed - a marriage between a man and a woman, between a husband and a wife. Is is significant in the story that when God wanted to create a help meet for Adam He created a woman. It was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. And this was for a very good reason.

In Genesis 1:27-28, we read,

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.'" NKJV

God created man in His own image. But what is significant is this - what God created to be in His image was two sexes. One of the most fascinating things about God's design for marriage is that in marriage we see a picture of the nature and character of God - a picture God placed there by design. This is a picture that can be achieved in no other way than through the union of one man and one woman. But together, we can reflect the tenderness of God through a nursing mother with the strength of God through the husband providing and protecting for his wife. The illustrations are numerous. The two sexes were designed to be joined.

Yes, as individuals we are created in the image of God, but to fully reflect that image, it takes a man and a woman. God's image is expressed when the two halves of humanity complement each other and become one. A male by himself is not fully representative. Neither can a female fully represent the image of God. But when we unite, as husband and wife joined together as one, we represent the full spectrum of God's image. Male and female are made, in themselves, with a lack that can only be completed by the complement of the other. This is a basic lack that is built into the fabric of society by God Himself.

We can see this expressed as well in Ephesians 5. Here we find the lengthiest passage in Scripture dealing with the marriage relationship. After verse after verse talking about how a husband should treat his wife and she him, it concludes this way, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." Ephesians 5:32 NKJV. We would have thought the topic was our earthly marriages, but, NO, says this verse. The topic has been the relationship of Christ to His church - His bride. Our earthly relationships are really but an earthly picture of the spiritual relationship between Christ and His church. When wives submit to their husbands, they are but a picture of how the church submits to her head, Christ. When men sacrifice for their wives, we are but an earthly picture of how Christ sacrificed for His bride, the church, dying on the cross to redeem her. In our most intimate relationship as man and wife, we model that even more intimate relationship between Christ and His bride, the church.

The truth is, marriage was designed by God. He designed it the way He did for a reason. It was not left up to us to redesign marriage to fit our desires. We must simply conform to the plan that He has established.