What is Christian Marriage?

The word ministry when translated from the Greek word diakoneo means to "serve". The best example of this is when Christ says that he came not into the world to be served, but to serve.

Your relationship with your husband or wife is an example of the relationship Christ has with the church (Body of Christ). The same way Christ served when He walked the earth is the same way you are to minister to your spouse.

Although you may be involved in various ministries in your local church, your spouse should be your primary ministry. You and your spouse are servants one to another. In other words, ministry starts at home.

In fact, if you are serving in the church but not ministering to your spouse, you are out of order.

In ministering to your husband or wife, Christ expects you to demonstrate to them his perfect love at all times.

Yup, even if it's not reciprocated. You see, you are the tool that God is using to help transform your mate into his perfect image; and your spouse is the tool that God is using to help transform you into his image. This, my friend is a Godly marriage.

If you don't know how to minister to your mate, pray and ask God to show you how, He'll tell you.


What is Christian Marriage?
It's Heart Work

• It's like having a heart transplant.
• God is using your mate to help form the heart of Christ inside of you.
• It's sometimes uncomfortable and other times painful.
• Your body wants to reject the transplant but as we said earlier, you must not give in to your flesh!
• You must die daily to your flesh because your flesh will not voluntarily serve as unto Christ when it "feels" it's not being reciprocated.
• Dying to your flesh is not easy. But think about it this way, even when you don't deserve it Christ still loves you and takes care of you.

What is Christian Marriage?
It's Not a Contract

• Christian marriage is not a contract, but rather a covenant relationship in which a man and a woman are united together as one in order to accomplish God's purpose for their lives. (See Genesis 2:24)



• What is a covenant? Smith's Bible Dictionary defines covenant as a solemn agreement between two parties, with witnesses, where both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions and thereby receive certain advantages.
• Here's the difference between a contract and a covenant. A covenant is based on trust between parties. A contract is based on distrust.
• A covenant is based on unlimited responsibility. A contract involves limited liability. A covenant can not be broken if new circumstances occur. A contract can be voided by mutual consent. Do you see the obvious differences between the two?

As you saw on the previous page, our modern society has distorted the seriousness of the marriage covenant. Marriage has been reduced and diluted to justify almost anything. But none of that changes what God had in mind, his purpose for marriage.

The fact that Christian marriage is a covenant relationship means:

• Marriage is a PERMANTENT union between a husband and a wife.
• The VOWS of the marriage covenant must be honored by both partners. Every covenant relationship includes the saying of vows, or pledges to do or not to so something. (See Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)
• The husband and wife recognizes that the marriage covenant has UNITED the two of them as one. This means that there is a sharing of everything that they have, which requires trust.
• The marriage covenant is a lifelong COMMITMENT. Every marriage experiences difficulties but the Christian marriage covenant requires that a husband and wife remain steadfast in their devotion to each other.