Marriage
First Family Church believes that marriage, as taught by the Word of God, is a spiritual and physical union between a man and a woman, established by willful vows in accordance with God’s Word, for as long as both shall live on earth.
First Family Church additionally believes that God gave marriage as part of His common grace, and its meaning and purpose come from God (Gen. 2:18–24). We believe that marriage is impacted by the Fall but that believers living in obedience to Scripture and under the control of the Holy Spirit will experience peaceful, productive, and fulfilled marriage as intended by God (Gen. 3:16; 1 Peter 3:7).
We believe that the marriages of believers illustrate the loving relationship of Christ and His church, with the husband loving his wife as Christ loves the church and the wife responding to her husband’s loving leadership as the church responds to Christ (Eph. 5:18–33).
We, as believers, hold a significant responsibility in illustrating Christ’s relationship with His church through our marriages. Therefore, we should choose to marry those who share our faith and regenerate life (2 Cor. 6:14).
We believe that “marriage” has only one meaning: marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen. 2:23–24).
We believe marriage is always a public, formal, and officially recognized covenant between a man and a woman for life.
Roles of Each Spouse
First Family Church believes that all men and women are created equally, but have different roles to fulfill within the marriage covenant. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul lays out the basis for the ideal Christian marriage. Marriage is to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church, in which Christ initiated His love for us and we respond to that love by grace through the Holy Spirit.
Paul begins by telling us that we are to submit to one another.
This doesn’t make one person superior over the other; it only makes us the more compatible and recognizes our need for each other. Although we are to submit to one another, there is a clear line of authority for a marriage. Christ is the head of the family. Following in succession are the husband, wife, and then children. Jesus and God the Father lived out such a relationship of submission among equals, as Jesus submitted himself to God the Father — even though they have equal claim to all glory and honor and praise. Jesus does this to achieve the overarching goal of his ministry – to serve as a sacrifice for the sins of all men allowing us to be reconciled to God. In turn God the Father glorifies his son and proclaims His love for Jesus.
The overarching goal of a marriage is to treat each other in a manner that creates the kind of peace and harmony that glorifies Jesus Christ. In the marriage relationship, the man is responsible to initiate a loving relationship with his wife and provide the necessary physical, spiritual and emotional support for her and their family. This line of authority also means that the husband is held responsible for the overall health of the family unit. This overall responsibility requires that the husband participate in his household and be communicating with his wife and children, if any. God the Father communicated regularly and personally with Christ, who was God in the flesh. How much more do imperfect men need to be in communication with our families to support and encourage them in addition to meeting their physical needs?
The wife’s role is to respond to her husband’s love and respect her husband’s significant responsibility as head of the family. As his helpmeet, the wife is to support her husband in his decisions to meet these responsibilities by using her talents and gifts. God has specifically given the wife the responsibility of managing the home and being the primary nurturer of the children of the household, if any. While this does not prevent the wife from working outside of the home, the priorities for managing the household and nurturing the children are predominant to a career. The harmony created by a husband fulfilling his overall responsibility as a husband and his wife responding with respect and meeting the needs of the household exemplifies the relationship between Christ and His church to the glory of God.
Biblical References on Marriage:
Physical Union
Genesis 2:18- The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” NIV
Genesis 2:23- The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called’ woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” NIV
Spiritual/Physical Union
Genesis 2:24- For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. NIV
God as Witness/Vows
Malachi 2:14- You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. NIV
Spiritual/Physical/Permanent Union
Malachi 2:15-16- Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. NIV
Earthly Union
Matt 22:29-30- At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. NIV