In his sermon titled 'Of Marriage, 1689 SLBC, Chapter 25, Par. 3,' Don Stubblefield explores the biblical foundation of marriage as a covenant commitment, drawing on Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5 to illustrate this sacred union. He emphasizes that marriage mirrors the relationship between Christ and the Church, highlighting the sacrificial love of Christ as a model for husbands. Stubblefield discusses the inviolability of marriage, noting that divorce is permitted only in cases of marital infidelity or when an unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, as referenced in Matthew 5:32 and 1 Corinthians 7:12-16. He stresses the importance of marrying fellow believers, citing 1 Corinthians 7:39 and 2 Corinthians 6:14 to warn against being unequally yoked. The New Geneva Study Bible is frequently cited to provide deeper insight into these biblical teachings.

In Genesis 2 verse 24, it says, Therefore shall a man love his father, leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave or be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. In the New Geneva Study Bible, the term be joined to, this is the language of covenant commitment. Humans are never more like the covenant-keeping God than when they pledge themselves in covenant to one another. Marriage pictures God's relationship to his people. Hosea 2, 14-23 and Ephesians 5, 22-32.

If you'll open your Bibles to Ephesians 5, we will look at that passage. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband, says unto the Lord, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands and everything. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought man to love their wives as their own bodies.

He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless, let Every one of you in particular so love his wife, even as himself and the wife see that she reverence her husband. So the marriage relationship is, as we read here, it's a picture of Christ and the church. And Christ so loved the church that he gave his very life for it. And if it should come to that, even men should be prepared to even lay down their lives for their wife. One flesh, the phrase one flesh is a phrase of continuing with the New Geneva Study Bible, a phrase pointing to the profound solidarity of the marriage relationship.

The singular and total commitment involved implies that God intended marriage to be monogamous, which means one man and one wife. It's not to be polygamous to have more than one wife or one husband. Paul outlines in these verses the entire process to which Christ has committed himself in his relationship with the church. He has washed her from sin and is preparing her for a glorious destiny with himself. Husbands are called in like manner to adapt their lives to their wives needs and to provide for their growth and development.

And then in connection with marriage we have the act of divorce. Let's turn to Mark chapter 10, verses 2 through 12. And the Pharisees came to him and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife, tempting him? And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and to put her away.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart, He wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, man made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. And they twain shall be one flesh, so then they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore?

God hath joined together. Let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband and be married to another, she committeth adultery." The term whoever divorces in verse 11 from the New Geneva Study Bible, this is a basic commandment about the inviolability of marriage.

However, Jesus specifies one valid ground for divorce, marital infidelity. Matthew 5 verse 32, in which Christ said, But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife except for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery." However, to continue the New Geneva Study Bible, divorce is not mandatory and reconciliation is preferable. And then Paul seems to add another ground for divorce in 1 Corinthians 7, 12-16, if you will turn to that passage. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord, If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else were your children unclean, but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. Brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband, or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?" That's through, of course, the work of the Spirit in them.

It is God's will that his people should marry only fellow believers. 1st Corinthians 7 39 which says the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth but if her husband be dead she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord. And then in 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14, Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers? For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" It seems that Paul is addressing a case here primarily where, let's say, that two people, both of them are unbelievers when they're married, and one of them later becomes a believer.

I think that would be what he's really addressing here. And that's just my take on it. But as we've seen here, if we're a true believer, and when we're married, we're not to marry an unbeliever. God forbade the Israelites to intermarry with pagans in Ezra chapters 9 and 10 and Nehemiah 13 verses 23 to 27. And I'm sure there's a lot more we could address with this but I only have a limited amount of time so we will wrap it up at this point.