It’s undeniable: Marriage is under attack in the modern era.
The purpose of marriage — a union between one man and one woman — is easily traced back to the writings of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5, where he describes marriage as an institution designed to mimic Christ’s relationship with His church. Paul wrote, “Each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband” (Ephesians 5:33, CSB).
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Christian recording artist Jordan Feliz, the singer behind hit songs like “The River” and “Jesus Is Coming Back,” recently spoke with CBN’s Faithwire for the “Quick Start” podcast. He described the holy institution of marriage as “one of the greatest gifts” God gave His creation.
Feliz, who has been married to his high school sweetheart Jamie for more than a decade, said this:
Honoring marriage is one of the greatest gifts. As believers, it’s a biblical principle that we have to [uphold]. There are a lot of things in Ephesians that talk about it. But one of my favorite things in Ephesians 5, it just says seek the best for your wife. I think that’s a part of wanting to make marriage great, is meeting your person in the middle of life and always being there no matter what.
The 33-year-old singer went on to say Christians are living in a culture where people “don’t respect marriage anymore and they don’t even desire it.”
“It’s a time for us, as married people, to set a good example for people — for young couples,” Feliz continued. “We’ve got a lot of young friends that just got married. We’ve been married for almost 11 years. And just being able to be that example and being able to push people into loving each other, trusting each other, growing together, and having fun. Marriage is fun, bro.”
There’s no doubt Feliz is on to something, and the decline in marriage is leading to a litany of issues.
For example, 4 in 10 U.S. births come from unmarried women; 69% of children in America live between two-parent homes; and 36.5% of single-mother homes live in poverty. The consequences of a culture that does not value God’s perfect design for the family are plentiful, and yet, as a society, we continue to elevate cohabiting outside of marriage, having children before marriage, and distorting God’s definition of marriage as a holy union between one man and one woman for life.
Yet, when we look at the data, it clearly shows what Christians already know is true: God’s design is better for us.
A Pew Research survey from 2019 found that even though U.S. adults are delaying marriage — sometimes through no fault of their own — or living with unmarried partners, they are less satisfied than their married counterparts, a reality that runs contrary to the dangerous “live your truth” mantra that informs our morally wayward and relativistic age.
The study found 53% of adult respondents believe American society would be better off if those who are cohabiting would get married. Here are a few other key findings:
- While 71% said they trust their cohabiting partner to be faithful to them, 84% said they trust their spouse.
- Just 58% said they believe their live-in partner will act in their best interest, while 74% said the same of their spouse.
- Only 52% said they trust their cohabiting partner to tell them the truth; 68% said they trust their marriage partner to do the same.
- Interestingly, a whole 90% of married respondents said love for one another was why they chose marriage. Only 73% of cohabiting respondents said love was the reason they moved in together.
As Feliz said, Christians have a duty to model marriage well. Not only is it a union in which God-fearing couples honor one another, but it’s also an earthly picture of a heavenly covenant between the Lord and His body, the church.
Believers can point to all the statistics in the world indicating the value of biblical marriage. None of it will matter, though, if Christians don’t acknowledge the heart behind the commitment to it, which is rooted in a desire to act in obedience to a good and sovereign God.
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