THE YES OF LOVE

By: American Decency Staff

My youngest niece just got married—before a Justice of the Peace. When my oldest niece tied the knot some years ago, it was before an altar. Both times my sister (Laurie) and brother-in-law (Tom) were present. Their own marriage isn’t perfect, but it has endured nearly four decades—no small accomplishment in today’s society. Both times, the young men asked Tom for his blessing before proposing. Both times he, a former career Army Ranger, gave it—along with some choice words about his expectations about his daughters’ care. 

Weddings typically involve a lot of “yeses.” Yes from the future in-laws. Yes from the bride-to-be. Yeses pronounced in front of witnesses, secular and religious. But what does saying “yes” to marriage really mean? What are God’s purposes for marriage and family?

Finding the answer is more complicated than we might think. Examining the lives of Christian couples only gets us so far, since so many are virtually indistinguishable from non-Christian couples. In terms of divorce and premarital sex, those inside the church often struggle as much as those outside of it.

How about a look into the Bible? Here, too, the models often fall embarrassingly short. Father Abraham has many sons—but the first one is not with his wife (Gen. 16). Judah has sex with his daughter-in-law (Gen. 38). David has an affair with a married woman and murders her husband to cover it up (2 Sam. 11). And these are just a few examples of broken families in scripture.

Read More: http://thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-yes-of-love

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