Marriage is an agreement between a man and a woman. The man and woman promise to remain together for the rest of their lives (see: Matthew 19:4-6). Often, people need to go to the government to end this agreement. The man is called the husband. The woman is called the wife. The husband and wife are to love one another and be faithful to each other (see: 1 Corinthians 7:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-31; Hebrews 13:4). The first marriage happened in Genesis 2:23-24. None of the animals God created could be a partner for Adam. So God created Eve (see: Genesis 2:20-22). Eve became Adam’s wife.
When a husband or wife has sex with someone other than with the person they married, it is called “adultery.” When a husband or wife no longer want to be married, it is called “divorce” (see: Deuteronomy 24:1).
“Marriage” is also used to talk about God’s relationship with his people (see: Jeremiah 3:14; Ezekiel 16:8, 32). It is a metaphor used to talk about the way God and his people are to love each other and always be loyal to one another. God always loves his people and is loyal to them. When the Israelites sinned against God, it was said to be “adultery.” When God let his people’s enemies defeat them, it was said to be a “divorce” (see: Jeremiah 3:8). The church is also said to be the bride of Christ (see: Ephesians 5:32; Revelation 19:7).
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