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What does the Bible say about marriage?

4 perspectives · Updated · 2 min read

The Bible talks about marriage from its first pages to its last. Dave Willis points out that it opens with a marriage in Eden and closes with the wedding feast of the Lamb.

The four people here agree on the core: marriage is a covenant, and it is meant to last. Steven Furtick, Dave Willis, and Randy Garn all describe two people becoming one flesh.

Two of them also speak from their own marriages. Hope Carpenter describes seasons when the covenant was the only thing holding her and Ron together. Randy Garn describes being sealed with his wife, Charlotte, in the temple.

The short answer

All four call marriage a covenant meant to last. Three describe it as two people becoming one flesh, and Randy Garn cites Jesus: "what God joins, no one should separate." Hope Carpenter adds that the covenant is what holds a couple through the seasons when every instinct says run.

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Who you should listen to

Four voices: the founder of Elevation Church, a pastor who teaches on marriage and family, a pastor who leads Redemption Church with her husband, and a mission president and author.

  • Steven Furtick · Founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church

    Listen for: What Paul's comparison to Christ and the church asks of both people.

  • Dave Willis · Pastor and writer

    Listen for: How marriage runs through the Bible from Eden to its final pages.

  • Hope Carpenter · Pastor of Redemption Church and author

    Listen for: What keeps a couple together through the hard seasons.

  • Randy Garn · Mission president, Texas Houston South Mission, and NYT bestselling author

    Listen for: Leaving, cleaving, and a covenant he believes can extend beyond this life.

What do pastors say the Bible teaches about marriage?

Steven Furtick

Steven Furtick

Founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church

GRAMMY winner

Why themFounded and leads Elevation Church, and writes and produces GRAMMY Award-winning music.

Steven’s advice: A covenant, not a contract, that mirrors Christ and the church.

The Bible says marriage is a covenant, not a contract: one man, one woman, becoming one flesh for life. Paul calls it a profound mystery that mirrors Christ and the church, so love has to lead, respect has to flow, and both people have to keep giving when they feel like taking.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Dave Willis

Dave Willis

Pastor and writer

Marriage and family

Why themPastor and writer who teaches on marriage, faith, and family alongside his wife.

Dave’s advice: Marriage is God's idea from Eden to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

The Bible opens with a marriage in Eden and closes with the wedding feast of the Lamb, so I see marriage as God's idea from start to finish. Jesus defines it in Matthew 19:5-6 as one man and one woman becoming one flesh, a covenant not to be split apart.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Hope Carpenter

Hope Carpenter

Pastor of Redemption Church and author

Author of two books

Why themPastors Redemption Church with her husband, Ron, and wrote The Little Pink Book.

Hope’s advice: The covenant is what keeps you when every instinct says run.

Marriage, in my view, is a covenant God wraps around two people so when every instinct says run, you stay. Ron and I hit seasons where the only thing holding us was that covenant, and now I wouldn't trade where we are for anything.

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Randy Garn

Randy Garn

Mission president, Texas Houston South Mission, and NYT bestselling author

NYT bestselling author

Why themSerial entrepreneur and investor, now serving as mission president for the Texas Houston South Mission.

Randy’s advice: A sacred covenant: leave, cleave, and become one flesh.

The Bible presents marriage as a sacred covenant, not just a contract: a man leaves his parents, cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh, and Jesus taught that what God joins, no one should separate. For me, that covenant deepens in the temple, where Charlotte and I were sealed with the promise that our marriage can extend beyond this life.

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Everyone’s advice at a glance

How 4 people answer: What does the Bible say about marriage?
WhoTheir advice
Steven FurtickFounder and lead pastor of Elevation ChurchA covenant, not a contract, that mirrors Christ and the church.
Dave WillisPastor and writerMarriage is God's idea from Eden to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Hope CarpenterPastor of Redemption Church and authorThe covenant is what keeps you when every instinct says run.
Randy GarnMission president, Texas Houston South Mission, and NYT bestselling authorA sacred covenant: leave, cleave, and become one flesh.

What the Bible says about marriage, point by point

  1. Marriage starts with God. Dave Willis notes that the Bible opens with a marriage in Eden and closes with the wedding feast of the Lamb, and sees marriage as God's idea from start to finish.

  2. It is a covenant. All four use the word. Steven Furtick and Randy Garn both set it apart from a contract.

  3. Two become one flesh. Dave Willis cites Jesus in Matthew 19:5-6. Randy Garn describes a man leaving his parents, cleaving to his wife, and the two becoming one flesh.

  4. It mirrors Christ and the church. Steven Furtick points to Paul, who calls marriage a profound mystery, and says love has to lead and respect has to flow.

  5. It holds through hard seasons. Hope Carpenter says the covenant is what keeps you when every instinct says run.

Where they disagree

They agree that marriage is a covenant meant to last. Steven Furtick and Dave Willis both define it as one man and one woman. The clearest difference is about what happens after this life. Randy Garn says he and Charlotte were sealed in the temple with the promise that their marriage can extend beyond this life. Steven Furtick describes marriage as a covenant for life, and the others don't address it.

Frequently asked questions

Is marriage a covenant or a contract?

All four call it a covenant. Steven Furtick and Randy Garn both say it is more than a contract.

Where does Jesus talk about marriage?

Dave Willis points to Matthew 19:5-6, where Jesus describes one man and one woman becoming one flesh. Randy Garn cites the same teaching: what God joins, no one should separate.

What does the Bible say about staying married through hard times?

Hope Carpenter says the covenant is what keeps you when every instinct says run. Steven Furtick says both people have to keep giving when they feel like taking.

The bottom line

All four describe marriage as a covenant meant to last. For a question about your own marriage, Dave Willis teaches on it, and Hope Carpenter speaks from hers.

How this page was made

We asked this question to pastors on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own writing, talks and interviews, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked .

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