I am an unashamed Christian, a follower of Christ. I understand that not everyone subscribes to the same faith that I hold so dear.
However, regardless of your faith, your values MUST come from somewhere. Your parents, perhaps, who might have shared their faith with you or maybe they didn’t.
Maybe its the culture, and you are, unfortunately, a slave to the whims of the ever-changing culture. This means that you really have no set values, per se, but that you just follow the crowd. I hope that is not you.
Holy Bible
For me, my values do come from a variety of sources, but all those sources have AN ORIGNAL source, which is the Holy Bible. God’s Word. I believe that God’s Word is pure, inerrant and irrefutable. I believe that following the instructions, laws, principles and wisdom of the Bible is ALWAYS, without exception, the best plan.
Marriage is a priority
If you believe in an infinitely wise God, and a God who does nothing out of order or haphazardly, then you would have to believe that whenever God does something FIRST, He means to.
Every society that has ever existed had some version of the 5 major institutions.
- Government
- Education/schools
- Church/worship
- Financial systems/banking/ability to trade
- Family
Since God created everything and knows everything, it would make sense that He could have set up the institutions however He wanted to.
In Genesis, we see in chapter 2 that God creates the institution of marriage, sets it up and blesses it long before any other institution is put in place, even before the church. There must be something to this PRIORITY placed on marriage.
Jesus’ first miracle
As we read the New Testament and follow the teaching of Jesus, we find something interesting. His first miracle was AT A WEDDING. Now, could Jesus have chosen anywhere, anytime, and anyplace to perform His first miracle? – of course. Could Jesus have performed His first miracle in the synagogue, out in the field or even at a local market? – of course He could.
Why then, if we believe Jesus doesn’t do anything by accident, would he perform his FIRST miracle at a wedding?
I believe that just like in Genesis, that Jesus wanted to place a priority on the institution of marriage.
The marriage relationship is compared to the relationship Jesus has with His church
Yes, not only is marriage a priority in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, but we also find that when Jesus talks about his love for the church, His people, he uses marriage metaphors throughout His teachings as His best way to express the depth of love He has us.
Yes, we live in a society, not unlike other societies in the past, that try their best to reduce the importance of the One Man – One Woman – For One Lifetime – precedent that is set forth in Scripture. Yes, we live in a society in which same sex marriage wants to stand along side Biblical marriage as equals in the family institution. We live in a society, much like other ancient “progressive” societies in which couples are encouraged to play house first, or individuals are encouraged to avoid the trappings of a family.
All of this works to destroy a society and it hurts the individuals who do not obey the simple rules set forth in the Bible.
The Bible was written FOR OUR BENEFIT, and when we follow the steps laid out in it, we are better, our future is better and our society is better for it.
The simple, obvious fact that the God of the universe set aside marriage as a priority should cause us to sit up and listen. He doesn’t do anything by mistake. But it IS a mistake if we don’t listen.
