In Defense of Traditional Marriage:
One Man, One Woman, Until Death Do Us Part
Marriage is a Voluntary Covenant
• Being single is OK (I Cor 7:1)
• If you volunteer, then you are “enlisted!”
“…a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his
wife, and they will become one flesh” -- Gen 2:24
leave, united (“cleave” in KJV), one flesh…”
• We are “yoked together” (II Cor 6:14)
The 3 Big Alternatives to Traditional Marriage:
I. Homosexual Unions
• While homosexual marriage is legal in
America, “Having the right does not make it
right.”
• Romans 1:26-27
• When God calls an action or attitude sin, He
knows that it is not best for us. God wants to
protect us from sin’s destruction.
II. Cohabitation:
“Marriage with no ring to it.”
• Cohabitation seeks the benefits of marriage
without the corresponding responsibilities of
marriage.
• Some call it “test driving” the relationship.
• Jesus differentiated between marriage and
cohabitation. (John 4:18)
• Sexual Immorality is sexual activity of any kind
outside of marriage. It is a broad term.
Cohabitation:
“Marriage with no ring to it.”
• I Cor. 6:18-20, Hebrews 13:4
• God reserves sex for marriage because it is such a
wonderful, unique, exclusive thing.
• Sex is a gift from God, to be unwrapped only in
marriage.
• Cohabitation vs. Marriage statistics: The
difference is the marital commitment!
• Cohabitation is a “shortcut” – it may lead to a dead
end.
III. Serial Monogamy:
Disposable Marriages
• John 4:18
• Malachi 2:13-16
• Adultery may damage a marriage beyond
repair (Mt 19:9), as may desertion by an
unbeliever (I Cor 7:15).
• Serial Monogamy provides less security than
traditional marriage “until death do us part.”
The Value of Traditional Marriage
“One man, one woman, until death do us part”
Statistics say:
Healthier relationships
and better outcomes
Our temptation to
skip the ring:
“We will be the
exception!”
Marriage may be difficult at times,
but it is still best
“What if God designed
marriage to makes us
HOLY more than to
make us HAPPY?”
--- Gary Thomas
What if marriage is part of
God’s plan to mature
our character?
We commit to the
struggle, and we
commit ourselves to
doing God’s will.