As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way [Jesus] and the church are one.  Ephesians 5:31-32

 

One sociologist says: “Marriage is dead.” Is he right?

“Almost 90% of the world’s population now live in countries with falling marriage rates. In the U.S., marriage has declined by 60% since the 1970s.”[1]

Marriage can feel like an obsolete and insecure arrangement. Just a few years into Rico and Jesse’s marriage, they no longer felt those big romantic emotions that first drew them to each other. Instead, they led an unhappy day-to-day life, fractured by constant criticism and bickering. “Why did we even get married?” they secretly thought to themselves, “Most of our friends never have.”

Clearly, the feelings of what we call love are not all that you need in a marriage. R.A. Martinez writes, “Love has to be defined by something greater than human emotion because love existed before humans did. Love is the very nature of God.”[2] God says that the union between a man and woman was meant to be a picture of His love. The Bible puts it like this: “‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way [Jesus] and the church are one” (Ephesians 5:31-32).

Scripture also says, “Two are better than one… three are even better, for a cord of three is not quickly broken,” (Ecclesiastes 4:9a,12b). If you’re in a fraying marriage today, the third cord of God’s unfailing love may be what’s missing. Bring your broken present or past to His open arms today.

[1] Karsit, Idil. “Why Are People Not Getting Married Anymore?” CNBC, CNBC, 21 July 2023, www.cnbc.com/video/2023/07/19/why-are-people-not-getting-married-anymore.html.

[2] Martinez, R.A. “With Jesus on the Mountain: Marriage and Covenant.” Maps Global Weekend Services Podcast, 27 Aug. 2023.