What You Need To Know About Marriage

“What You Need to Know About Marriage” is a response to a call by God to enlighten both the Church of Jesus Christ and the world at large, on the subject of marriage. As such, this book is specially written with several categories of folks in mind. For folks currently contemplating a marriage or divorce decision, or those in problematic marriage situations, this is the book you have been waiting for. This book will also serve as an invaluable resource for parents, Church ministers and marriage counsellors.

Being an inspiration from God, all the material you will find in this book is referenced from the written Word of God that is contained in the Holy Scriptures. My earnest endeavor in this book has been to accurately convey as much as possible, the revelations given to me by the Spirit of God. The way I go about achieving this is by weighing my personal revelations on this subject against the written Word, since scripture cannot be broken. I invite you to diligently cross-check the scriptures with me as you read this book. You will notice that most of my scripture references are quoted from the Message Bible. This is mainly because of its simplicity.

The book is organized into ten Chapters, inclusive of this introduction, each Chapter addressing a specific topic. Chapter Two sets the pace by arguing that marriage is God’s idea, not man’s and God construed marriage to be between a man and a woman. It argues further that, in marriage, the man and his wife are to become “one flesh” which literally means they are supposed to have a consistent common approach to life, in spite of whatever differences might exists between them. Since marriage is God’s idea, God certainly has laid out principles in His Word for how marriage should be approached: this is the subject matter of Chapter Three of this book. Chapter Three also dwells on such issues as: “Who should make the marriage proposition?”, “What factors to consider when making a marriage decision?”, and “Does belonging to a different race, tribe or religion matter in the marriage decision?”

Chapter Four answers some very pertinent questions amongst many Christian folk today, notably, whether marriage is for everyone. It also addresses such questions as whether a life of celibacy is superior to a married life in terms of service to God, and whether it is sinful to abandon an initially proclaimed life of celibacy.

Chapter Five specifically targets married folks. It addresses four important marital obligations of spouses as endorsed in God’s Word, namely, the obligation to remain married, the obligation to remain faithful, the obligation to love and the obligation of submission.

In the light of the alarming divorce rates both in the Church and in the world today, many aren’t exactly sure what is God’s perspective on divorce. Chapter Six provides an indepth scriptural answer to this question. In particular, it dwells on the issue of whether it is scripturally right to divorce on grounds of marital unfaithfulness.

Although God’s Word has laid out principles on how marriage should be organized, many folks, including believing Christians, often do not get it right. Chapter Seven addresses some of the problematic marriage situations that arise because one of the parties to a marriage is saved and the other isn’t–what has been biblically termed ‘mixed marriages’. It addresses such questions as: “Is it biblical for a believing spouse to divorce his/her unbelieving spouse?”, “The kind of prayer that brings about the salvation of a loved one or spouse”, “What’s the appropriate conduct to adopt when an unbelieving spouse quits?”, “What are the consequences when believing spouses divorce?”, amongst others.

In perilous times such as we live in today, many parents have lost influence over their children’s marriage decisions. Worse still, some parents aren’t aware that they are supposed to play a role in shaping their children’s marriage decisions. Some attempt to influence their children’s choices very late–when these children are already grown up and matured–with disastrous consequences. Another category of parents aren’t even aware that their children are already married. All of these stem from the fact that many parents haven’t assumed their proper scriptural role in the upbringing of their children. Chapter Eight dwells into parents’ role not only in raising their kids but also in their future marital decisions.

Under the dispensation of grace which Christ Jesus ushered us into, many Christian folk have a hard time complying with the message of the Old Testament. For instance, does grace invalidate the sin in marital unfaithfulness? Chapter Nine answers this question by expounding on the consequences of marital unfaithfulness. Chapter Ten puts together my main thoughts developed in this book and offers the unsaved reader an opportunity to receive salvation in Jesus Christ.