Characteristics of a Biblical Marriage (Session)
Brody Holloway : Genesis 2:15, Ephesians 5:21-22 : Marriage Conference : Oct. 29, 2017
Biblical characteristics of marriage:
1. Work—(Genesis 2:15) Both in vocation and life and in the relationship. God made the man for working and specifically for cultivating. Just as much as the ground requires cultivation in order to yield its seed, even more, so relationships require cultivation.
- Example—Growing a few tomato plants versus being a tomato farmer. One is for nice tomato sandwiches, and the other is for life. We are to work at this relationship above all others. But we also get to enjoy the fruit of this relationship if we do our job in cultivating.
SANCTIFICATION is work. Both my sanctification and my wife’s sanctification.
2. Protection—(Genesis 2:15) The idea of protecting one another needs more spiritual focus than physical. While it is true that in many cultures and societies in history there was a strong and demanding need for physical protection from elements or invading armies, in our culture, the most significant attacks will certainly be spiritual. Men fail to lead and protect the assets of the home and the relationships in the home, and the effects look like that of the garden. In the garden, the ultimate threat came in the form of seduction and beauty. The world will seduce us with all that it offers. We must be ready and guarded.
WE MUST WORK TO PROTECT THE WORK OF SANCTIFICATION IN EACH OTHER!
3. Sacrifice—(Genesis 2:21-22) At the Cross Jesus is giving up his own life for his bride, the church. His body is broken, and he dies for things he was innocent of. He does this in love and compassion for us.
4. Grace—The grace we are to extend to each other is seen most clearly in the way Jesus gives us grace. At the Cross of Christ, God makes a way for us to receive forgiveness and peace, rather than bitterness and resentment. All of our sins past and present and future are laid on Christ. In return, we get love and forgiveness.
5. Abandonment—In the marriage relationship, there is an abandonment of all other relationships. We are forsaking all others. We leave our families to start a new one, thus expanding the families we came from. We leave all other loves to devote our lives to this one love that grows from the love of Jesus.
6. Submission—The man is to submit to Christ, and the woman is to submit to the man. But here is the key to this submission—SANCTIFICATION. When both the husband and the wife are carrying out their biblical roles and responsibilities in the marriage, God is glorified and the two are becoming more and more like Jesus in the process.
2025 Marriage Conference
October 2025