TOPIC 38 OF 47
Marriage and Sexuality
Marriage, faithfulness, and the forgiving mercy of Christ.
THE MAIN TRUTH
Marriage, as God designed it, is the joining together of one man and one woman in an exclusive, lifelong union through the mutual sharing of public vows, consummated in sexual intimacy.
The teaching
From the book · pages 116–118
Marriage, as God designed it, is the joining together of one man and one woman in an exclusive, lifelong union through the mutual sharing of public vows, consummated in sexual intimacy. One of the fruits of marriage is the gift of children and family.
God gives sexual intimacy exclusively to a man and a woman within the bond of marriage. God’s Law condemns as immoral any other form of sexual activity practiced outside the marriage union, including premarital sex, adultery, homosexual acts, pornography, virtual sex, and bestiality. Sexual immorality harms individuals, wounds relationships, degrades society, and distorts God’s holy design for marriage, which reflects Christ’s relationship with his Church.
Divorce is never God’s will for marriage and always arises from human sin, though Scripture permits it in cases of adultery and abandonment. In whatever way we have sinned sexually or engaged in immoral behavior, the Lord Jesus calls us to turn from it, for he freely and fully forgives all our sins and purifies our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Scripture foundations
All Scripture excerpts from this topic are presented below in the book’s order. Ellipses and bracketed explanations follow the manuscript. Select a reference to read the surrounding passage in the EHV.
Reading these passages together
The passages present marriage as God’s gift and call for faithfulness in sexual life. Read their commands alongside the promise of cleansing and forgiveness for repentant sinners.
11 Scripture excerpt groups
SCRIPTURE 01
Genesis 2:22-25 ↗
“The LORD God built a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man and brought her to the man. The man said, ‘Now this one is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She will be called “woman,” because she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will remain united with his wife, and they will become one flesh.’ They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.”
Book page 117
SCRIPTURE 02
Mark 10:6-9 ↗
“But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Book page 117
SCRIPTURE 03
Genesis 1:28 ↗
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.’”
Book page 117
SCRIPTURE 04
Psalm 127:3 ↗
“Indeed, children are a heritage from the LORD. The fruit of the womb is a reward from him.”
Book page 117
SCRIPTURE 05
Hebrews 13:4 ↗
“Marriage is to be held in honor by all, and the marriage bed is to be kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.”
Book page 117
SCRIPTURE 06
1 Corinthians 6:18 ↗
“Flee from sexual immorality! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”
Book page 118
SCRIPTURE 07
Romans 1:24,26-27 ↗
“So, as they followed the sinful desires of their hearts, God handed them over to the impurity of degrading their own bodies among themselves . . . Even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. And, in the same way, their males, after abandoning natural sexual relations with females, were consumed by their lust for one another.”
Book page 118
SCRIPTURE 08
Malachi 2:15-16 ↗
“So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not act unfaithfully against the wife you married when you were young. He hates divorce! That is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says.”
Book page 118
SCRIPTURE 09
Matthew 19:9 ↗
“I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the grounds of her sexual immorality, and marries another woman is committing adultery.”
Book page 118
SCRIPTURE 10
1 Corinthians 7:15 ↗
“But if the unbeliever leaves [‘separates’ or ‘divides’], let him leave. The brother or the sister is not bound in such cases. . .”
Book page 118
SCRIPTURE 11
Ephesians 5:31-32 ↗
“‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I am talking about Christ and the Church.”
Book page 118
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture passages are from the Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV), copyright 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission, as noted in the manuscript.
PERSONAL REFLECTION OR GROUP DISCUSSION
Reflect and pray
How does the book connect marriage with Christ’s love for the Church?
What practices protect faithfulness and the dignity of others?
How can a congregation speak God’s design clearly while offering patient care and forgiveness?
A prayer
Merciful Father, guard our relationships in faithfulness and purity. Forgive our sins, heal those who have been hurt, and shape our love by the love of Jesus. Amen.