Marriage of the Lord

A week ago Friday, Mr. Joseph Watkins and Miss Katrina Stager became Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Watkins. The ceremony beautifully and gracefully displayed the innocence and purity of two godly young people coming together in the will of God for marriage. Weddings are filled with meaningful symbolism, and Christian weddings are filled with glorious Christ-likeness.

That Christ be glorified in the wedding ceremony is paramount. But we also want Christ to be glorified in the process leading up to marriage. The Apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonians about this all-important topic: “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour” (I Thess. 4:4).

The world has its way of obtaining a life’s partner—it is a lust-filled, presumptuous way. But God’s way is pure and clean. It is a way that respects authority and honors God and one another. It is a way of love, not lust; a way of commitment, not irresponsibility; it is a way of faith, not sight.

The Christ-honoring wedding that we saw on Friday can happen with all of our young people. It happens not by accident, but by design and intention. When the church, parents, and young people are aligned with the teaching of God’s Word on this matter, the results exalt Christ and are full of delight.