Need Help Explaining This

[ktn4eg]

Someone asked me to explain that, since marriage is ordained by God, is it not an ordinance as is baptism and the Lord's Supper?

All I could come up with is the fact that God ordained marriage long before the church was created, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Maybe some of my BB friends could help me elaborate more on the differences between "marriage as an ordinance" and the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

 

[annsni]

Well, for one, Jesus didn't tell us all to go out and get married, did He? LOL

 

[Tom Butler]

Our present church ordinances picture the gospel and death of Jesus on the cross. Marriage doesn't even come close.

 

[Amy.G]

I know of no place in the Bible that says that all people are required by God to be married. Paul even says that it would be better to remain single.

Marriage is ordained by God, but not required.

 

[Scarlett O.]

annsni beat me to it.

I was going to say that baptism and participating in the Lord's Supper is ordained for everyone to share in - corporately or individually. And it's personal - between you and the Lord - whether it be public or private.

Marriage is ordained by God, but not ordained for everyone. Neither Paul, Miriam, nor Jesus were married.

1 Corinthians 7:1-2 - "Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband."

Some people are called to singleness by God - the very God who ordained marriage. Marriage is not for every Christian.

But, baptism, while not saving you, is important. Saved people should be baptized.

Acts 22:15-17 - "You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name."

And saved people should participate in the Lord's Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 - 'and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.'

 

[Allan]

Someone asked me to explain that, since marriage is ordained by God, is it not an ordinance as is baptism and the Lord's Supper?

All I could come up with is the fact that God ordained marriage long before the church was created, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Maybe some of my BB friends could help me elaborate more on the differences between "marriage as an ordinance" and the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

For one, there is that which is ordained to all and then there is that which is ordained toward the church alone.

Marriage is that which was ordained to all people everywhere and that it was to be between a man and a woman only, however this which was ordained can be tossed aside and is shown by Paul and others to be done so (ie. Rom 1:26-24)

Unlike the ordinances God gave specifically to the church for purposes for remembering in different ways the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One is a memorial (rememberance of Christ death and promised resurrection) in the Lord Supper as well as an illistration of coming into fellowship with Christ and believers through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.


Marriage is something we are believers uphold according to God's standard and in that general or generic sence it is an ordinance kept by the church, but it is not an ordinance given to the church alone for the purposes of remembering Christ death, burial, and resurrection of which the other two are.

And the others before me are correct... not all believers are called to be married and if marriage was to be an ordinance to church, all people in the church would have to partake

 

[kyredneck]

.......Christ never married while in the flesh............

 

[Johnv]

Someone asked me to explain that, since marriage is ordained by God, is it not an ordinance as is baptism and the Lord's Supper?

A very good question. No, it's not that type of ordinance. Baptism and Communion are corporate ordinances whose purposes are (among other things) to foster Christian fellowship. There are many other things in scripture that are ordained by God, but are not corporate ordinances.

 

[Aaron]

All I could come up with is the fact that God ordained marriage long before the church was created, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Actually there isn't much more to it than that. Marriage is a divine institution. It was in the Garden before the Fall, and is the cornerstone of society. The confusion comes from the idea that civil government and God's law are not to be separate, when in reality, God's law is the foundation of all true law.