Marriage

Marriage was created by God and is intended to be a life-long companionship between two people who will stick closer than anybody else to each other—who genuinely love each other at all times. Marriage is a covenant where a man and a woman come together, care for each other, confront each other to build each other up, and counsel each other, in order that there might be growth as individuals and growth as a couple.

The Marriage Covenant

When a man and a woman are married in a church, they are effectively saying, “We want to be married in church by a minister because we recognize the divine dimension of marriage.” That can be quite different from secular thought which assumes that marriage is mankind's idea and that it is evolutionary in its development. So as better ideas emerge, it's acceptable to re-evaluate and redefine both marriage and family. But the Bible affirms that marriage is, indeed, a covenant before God. With God as our witness, we make our marital vows as a solemn commitment to each other before the Lord.

Christian Marriage

But there is more. Marriage is a divine idea and Christian marriage understands and accepts that. When we make a covenant before God something is done to us by God. And what is that? He takes two very different people, and in some remarkable way, through marriage He makes them one. Remember Malachi's words, “Has not the Lord made them one?” (Malachi 2:15). In flesh and in spirit they are His.

To make two people one “in spirit” is different from making them one “in flesh.” Put in very simple terms, when two people become one “in flesh,” it means they have sex. But when two people are one “in spirit” it means something far beyond having sex. It means God is binding their two lives together in marriage, so that over the years, as they pass through changing circumstances, they will discover a oneness of spirit that enables them to respond in ways that serve only to deepen their love and commitment to each other.

The Christian view of marriage is that God joins two people—one male and one female—together, and they become “one flesh.” This unique relationship holds great promise and presents great challenges for all concerned.

How is Christian marriage distinctive?

Why are so many Christian marriages in trouble? We tend to give up on our marriages instead of persevering in them. We consider it success if we don't get divorced, but there's so much more to it than that. In a Christian marriage, the picture is of both spouses graciously serving one another and it is the Holy Spirit who makes this possible.

Marriages need tending and the Bible has much to say about marriage. The resources below can help you find help and guidance in facing the challenges you might have concerning marriage.

Dig deeper into the subject of marriage by exploring the Bible-teaching resources below:

Marriage Resources

A Christian View of Sex

Stuart Briscoe

If we want to think seriously about living as Christians in this world, we have to address the issue of sex. What Scripture teaches and what our society accepts as normal aren't even close.

In this message, Stuart begins in Genesis and shares what God, the inventor of sex, has to say on the subject. And it's more complex than you might think. The question becomes: Will we as believers embrace God's purposeful and strategic design for sex, or continue to pursue worldly sexual pleasure? Click here to listen.  

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Eight Principles of a Christ-Centered Marriage

Jill Briscoe

If you are trying to build a strong marriage, where should you look for direction? To the one who invented this important relationship—God.

The Bible clearly teaches that God is the source of love and life. Therefore, if we truly want a good "love life," as God intended, our primary focus must be on our relationship with God. He is love and He is life! The better our life with God is, the richer our marriages will be. In this booklet, Jill Briscoe shares eight principles that have been essential in my own and others' marriages. Click here to view.

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How the Story Ends

Pete Briscoe

God doesn't tell us how our lives will end. But He does tell us how the world will end. The prophet Daniel was shown powerful visions about what happens to the people of God at the end of time—a time when the antichrist will rise to power and wage war against the Church.

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End Times: What's Going On?

Stuart Briscoe

Are you interested in an eyewitness account of heaven and of things to come? Too often people shy away from the book of Revelation because it's mysterious and certain parts are difficult to understand. It's true that Revelation is heavily packed with symbolic imagery. However...

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What Happens When We Die Series Album Artwork

What Happens When We Die?

Jill Briscoe

Kids ask their parents. Dying patients ask doctors. You might be asking yourself: What happens when we die? We have a vague notion of heaven and hell... in fact, many people assume they are going to heaven because they are “good people.”

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Imminent Return - Immediate Concern

Stuart Briscoe

The return of Christ in glory, or the second advent, will be in marked contrast to His initial coming, or first advent, in obscurity and humility. People look at this facet of Christian doctrine differently, but James, true to form, views it practically and outlines the concern that accompanies an understanding of the return.

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About Telling the Truth

Telling the Truth is the international on-air and online media ministry that distributes the teaching content of uniquely-gifted Bible teachers—Stuart and Jill Briscoe—to help people know Christ and experience Life in all its fullness.

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