Celebrating “National Marriage Week”-Making the Case for Marriage

To watch a KDOV interview with APN President, Sam Rohrer, about “God’s Plan for Marriage”, please click HERE.

Defending marriage between one man and one woman is easy, says the American Pastors Network (APN). Whether examined historically, physiologically, emotionally, economically or morally, biblical marriage is best. But the moral argument is strongest because it precedes and underpins the others, says APN President Sam Rohrer.

Leading up to National Marriage Week Feb. 7-14, Rohrer is sharing five principles of marriage on the daily, 60-second radio feature, “Stand in the Gap Minute,” which airs on more than 400 stations nationwide.

“Marriage has taken a beating in our culture over the past several years, but if we seek to honor God with our marriage, we must stay true to five principles of godly marriage,” Rohrer said. “Making the case for marriage is easy—if we fear God. No nation can be blessed by God without strong families. No family can be strong without strong marriages. No marriage can be strong without following God’s plan for marriage. And by the same token, strong marriages yield strong families, and strong families yield strong nations. At the American Pastors Network, we emphasize the authority of Scripture for deciding all issues, including marriage. And we urge pastors and parents to defend and live out God’s model in their pulpits and in their homes.”

Rohrer will share the following five principles about godly marriage this week on “Stand in the Gap Minute.”

PRINCIPLE #1: Marriage is God’s Model—Marriage is God’s idea. God’s plan is best because God alone is Truth, Creator and Judge. Our opinion doesn’t really matter. We have no vote, but we do have a choice. As the Source of all authority, God’s plan for male and female, marriage, human sexuality, children and family prevails. Only He has the right to legitimately define it and to demand that we observe it.

PRINCIPLE #2: Marriage is God’s Foundation for Society—Not only is marriage God’s idea, His plan establishes biblical marriage as foundational for strong families—the cornerstone of authority in human society. God’s foundation for societal order is upheld first by the pillar of family authority, then civil, then church authority, all nurtured by God’s purpose and limitation for each.

PRINCIPLE #3: Marriage is One Man-One Woman—God’s design for marriage presumes that one man and one woman—united and committed—will join as one flesh before God. No other combination works in God’s plan. Therefore, no government possesses the authority to legally alter or redefine marriage or family. It has no more moral or jurisdictional authority to redefine marriage than to declare invalid natural law, or declare moral such immoral actions as theft, murder or rape.

PRINCIPLE #4: Marriage Must be Kept Holy—To preserve the integrity of marriage and the family, it must be kept holy. No violation or variation of marriage or human sexuality, other than within the bounds of marriage between one man and one woman, is acceptable without bringing predictable consequences to individuals, communities and nations. Heterosexual infidelity, sex outside marriage, homosexuality or marriage between multiple men or woman all violate God’s order.

PRINCIPLE #5: Marriage is the Picture of Christ and the Church—God declares in Ephesians 5 that physical marriage between one man and one woman is holy and depicts the spiritual relationship between Christ and the Church. God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ is the picture of true love and unity between God and man. It’s why all efforts to redefine God’s design are direct attacks on God Himself, His plan of redemption and Jesus Christ.

National Marriage Week is a national observance that seeks to celebrate marriage in a non-commercial way around Valentine’s Day and serves as an ideal time to highlight the importance of marriage for individuals, families and the nation. The week was first observed in 2010 to encourage individual and group efforts to raise the issue of marriage to the national agenda and support marriages across the country.

Photo by Marc A. Sporys on Unsplash

1 reply
  1. Harold forney
    Harold forney says:

    Hello Sam,
    A question was brought to my mind, “Harold, from who’s table do you sup?” For me the answer is obvious, from the Lord’s table. But, for many it is not so obvious. There are many that claim they trust in the Lord and yet they take from the table of the world and its cornucopia of benefits/dainties and thus they take from a different benefactor.
    As Christians the Webster’s 1828 definition: “MAR’RIAGE, noun [Latin mas, maris.] The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children” is an acceptable explanation of marriage.
    However, wikipedia’s definition is quite different: “Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognised union between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between those spouses, as well as between them and any resulting biological or adopted children and affinity (in-laws and other family through marriage).” This is a worldly definition that when fully understood is quite offensive to God and His established order.
    When one studies rights he will find that there are God given rights and there are civil rights. Rights are duties mandated by an authority. God given are established by God, never changing. Civil rights are given by governments and what government gives government can change or taken away.
    Obviously, the problem here is the heart and until there is a change of heart where the person sings a new song, the song of salvation, he is still of the world and will continue to take from a godless benefactor.
    When we trust in the spoken word of God as inerrant and infallible, never changing we have it as our counsel, unlike governments that change as the wind changes. Thus what is supposed to be the reason for a republican (not the party, but a form of government) form of government Art.4 Sec. 2 and 4 U.S.C. ruled by law and not a democracy ruled by the majority better known as mob rule. This is a major problem in our Congress and state legislators.
    Praise God for His holy, infallible, never changing Word.
    Harold Forney

    Reply

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