The Making of an Ideal Marriage

By Lawrence K. Ayodele

An ideal marriage is a marriage that has the approval of God. This implies that the marriage conforms to the standard set by God for marriage in Eden.

Its Background

The background of an ideal marriage is stated in Genesis 2:18,21-24. The following facts are revealed from this passage.

• God created a woman to meet a special need in the life of man. That is, loneliness.
• God created a woman from the bone taken from man without replacing the bone. This renders man incomplete. On the other hand, woman being a fractional part of man cannot exist alone.
• God created only one woman from the bone taken from man. This is the basis of the principle of one-man-one-wife.
• God brought the woman He created to man (Adam) and joined them together as husband and wife.
• Adam admired the woman and accepted her.

Its Implications

The implication of the above background is as follows:

• The husband and wife must leave all previous relationships (Genesis 2:24, Psalm 45: 10-11)
• They must cleave to each other.
• They must become indivisible one.
• Parents, relations and friends should leave them alone. They should not interfere with the operations of the husband and wife. The best they can do is to pray for them.

God's Expectations From the Couple

Marriage is the first institution established by God. Right from the beginning, marriage remains a sacred institution of God and it will remain so forever. For a marriage to be an ideal marriage, husband and wife must know the expectations of God from them and do them. These include:

• They must allow Christ to pilot the ship of their family, John 15:5
• Husband and wife must submit to each other, Ephesians 5:21. That is they must respect each other’s wishes once such wishes conform to the Word of God.
• Wife must submit to her husband, Ephesians 5: 22-24; 1 Peter 3: 1-2. That is she must accept the authority of her husband.
• Husband must love his wife, Ephesians 5:25,28,33.
• They must resolve all their differences and misunderstanding amicably without involving a third party except an experienced marriage counsellor.
• When storm arises, they must be calm, they should remain in the boat and call upon the Lord. He will stop the storm.
• They must have hope in God, Rom. 4:18.
• They must get prepared for the heavenly wedding with the Lamb (Jesus Christ), Revelation 19:6-9. That is they must live a holy life.

In case your spouse is not doing what is right, I counsel you to hold your ground in the Lord. Please know that if your family collapses, every member of your family (including you) will suffer for it.