Marriage is made in heaven

Marriage is compared to many things, often negative, but not too often do I hear (or see) it compared to the relationship between God and His people. This biblical comparison gives marriage a high calling and sets a lofty standard. The idea begins in the Old Testament.

For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. (Isaiah 54:5)

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. (Hosea 2:19–20)

This union between God and His people points forward to an even more intimate union in the New Testament. Here the church is said to be the Bride of Christ, presented to Him by the Father. 

For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2)

In the commands to husbands, this comparison is made strong and clear:

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25–27)

God’s purpose in marriage is supposed to be a picture of His own divine relationship with the people He has chosen for Himself. The Old Testament story of Jacob’s affection for Rachael pictures or points forward to how Jesus gave himself for His betrothed, willingly paying the bride-price by laboring for her, even dying for her. His sacrifice for His church is the only way His people could be presented to Him in purity, forgiven and cleansed.

The Bible talks of a marriage supper in heaven when their intimacy will be complete, yet here and now, the church is still referred to as His bride because we are united to Him by His great love for us. We are precious in His sight even as we wait for that full and eternal intimacy with Him.

This picture of marriage is better understood through knowing the marital practice in the time of Jesus. At that time, a couple was betrothed and considered married during their engagement period and before they had consummated their union. So it is with the church as the bride of Christ.

Admittedly, the bride of Christ needs a lot of work. We wander this world often in need of further sanctification and cleansing as those verses in Ephesians say, yet we are still dear to Him, precious in His sight, written on His hands, and united to His heart. Jesus treats His church with all affection, making provision for her needs, even her wants, pays her debts, allows her to assume his name, and to share in all his wealth.

The world may not see this love and care as easily as those who receive it. The reason is that there is a “church” that calls itself so, but filled with people who have never known Jesus or the intimacy that this marriage brings. They may be zealous but have missed this Husband-Bride relationship that is only for those that have been betrothed to Him by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit through saving faith. Thus the true union is muddled with those who claim it but don’t have it.

In this divine marriage, the word divorce is not used. God hates divorce for separation ruins the analogy. Also, the analogy does not include death. The end of physical life severs the ties in an earthly marriage, but it cannot sever the tie in this immortal marriage. Human marriage does not carry over into eternity as Jesus said we would be “like the angels of God” yet there is one exception. That union between Christ and His Church will be celebrated with a feast and enjoyed forever.

Marriage these days has been taken through the muck. What God intended to be full of purity and joy so often is not. But even when a husband and wife more closely mirror the heavenly model, that relationship is still a faint picture of the mystical marriage where Christ left His Father and became one flesh with His bride.

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Jesus, my heart is filled with so much from thinking about these truths. For one thing, I need forgiveness on two levels. In my own marriage, I so often fail to mirror what You intended. I do not behave toward my spouse as the church ideally responds to You. Not only that, as a member of Your Body and part of the people who collectively are Your Bride, I also fail to remember and respond to You as the One who loves and cares for all of Your people.

Yet You do. You never leave us nor forsake us. You are always for us, not against us. You sacrificed Yourself that we might be holy and without blemish. For all that You do, I am amazed, grateful and filled with love, wanting to serve You with my whole heart in this delightful partnership.