What does the Bible say about marriage and family?

Many people think this question is irrelevant. But as a Judeo-Christian voter, you understand that God’s Word reveals how He designed the world, including the family. Although not always lived out in this fallen world, God’s design is still the basis for developing the beliefs on which you vote. And your votes influence how our government values and treats marriage and the family.

With that in mind, what does the Bible say about the institution whose health can make or break our society?

Is marriage a man-made institution or a God-created institution?

Jesus, referencing the book of Genesis, made it clear. “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)

Human beings did not invent marriage. God created this union of one man and one woman—both in His image—who become one flesh, for one lifetime. 

What is the purpose of marriage?

After describing God’s creation of male and female, Genesis 1:28a explains, “And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth …” Marriage is the context in which God intended children to be created and raised.

There’s another purpose to marriage, however.

Ephesians 5:22-33 and Revelation 19:7-9 reveal that marriage is a picture of the spiritual relationship between Jesus Christ and His church—the body of individuals who have trusted in Him as their Lord and Savior.

“’Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32)

Co-habitation, polygamy, and same-sex unions cannot reflect the spiritual union of Christ and His church. This is only accomplished by God’s design for marriage. With its symbolic nature and the potential for creating new life, marriage has enormous spiritual and societal significance.

Why should the government care?

Public servants may not care what Jesus said about marriage, but they should care about the well-being of the citizens they serve.

God created civil government to serve society (Romans 13:4). The basic building block of society is the family, and the foundation of the family is marriage. Therefore, government can serve society well through policies that strengthen marriage.

For children—the most vulnerable members of our society—studies consistently show that being raised by their biological parents in a faithful, life-long marriage is best for their success. Even a secular country should be compelled by social science to support monogamous one-man-one-woman marriages. How much more should a country that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles!

Why should I care?

Family-strengthening policies (e.g., eliminating the marriage penalty in taxes, encouraging childbearing and adoption, reforming welfare laws so they don’t discourage marriage, and more) depend on the people who make the laws . . . and those who vote for them.

You, through your votes, support the protection of children, the stability of your community, and the future of our country through the people you vote for and the policies they support.

In every election season, defenders and destroyers of marriage and family will vie for your vote. iVoterGuide is working to equip you with knowledge of what the Bible and your candidates say about this and other issues that deeply impact our culture. With so much at stake, we must commit to vote wisely.