The Case for (early) Marriage

I read a very thought provoking article over at AlbertMohler.com about marriage. In it, he is reviewing a book entitled Forbidden Fruit; Sex and Religion in the lives of American Teenagers, by Mark Regnerus. This particular paragraph really struck me.

"As he (Mark Regnerus) observes, “The importance of Christian marriage as a symbol of God’s covenantal faithfulness to his people — and a witness to the future union of Christ and his bride — will only grow in significance as the wider Western culture diminishes both the meaning and actual practice of marriage. Marriage itself will become a witness to the gospel.”

Yet, marriage has always been a witness to the gospel, even as it existed in anticipation of the gospel. From the very beginning of the Christian church, marriage has been an important dimension of our witness to Christ and to the covenant of our salvation. In so many beautiful ways, marriage points to the very character of God."

I was also moved by his concluding arguments:

"Mark Regnerus certainly drives the point home when he argues that “when people wait until their mid-to-late 20s to marry, it is unreasonable to expect them to refrain from sex.” Nevertheless, Christians are called to a moral standard that, by any secular standard, is profoundly unreasonable. I would prefer to argue that the delay of marriage is unwise, not only because of the demonstrated risk of sexual immorality, but because of the loss of so much God gives to us in marriage."

What are your thoughts? I'd be interested to hear some opinions on this subject.

What I'm Reading

I’m currently reading the book entitled What He Must Be…if he wants to marry my daughter by Voddie Baucham Jr. In this book, Voddie explains the Biblical roles of a husband and wife using various passages from scripture to undergird his points. This book is an excellent read for anyone, male or female, seeking to be married, or who is already married. It is also perfect for parents as they teach, guide, and prepare their children for Godly marriages.

Consider the following excerpts:

"God commands men to leave and cleave. Of course this does not mean that a married man or woman is no longer required to honor his or her parents. However, it does mean that a married couple is no longer under the direct authority of their respective parents. Thus when and if we do disagree with parents concerning the direction of our household, we must do so in a respectful manner.” (p.118)

"Our children must not come first. Not only is important for us to prioritize our marriage over the home from which we come, it is also crucial that we prioritize our marriage relationship over our relationship with our children. I know this sounds odd, but allow me to explain. I believe that this prioritization is important for at least two reasons; 1) our marriage is our children’s ultimate source of security. 2) our children are going to leave and cleave someday.” (p. 119)

I urge you to check it out. It is provocative and interesting. You’ll be left rethinking what you know about dating, relationships and marriage ...but in a good way.