“There are three relationships in this life that we aren’t naturally good at, our relationship with God, our spouse, and our children.”

On this edition of The Exchange, listen as host Ed Stetzer interviews Dennis Rainey, President and CEO of Family Life about marriage and relationships from a biblical perspective.

Why does marriage matter?

Marriage should matter to Christians because marriage and family matter to God, they were both instituted by him at the beginning of time.

Recently Christians have not done a very good job at upholding the banner of the covenant of marriage.

As a result, the sanctity of marriage is in jeopardy. Dennis Rainey describes this as the “greatest felt need in Western Civilization.”

Why is it worth sticking it out?

“The promise I made to my wife wasn’t just to not get divorced it was a promise to love and cherish, to stick with her.”

•  Your marriage represents the image of God. He created us to join together as two different people, male and female, and to reflect his love, grace, forgiveness, and character to our children.

•  The closest thing some people get to church is seeing how you live your life and how you handle your marriage. Handle your marriage in a biblical way and people will notice.

•  Marriages that go the distance are one of the greatest witnessing tools that Christians have at their disposal.

What can the church do?

According to Dennis, the church needs to be able to equip couples for healthy, long-lasting marriages. Churches need to be the community’s marriage equipping centers.

What about singles?

•  According to the Apostle Paul, singleness is a gift. Singles need to receive the gift of singleness and embrace it and use it for God’s glory.

•  Singles should be celebrated in the church. Celebrate and embrace where God has you in your life.

•  Don’t fall into the trap of “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

What’s the good news?

As Christians, we have the blueprints to make marriage work. These blueprints come in the form of the Bible and a personal relationship with God.

We need to present those blueprints to married couples offering them hope that their marriage can thrive!

Is there hope for marriage?