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English
Mark
  
9. Jesus’ Words About Marriage
(Mark 10:1-12)
1Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.2The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.3And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”4They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”5And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.6But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.7For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,8and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.9Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.”10In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.11So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.12And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”


Marriage is a gift of heaven, and not a temptation of Satan. Though we are all unclean because of our sins, and are unable to be holy and blameless of ourselves, the order of marriage to one wife is directly issued by the merciful Creator. Marriage under the direction and guidance of the Lord is similar to the garden of paradise. It is like an oasis in the midst of the desert, because God is the third partner in the compact of marriage. So, do not consider marriage unclean or lowly, but holy in the presence of Christ, and in the power of his Spirit.
But unfortunately, we find divorce more prevalent today than any time before. The reason is that God is not he who joins the partners. They superficially met together, and indifferently decided to marry one another. This is why they get divorced without sorrow, and do not wish to continue their marital relations because of unreasonable reasons.
If the fear of God did not possess the hearts, houses, and customs, then the spirits of hell would move up and down into the streets, and inside the houses, the hearts would become hardened, and divorce would become easy and lawful. We do not know the unspeakable grief and pain which many men and women suffer because they lived without God, got married without his guidance, and were separated by divorce in opposition to his will.
Rivers of tears are shed because of hard, unbelieving minds, and wicked divorces, which are often unlawful, but are practiced through separation of hearts. Couples may live together but in hatred, which causes tremble and fear in the hearts of their children. Woe to the parents in broken families because of the suffering of their children!
The general principle to God is love and purity. He instituted marriage to show in the union of the couple that love does not signify licentious lust, but mutual service, humble forbearance, and reciprocated honor.
This is why pure love between a husband and his wife is a great mystery. First, they unite with each other, and their thoughts converge. A praying wife can lift you to heaven. She is a bless to your children. But a faithless woman who is interested in money and high standing would despise you, dominate you, and corrupt your soul. She would draw you as a slain bull to hell, if the Spirit of Christ did not free her soul, and consequently love, contentedness, deliberateness, prayer, kindness, and peace dwell in her. Before marriage, you have to ask the Lord for a faithful wife, apart from her riches, beauty, and cleverness, for the advantages of this world pass away as quick as lightning, but the divine love will never fall.
Dear girl, do not accept to marry but a believer. Let your marriage be in Christ that you may secure familiar happiness. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”

Prayer
O holy God, we thank you for the gift of perfect marriage. Teach us to live in holiness and self-control that we may serve one another as Christ served his church to save us from all our lusts, and that we may not marry according to our own wishes. Grant each believer a partner established in your Spirit that they may lift one another to heaven and that their marriage may become a paradisiacal garden on the painful earth. Amen.
Question
What are the principles of Christian marriage?