The Gospel in matrimony?

One of the most significant things we do in our lives is select a spouse. Picking well can be a great source of happiness, and the opposite is also true. As a result, when I taught ethics, I would finish the long section on sex, dating, and marriage with a list of twenty-some items to consider in selecting someone to marry. These criteria were entirely designed to make sure you were marrying someone with whom you would find lasting happiness.

But what if we started from the premise that every aspect of our lives should be patterned off the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Well, in searching for people to bring into a covenant with Himself, did God search for the most beautiful, attractive, interesting, virtuous, and dependable people with no discernible flaws or pathologies? It’s not a question you can even hear without guffawing, right? Instead, what did God do? He picked wretches whom He loved and wanted to bring to their maximum potential of flourishing.

So, here’s the ultimate question for Christians: Should we encourage our friends and children to marry prudently, or should we encourage them to marry redemptively?