What does the Bible say about marriage?

Ephesians 5:22-33

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—

³⁰ for we are members of his body.

³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

New International Version (NIV)

The answer

Marriage is God's idea, set in motion before the fall, and it carries meaning far deeper than a contract between two people. Scripture treats it as a covenant union that pictures the relationship between Christ and His church.

Origin and purpose

God made marriage in the garden, before sin entered the world. Genesis 2:18 records, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him," and Genesis 2:24 states, "Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh." Marriage exists for companionship, mutual help, and the continuation of the human family, and it is rooted in the created order, not in human custom.

A lifelong, exclusive union

Jesus restated the original charter in Matthew 19:4-6: "He who made them from the beginning made them male and female... 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.' So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don't let man tear apart." Marriage is a one-flesh bond that no person should split apart.

The roles inside the marriage

Ephesians 5 lays out the duties of husband and wife, each grounded in Christ's relationship with the church.

• Wives are called to submit to their own husbands "as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22), as the assembly is subject to Christ (Ephesians 5:24). This is a willing, reverent response within the marriage bond, not a license for harshness, and it is also taught in Colossians 3:18, Titus 2:5, and 1 Peter 3:1-6.
• Husbands are commanded to love their wives "even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25), nourishing and cherishing her as their own flesh (Ephesians 5:28-29). A husband who loves his wife loves himself, because the two are one.

Notice the shape of the passage: submission is asked of wives in a few lines, and sacrificial love is asked of husbands in many more. The weight of the passage falls on the husband.

Honor and purity

Marriage is to be held in honor by everyone. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers." Sexual intimacy belongs inside the marriage covenant; the marriage bed is to be kept pure.

A picture of Christ and the church

The deepest meaning surfaces at the end of Ephesians 5. Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 and then says, "This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly" (Ephesians 5:31-32). Marriage was always meant to display something: the faithful, self-giving love of Christ for His people, and the willing response of the church to her Lord.

A short verse to carry

Genesis 2:24 — "Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh."

Answered from Scripture · reviewed November 7, 2026

Marriage is God's foundational institution for human life, established in Eden before sin entered the world and sealed as a lifelong, exclusive covenant. More than a practical agreement or social custom, Scripture reveals that earthly marriage was designed from the beginning to display the sacrificial love of Christ for His church.

The Creation Order

God designed marriage in Eden before the fall.

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

This foundational verse establishes the core elements of marriage: leaving parental authority, cleaving in lifelong covenant, and becoming one flesh.

In Genesis 2:24, the Bible establishes the architecture of human marriage: a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. This design did not emerge from social negotiation or cultural evolution, but from the deliberate craftsmanship of God before sin entered the world. In Genesis 1:27, the Lord created humanity in His own image, creating them intentionally male and female, and in Genesis 1:28 He blessed them to be fruitful and multiply, committing human flourishing to their complementary union.

The narrative deepens in Genesis 2:18, where God identifies the solitary man as incomplete, declaring that it is not good for man to be alone and resolving to provide a helper corresponding to him. When God formed woman from Adam's rib and brought her to him, Adam recognized the profound likeness and companionship absent in the rest of creation, rejoicing in Genesis 2:21-23 that she was at last bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. Their union was sealed in perfect purity; as Genesis 2:25 observes, the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed, living in unhindered fellowship with each other and their Maker. Centuries later, confronting cultural compromises, Jesus pointed directly back to this uncorrupted dawn in Matthew 19:8, affirming that God's creation blueprint remains the timeless standard for marital union.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Genesis 1:27	God created humanity in His own image, making them distinctly male and female.
Genesis 1:28	God blessed the first man and woman and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply.
Genesis 2:18	The Lord declared it not good for man to be alone and resolved to make a helper fit for him.
Genesis 2:21-23	God fashioned woman from man's rib, and Adam recognized her as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.
Genesis 2:24	A man leaves father and mother, cleaves to his wife, and the two become one flesh.
Genesis 2:25	The man and wife were both naked and were not ashamed in their pre-fall innocence.
Matthew 19:8	Jesus affirms God's creation design for marriage existed from the beginning before human hardness.

Covenant and Permanence

Jesus reaffirmed marriage as an unbreakable covenant bond.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Matthew 19:6 (NIV)

Jesus declares that God Himself joins husband and wife into one flesh, forbidding any human attempt to sever that sacred union.

In Matthew 19:6, the Lord Jesus establishes the sacred permanency of the marital union: what therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Marriage is not a mere contract dissoluble by human whim; it is a covenant forged under heaven. Through the prophet in Malachi 2:14, the Lord reminds His people that He stood as the divine witness between a husband and the wife of his youth, warning that she is his companion by covenant. Malachi 2:15 explains that God made the two one in spirit seeking godly offspring, leading to the sober warning in Malachi 2:16 against treachery and tearing apart the sacred bond. Proverbs 2:17 likewise mourns the tragedy of anyone who forsakes the companion of youth and forgets the covenant of God.

When Pharisees tested Jesus regarding divorce, Christ cited the Genesis creation account in Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9, insisting that God Himself binds husband and wife into an enduring whole. To dismantle that union violates divine design. In Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:9, and Luke 16:18, Christ exposes how illicit divorce and remarriage breach covenant fidelity and amount to adultery, allowing no casual dissolution. The apostles echoed this solemn weight: Paul explains in Romans 7:2-3 and 1 Corinthians 7:39 that the marital bond endures as long as both spouses live, freeing a widow to remarry only in the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul delivers Christ's direct charge that neither spouse should initiate divorce, while counseling in 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 that believers wed to unbelievers must patiently preserve their marriages whenever possible.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Malachi 2:14	The Lord witnessed the covenant between a husband and the wife of his youth.
Malachi 2:15	God made them one in spirit, seeking godly offspring through the marital union.
Malachi 2:16	The Lord God of Israel warns against treachery and tearing apart the marriage bond.
Matthew 19:4-6	Jesus cites Genesis, confirming that God joins two into one flesh and man must not separate them.
Mark 10:6-9	Mark records Christ's reaffirmation of marriage as an enduring, God-fashioned bond from the beginning of creation.
Romans 7:2-3	Paul explains that the law binds a married woman to her husband as long as he lives.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11	Paul delivers the Lord's charge that a wife should not separate from her husband, nor a husband divorce his wife.
1 Corinthians 7:39	A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, free to remarry only in the Lord upon his death.
Proverbs 2:17	Describes an unfaithful spouse forsaking the companion of youth and forgetting God's sacred covenant.
Matthew 5:31-32	Jesus teaches on the sanctity of marriage and warns against unbiblical divorce and adultery.
Matthew 19:9	Jesus defines marital unfaithfulness in unlawful divorce and remarriage except for sexual immorality.
Luke 16:18	Jesus warns that divorcing and remarrying another commits adultery, emphasizing marital permanence.
1 Corinthians 7:12-16	Paul addresses believers married to unbelievers, urging preservation of the marriage if possible.

Roles in Marriage

Husbands and wives are called to gospel-shaped mutual devotion.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)

The command for husbands to love their wives sets Christ's self-emptying sacrifice on the cross as the supreme standard of headship.

In Ephesians 5:25, the Apostle Paul articulates the towering calling of Christian leadership: husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Marital roles are not defined by cultural dominance or self-interest, but by the cruciform pattern of the gospel. The passage opens in Ephesians 5:21 with believers submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Addressing the home, Ephesians 5:22-24 calls wives to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, mirroring the church's glad submission to her Savior. Yet the husband's headship carries no license for tyranny; Ephesians 5:25-27 and Ephesians 5:28-30 direct men to nourish and cherish their wives as their own bodies, pointing to how Christ sanctified His bride through sacrificial love, summarized in Ephesians 5:33 as an inseparable duty of love and respect.

This pattern resonates throughout the apostolic letters. Colossians 3:18 instructs wives to submit fittingly in the Lord, while Colossians 3:19 forbids husbands from being harsh or embittered toward their spouses. In Titus 2:4-5, mature women are charged to train younger wives in faithful devotion to their households, purity, and gentleness. Peter reinforces this gospel witness in 1 Peter 3:1-2, encouraging wives that chaste and reverent conduct can win even unbelieving husbands to the faith without a word, recalling in 1 Peter 3:3-6 the holy women of old who trusted God. Turning to men, 1 Peter 3:7 commands husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way, bestowing honor upon them as fellow heirs of the grace of life so that their prayers may not be hindered.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Ephesians 5:21	Believers are instructed to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:22-24	Wives are exhorted to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, just as the church submits to Christ.
Ephesians 5:25-27	Husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up to sanctify her.
Ephesians 5:28-30	Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies, nourishing and cherishing them as Christ does His body.
Ephesians 5:33	Each husband must love his wife as himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Colossians 3:18	Wives are instructed to submit to their husbands as is fitting in the Lord.
Colossians 3:19	Husbands are commanded to love their wives and never treat them harshly or embittered.
Titus 2:4-5	Older women are to train younger wives to love their husbands and children, being pure and submissive.
1 Peter 3:1-2	Wives are urged to display respectful, chaste conduct to win unbelieving husbands without a word.
1 Peter 3:7	Husbands must live considerately with their wives, honoring them as fellow heirs of the grace of life.
1 Peter 3:3-6	Peter points wives to holy women of old whose gentle and quiet spirit honored God and their husbands.

Honor and Purity

Scripture commands marital fidelity and guards the marriage bed.

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)

God explicitly commands universal honor for marriage and warns of divine judgment upon all sexual immorality and adultery.

In Hebrews 13:4, Scripture sounds an uncompromising call to moral holiness: let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. The Lord guards the marital bed because intimacy belongs exclusively within the covenant of one man and one woman. From the foot of Mount Sinai, God chiseled this boundary into the moral law, proclaiming in Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18, you shall not commit adultery, a prohibition reinforced by severe civil penalties in Leviticus 20:10. The wisdom literature repeatedly underscores the catastrophic nature of sexual treason, with Proverbs 6:32 warning that whoever commits adultery lacks sense and destroys his own soul.

Conversely, Scripture celebrates the joyful beauty of marital delight when kept within God's boundaries. In Proverbs 5:15-19, a husband is tenderly urged to drink water from his own cistern, rejoicing always in the wife of his youth and being continually intoxicated by her love. The New Testament maintains this balanced vision of purity and pleasure: in 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, Paul directs husbands and wives to maintain mutual conjugal affection and shared bodily authority, protecting one another from the temptations of the enemy. Sanctification claims the believer's entire life, as 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 insists that God's will is for each person to control their own body in holiness and honor, rather than in the passionate lust of the world, preserving the sacred ground of the marital covenant.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Exodus 20:14	The seventh commandment forbids adultery, protecting the sanctity of the marital union.
Proverbs 5:15-19	A husband is urged to drink from his own cistern and rejoice always in the wife of his youth.
1 Corinthians 7:2-5	Husband and wife share mutual conjugal rights and bodily authority, guarding one another against temptation.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5	God's will is sanctification, requiring each believer to control their own body in holiness and honor.
Hebrews 13:4	Marriage must be held in honor by all, keeping the bed undefiled, for God judges the immoral.
Leviticus 20:10	God's law strictly forbids adultery, demonstrating His holy guard around the marriage covenant.
Deuteronomy 5:18	The Ten Commandments explicitly reiterate the absolute prohibition against committing adultery.
Proverbs 6:32	Warns that committing adultery destroys a person's soul and demonstrates a total lack of wisdom.

Christ and the Church

Earthly marriage foreshadows the eternal union of the Lamb.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:31-32 (NIV)

Paul reveals that the Genesis one-flesh mystery pointed forward all along to the eternal union between Christ and His church.

In Ephesians 5:31-32, the Apostle Paul pulls back the veil on God's eternal blueprint: the one-flesh union instituted in Eden was designed from the beginning to display Christ and the church. The prophets repeatedly spoke in marital terms to articulate God's covenant with His elect. Isaiah 54:5 declares that Israel's Maker is her Husband, a promise that culminates in Ephesians 5:25-27, where Christ gave Himself up for His bride to present her blameless and radiant. Hosea 2:19-20 announces that the Lord will betroth His people to Himself forever in steadfast love, a spiritual reality mirrored in 2 Corinthians 11:2 when Paul presents the church as a pure bride to one Husband. Isaiah 62:5 and Jeremiah 3:14 echo this relational bond, showing the Lord's longing over His wandering spouse. All history moves toward the ultimate wedding feast in Revelation 19:7-9, where the marriage of the Lamb arrives and His bride stands clothed in fine linen. Revelation 21:2 and Revelation 21:9 behold the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven, perfectly adorned as a bride for her eternal King.

Promise and fulfilment

Passage	What it says	Fulfilled
Isaiah 54:5	The Lord of hosts announces Himself as the Maker and Husband of His redeemed people.	Ephesians 5:25-27
Hosea 2:19-20	God promises to betroth His people to Himself forever in righteousness, justice, steadfast love, and mercy.	2 Corinthians 11:2
Ephesians 5:31-32	Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 and identifies the great mystery as referring to Christ and the church.	Revelation 19:7-9
Revelation 19:7-9	The saints rejoice because the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.	Revelation 21:2
Revelation 21:2	John sees the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.	Revelation 21:9
Isaiah 62:5	As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so God promises to rejoice over His redeemed people.
Jeremiah 3:14	The Lord declares His covenant bond with His backsliding people under the imagery of marriage.
2 Corinthians 11:2	Paul describes betrothing the church as a chaste virgin bride to one single husband, Christ.
Revelation 21:9	An angel presents the New Jerusalem as the bride, the Lamb's wife, prepared for eternity.

Blessing and Joy

God blesses marriage as a joyful gift of companionship and favor.

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 18:22 (NIV)

It frames marriage not merely as a legal duty but as a direct gift of God's blessing and kindness.

Proverbs 18:22 celebrates marriage not as a burden of duty, but as a rich source of divine favor: finding a godly spouse is receiving a direct token of the Lord's kindness. Scripture continually honors marital love as a fountain of human joy. In Genesis 24:67, Isaac took Rebekah as his wife, loved her, and was comforted after his mother's death. Proverbs 19:14 observes that while estates are inherited from earthly parents, a prudent wife is an outright gift from God. The radiant portrait in Proverbs 31:10-12 shows that an excellent wife's worth far exceeds rubies, providing safety and peace to her husband. Ecclesiastes 9:9 counsels the believer to enjoy life fully with the wife he loves amid life's fleeting days. The Song of Solomon raises this mutual delight to poetry: Song of Solomon 2:16 expresses reciprocal devotion, while Song of Solomon 8:6-7 lauds covenant love as an unquenchable flame stronger than death. Jesus reaffirmed this dignity in John 2:1-11, choosing a joyous wedding feast at Cana to perform His very first sign.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Genesis 24:67	Isaac brings Rebekah into his mother's tent, takes her as wife, and loves her deeply.
Proverbs 18:22	He who finds a wife finds what is good and obtains favor from the Lord.
Proverbs 19:14	While houses and wealth are inherited from parents, a prudent wife comes from the Lord.
Proverbs 31:10-12	An excellent wife is far more precious than jewels; her husband trusts her completely.
Ecclesiastes 9:9	Counsel to enjoy life with the wife you love throughout all the fleeting days of life.
Song of Solomon 2:16	Mutual belonging and delight between husband and wife: 'My beloved is mine, and I am his.'
Song of Solomon 8:6-7	Celebrates love as strong as death, an unquenchable flame that wealth can never purchase.
John 2:1-11	Jesus honors marriage by attending a wedding in Cana and performing His first miracle there.

Holding marriage in honor means receiving it on God's terms: a sacred, lifelong covenant where self-giving love and respectful submission reflect the gospel. Whether married or single, every believer is called to uphold the holiness of this union, looking forward to the ultimate marriage supper of the Lamb.

56 passages, each cited once.

How the major Christian traditions read this

All faithful Christian traditions confess that marriage is instituted by God from creation as a lifelong, exclusive covenant between one man and one woman, reflecting the holy union between Christ and His church (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:31-32).

Catholic

We teach that Holy Matrimony between baptized persons is one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ, elevating the natural covenant to an efficacious sign of grace (Ephesians 5:32). Through the exchange of mutual consent, husband and wife administer the sacrament to each other, establishing an indissoluble bond sealed by God Himself (Mark 10:9). Because a valid, consummated sacramental marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power, the Church cannot grant a divorce, though an ecclesiastical tribunal may recognize an annulment if an essential impediment prevented a true bond from forming at the start.

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, Mark 10:9, Ephesians 5:31-32, Ephesians 5:32

Orthodox

We confess holy matrimony as one of the divine mysteries (sacraments) of the Church, wherein the couple is crowned with glory and honor in the presence of the assembly (Confession of Dositheus 15). Through the priestly blessing and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the union is transfigured into an eternal icon of Christ’s kingdom and His love for the Church (Ephesians 5:32). While the ideal of marriage is eternal and unbroken, the Church exercises pastoral oikonomia (mercy and condescension) toward human frailty, permitting ecclesiastical divorce and remarriage up to three times in cases of grave marital death.

Scripture: Matthew 19:6, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:32

Lutheran

We hold that holy marriage is an honorable estate established by God at creation, belonging properly to the earthly realm of civil order and preservation rather than serving as a means of forgiveness or a gospel sacrament (Augsburg Confession 16). Because God did not attach the promise of the forgiveness of sins to marriage, we do not call it a sacrament. Nevertheless, it is a holy calling and divine ordinance (Genesis 2:24). Husband and wife are called to mutual fidelity and sacrificial love, while pastors and all Christians remain entirely free to marry rather than endure forced celibacy (Augsburg Confession 23).

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, 1 Corinthians 7:2, Ephesians 5:22-25, Hebrews 13:4

Reformed & Presbyterian

We confess that marriage was ordained by God for the mutual help of husband and wife, the increase of mankind with a godly seed, and the prevention of uncleanness (Westminster Confession 24.1–2; Genesis 2:18; Malachi 2:15). It is a sacred creation ordinance and covenant, not a sacrament, for only baptism and the Lord's Supper carry Christ's sacramental seals. Scripture commands the husband to exercise headship by loving his wife sacrificially as Christ loves the church, and the wife to submit reverently as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22–25). Where willful desertion or adultery shatters the covenant, lawful divorce and remarriage are biblically permitted (Matthew 19:9; 1 Corinthians 7:15).

Scripture: Genesis 2:18, Malachi 2:15, Matthew 19:9, 1 Corinthians 7:15, Ephesians 5:22-25

Anglican & Episcopal

We revere holy matrimony as an honourable estate instituted by God in the time of man's innocency, signifying the mystical union betwixt Christ and His Church (Thirty-Nine Articles 32; Ephesians 5:32). While we distinguish the two gospel sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Communion from rites commonly called sacraments, marriage is nevertheless a holy covenant solemnized by the Church. In it, husband and wife enter a sacred bond for mutual society, help, and comfort, as well as the procreation and nurture of children. Clergy are free to marry at their own discretion to serve godliness.

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:32, Hebrews 13:4

Baptist

We affirm that marriage is a holy creation ordinance between one man and one woman for life, ordained for mutual companionship and holy progeny (Baptist Confession of 1689 25.1–2). Rejecting sacramental definitions, we look straight to Scripture, where marriage images Christ’s redeeming love for His blood-bought assembly (Ephesians 5:25–32). Within the home, God calls the husband to servant-hearted spiritual headship and the wife to willing, respectful submission as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22–24; Colossians 3:18–19). While divorce is a tragedy contrary to God's original purpose, Scripture permits it on grounds of marital infidelity or abandonment by an unbelieving spouse (Matthew 19:9; 1 Corinthians 7:15).

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:9, 1 Corinthians 7:15, Ephesians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:18-19

Methodist & Wesleyan

We hold marriage to be a holy estate instituted by God, designed to be a means of grace and mutual sanctification where husband and wife grow together in perfect love (Methodist Articles 21). We do not classify it as a sacrament of the gospel, but we honor it as a sacred covenant reflecting Christ's self-giving love (Ephesians 5:25). As partners in grace, spouses encourage one another toward holiness and good works. Where human sin fractures a union beyond repair, our pastoral practice recognizes biblical grounds for divorce and extends redeeming grace, pastoral healing, and the possibility of remarriage.

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, Ephesians 5:25, Hebrews 13:4

Pentecostal & Charismatic

We believe marriage is a sacred, Spirit-filled covenant instituted by God between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24). The home is a primary sphere where the Holy Spirit operates, enabling spouses to walk in supernatural love, mutual honor, and spiritual victory. While upholding the husband’s loving headship and the wife’s submission as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22–25), we also emphasize mutual submission in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21). We uphold marriage as lifelong, though pastoral care allows divorce and remarriage under biblical exceptions, ministering healing and restoration to broken lives through the Spirit's power.

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, Ephesians 5:21, Ephesians 5:22-25

Non-denominational & Evangelical

We look directly to the plain teaching of Scripture: God created marriage in Genesis as the union of one man and one woman to become one flesh for life (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6). It is not a church sacrament, but a sacred covenant that displays the gospel to the watching world (Ephesians 5:31–32). Most of our churches teach complementarian roles—loving, sacrificial leadership by the husband and respectful support by the wife (Ephesians 5:22–25)—while some practice an egalitarian partnership based on mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21). We view divorce as contrary to God’s design, permitted only in tragic biblical exceptions.

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, Ephesians 5:21, Ephesians 5:22-25, Ephesians 5:31-32

Where they differ

Whether marriage is a sacrament

Catholic

A true sacrament of the New Law conferring sanctifying grace.

Orthodox

A holy mystery transfiguring earthly love into the eternal kingdom.

Lutheran

A holy estate of creation, not a gospel sacrament.

Reformed & Presbyterian

A sacred covenant and creation ordinance, not a sacrament.

Anglican & Episcopal

A sacramental rite, distinct from the two gospel sacraments.

Baptist

A creation ordinance and sacred covenant, not a church sacrament.

Methodist & Wesleyan

A holy estate and creation covenant, not a gospel sacrament.

Pentecostal & Charismatic

A sacred, Spirit-empowered covenant, not an ecclesiastical sacrament.

Non-denominational & Evangelical

A God-ordained covenant from creation, not a sacrament.

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:32

The dissolubility of the marriage bond

Catholic

Strictly indissoluble; divorce is impossible, though annulment may determine invalidity.

Orthodox

Ideally indissoluble, but pastoral economy permits divorce and remarriage.

Lutheran

Lifelong, though scriptural exceptions allow divorce for adultery or abandonment.

Reformed & Presbyterian

Dissoluble only on biblical grounds of infidelity or willful desertion.

Anglican & Episcopal

Historically indissoluble; modern pastoral practice permits divorce and remarriage.

Baptist

Intended for life, but permits divorce for adultery or abandonment.

Methodist & Wesleyan

Lifelong covenant, yet pastoral care permits divorce and remarriage.

Pentecostal & Charismatic

Lifelong covenant, with divorce and remarriage permitted under biblical exceptions.

Non-denominational & Evangelical

Lifelong bond; divorce allowed only under biblical exceptions like abandonment.

Scripture: Matthew 19:6, Matthew 19:9, 1 Corinthians 7:15

Your pastor can tell you where your church stands.

Scripture cited

• 1 Peter 3:1-6
• Titus 2:5
• Genesis 2:18-24
• Matthew 19:4-6
• Hebrews 13:4