Vol 92 Issue 14

Rev. Griess is pastor of the Calvary Protestant Reformed Church in Hull, Iowa. He and Lael have been married for 9 years and have 5 children. God calls the Reformed husband and wife to bear children. Just as marriage is a creation ordinance, so God’s calling to bear children is a creation ordinance. Strikingly, the first thing God says after He creates the woman for the man is that together in their marriage they must bear children: “Be fruitful, and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). This command necessitates a link between marital intimacy and the begetting of children if God in His...

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. He and his wife will be married 40 years in November, D.V. A wedding reception is a joyful celebration of the union of a man and a woman as husband and wife. It is a celebration in which family, friends, and acquaintances are given opportunity to rejoice with them that rejoice (Rom. 12:15). That such marriage celebrations have a place in the life of the Christian is evident from the references in the Bible to various wedding feasts, including the one in Cana of Galilee attended by our...

Prof. Gritters is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. He and his wife Lori have been married for 37 years. The Protestant Reformed Churches’ “Form for the Confirmation of Marriage Before the Church” was originally drafted and adopted by official decision to be used in all weddings. Today it is not always used in PRC weddings. When Protestant Reformed young men and women marry, some ministers modify and re-word the form; some use other forms. These ministers are not disobeying any church regulations, and this introductory paragraph is not criticism of them. But the story behind the...

Prof. Cammenga is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament Studies in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. He and Rhonda have been married for 41 years. Introduction It was the most unforgettable day of our lives, up to that point. The reason was not that it was the hottest day of July in decades—although it was sweltering! No air conditioning back in that day either. It was not a very nice day to be sitting in church for a wedding. But that did not matter to us because we were getting married! After more than three years, innumerable dates, hours and hours...

Mr. and Mrs. Pastoor are members of the Faith Protestant Reformed Church in Jenison, Michigan, where Howard also serves as elder. They have been married for 37 years. God-fearing parents love their children and rejoice when they walk in the truth, marry in the Lord, and bring their children up in His fear. They rejoice when the marriages of their children are built upon the Rock, Jesus Christ; when they live together in love, unity, and peace and reflect the beautiful and mysterious marriage of Christ and His bride, the church. They rejoice, because they know in their hearts and...

Rev. Eriks and his wife Jen learned about dating through their own struggles and mistakes, and are still learning as they guide their own children. They have been married for 20 years. While parents may dread the day their children begin dating, often young people cannot wait to jump in with both feet. Parents may dread it because they know the temptations, stress, and heartaches that may come for their children when they date. We want our children to marry one day, if God wills, but to arrive at this destination unwounded by sin and heartache is not easy. Young...

Prof. Dykstra and his wife Carol have been married for 43 years. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:22-24 The godly marriage is an inestimable blessing. This is not only the personal experience of God’s...

We have been planning a special issue on a Reformed Marriage for a long time now, and are very pleased to mail this issue to you this Spring. We think you will be edified by it. You will notice immediately that most of the articles are co-authored, that is, written by husband and wife teams. It was evident to us that when it comes to marriages and weddings, the women often have a great deal to say, and rightly so. We take opportunity here to thank the women who participated, as well as the long-time elder and his wife for...

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32 Paul has just instructed husbands and wives how they are to behave toward each other in marriage. Wives are to submit to their husbands in all things, even as the church submits to Christ. Husbands are to love their wives, even as Christ loves His church. In that connection, Paul explains the great love that Christ has for His church....