Marriage: Characteristics of a Biblical Marriage
Brody Holloway : Genesis 3 : Marriage Conference : April 13, 2019
When we look at the characteristics of biblical marriage, the common theme is sanctification. Both man and the woman are at work to help their spouses become more like Jesus.
- Work: Just as much as the ground requires cultivation in order to yield its seed, relationships require even more cultivation.
- Protection: Men fail to lead and protect the assets and the relationships of the home, and the effects look like that of the garden. In the Garden of Eden, the ultimate threat came in the form of seduction and beauty. The world will seduce us with all that it offers and we must be ready to guard against it. We must protect the work of sanctification in one another.
- Sacrifice: At the Cross, Jesus gave up His own life for His bride, the Church. This is our example of love and compassion.
- Grace: The grace we are to extend to each other is seen most clearly in the way Jesus gives us grace. He makes a way for us to receive forgiveness and peace, rather than bitterness and resentment.
- Abandonment: We forsake all other loves to devote our lives to this marriage relationship that grows from the love of Jesus.
- Submission: The man is to submit to Christ and the woman is to submit to the man. The key to this submission is sanctification. When both the husband and wife are carrying out their biblical roles in the marriage, God is glorified and the two are becoming more and more like Jesus in the process.
Resources:
Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of the Book of Genesis
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October 2025