Marriage

Marriage, as defined in Scripture, is the covenantal union of one man and one woman, instituted by God at creation when he brought Eve to Adam and Adam declared her "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2:23). This narrative establishes marriage as the foundational human relationship: a man shall leave father and mother and cleave to his wife so that the two become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Jesus appeals explicitly to this creation ordinance when rejecting divorce (Matthew 19:4–6), and Paul cites the same text to ground the sanctity of the body (1 Corinthians 6:16).

Marriage in Scripture functions both as a social institution and a theological symbol. The Old Testament prophets — especially Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel — depict Israel's covenant relationship with God as a marriage, Israel's idolatry as adultery, and the restoration of the relationship in marital terms. The New Testament carries this forward: Paul compares the husband-wife bond to Christ's love for the church (Ephesians 5:25–32), and Revelation concludes with the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7–9), presenting the eschatological union of Christ and his people as the fulfillment toward which earthly marriage points.