Dr. David Kyle Foster wrote an excellent book entitled The Divine Marriage. His focus is on the covenant nature of marriage. In the Judeo-Christian faith tradition, marriage is based on a covenant with God. There is no covenant without an oath. The oath, or promises made before God as the Witness, creates a bond blessed of God.
Marriage is far more than a legal document, or just a piece of paper at the local county courthouse, when an oath is made before God between a bride and groom. Believers want the blessing of God upon their union, and God desires to bless all marriages. He is the One who ordained marriage from the very beginning (Genesis 2). Covenant is the bond blessed by God, uniting a man and woman in marriage.
God's desire is to bring order and blessing to all people everywhere. He does this through covenant, which is far more than a contract between two people. The oath is the means of creating order. Covenant causes two persons to be joined together with God's favor or blessing on the union. Foster puts it this way, "Covenants are established by making an oath - an oath that creates kinship between the two who are making covenant." This is far more than a "civil union." God bonds and blesses relationships within covenant.
Points to Consider
The greatest blessing of covenant marriage is the blessing of God, which bonds with unconditional love. Romantic love and a loving friendship are vital to any marriage, but the God-kind of love (1 Corinthians 13) is primary. It is not selfish nor conditional. It always cares about the other person.
God ordained marriage as a model for His relationship of unconditional love for His children. It is to be a relationship covering security, provision, companionship and commitment of unconditional love.
In covenant marriage, there is a triangle of love. It includes the husband and wife in relationship with God who is love (1 John 4:8). The bond of love becomes a reality in marriage through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Romans 5:5), uniting husband and wife in the love of God (Ephesians 5:22-33).
Covenant marriage provides a channel of blessing from God to all children born into the relationship. Of course, God loves all children, but covenant marriage models the love of God for them to experience in family life (1 Corinthians 7:14).
The covenant husband becomes a channel for God to love the wife unconditionally through him by the Holy Spirit's presence. This is a quality and security of love as a gift from God. Of course, the other two types of love, which are experienced through companionship and sexuality are important as well. However, the covering over each area of the relationship is God's unconditional love.
Marriage is far more than a legal document, or just a piece of paper at the local county courthouse, when an oath is made before God between a bride and groom. Believers want the blessing of God upon their union, and God desires to bless all marriages. He is the One who ordained marriage from the very beginning (Genesis 2). Covenant is the bond blessed by God, uniting a man and woman in marriage.
God's desire is to bring order and blessing to all people everywhere. He does this through covenant, which is far more than a contract between two people. The oath is the means of creating order. Covenant causes two persons to be joined together with God's favor or blessing on the union. Foster puts it this way, "Covenants are established by making an oath - an oath that creates kinship between the two who are making covenant." This is far more than a "civil union." God bonds and blesses relationships within covenant.
Points to Consider
The greatest blessing of covenant marriage is the blessing of God, which bonds with unconditional love. Romantic love and a loving friendship are vital to any marriage, but the God-kind of love (1 Corinthians 13) is primary. It is not selfish nor conditional. It always cares about the other person.
God ordained marriage as a model for His relationship of unconditional love for His children. It is to be a relationship covering security, provision, companionship and commitment of unconditional love.
In covenant marriage, there is a triangle of love. It includes the husband and wife in relationship with God who is love (1 John 4:8). The bond of love becomes a reality in marriage through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Romans 5:5), uniting husband and wife in the love of God (Ephesians 5:22-33).
Covenant marriage provides a channel of blessing from God to all children born into the relationship. Of course, God loves all children, but covenant marriage models the love of God for them to experience in family life (1 Corinthians 7:14).
The covenant husband becomes a channel for God to love the wife unconditionally through him by the Holy Spirit's presence. This is a quality and security of love as a gift from God. Of course, the other two types of love, which are experienced through companionship and sexuality are important as well. However, the covering over each area of the relationship is God's unconditional love.
