God made man in the image of himself… male and female he created them

In the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God made man in the image of himself… male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it.” (Gen 1:27) That’s the very first commandment that God gives to man.

In the second chapter of Genesis, we see a second account of the creation story, which focuses on how man and woman are equals (since woman was taken from a rib (side) of man), and yet they are different because of complementarity. And this is where it is first said: “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body.” (Gen 2:24)

We can see from both accounts of the creation that God’s plan for the world centres on man, and God instituted marriage for the good of man. The primary reasons for marriage are for man and woman to be:

1. To be fruitful and to multiply

2. To be helpmates for each other, and to join and be one body

Thus comes the teaching of the Church:

The matrimonial convenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership for the whole of life, is by its nature ordered towards the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.”

- Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1601

Hence according to Catholic teaching, marriage has to be:

1. Between a man and a woman only

2. A partnership for the whole of life

3. Ordered towards the good of the spouses

4. For procreation and education of offspring

When God sent His Son Jesus Christ, Christ frequently made reference to this marriage that God instituted for humans, since Jesus too was human. In response to the question of divorce raised by the Pharisees, Jesus said that it was not this way in the beginning, but that “man must leave father and mother and cling to his wife”, and what God has joined, men must not divide. (Mt 19:5)

Christ himself gave his body and his life to the Church, which is His Bride. Without the understanding of marriage between a man and a woman, we cannot understand what Christ’s sacrifice means, and more importantly, we are changing the image of God.

For God made us humans male and female in his own image. Husbands are called to love their wives just as Christ loved his Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy (Eph 5:25). This is why Christ came to fulfil the Law, and to reveal to us who God is.

God is Love - which is the decision to give ourselves totally to another in a faithful and fruitful way. Christ demonstrated by His example and calls us to follow His example.

In a nutshell, this explains much of what the Church teaches about marriage and sex. Church laws, while man-made, are made to protect and uphold what God has given to us for our own good (ordered for the good of the spouses). The following table shows why the Church is against what the world accepts:

Church Teaching on God-given Marriage	Hence the Church forbids
Between a man and woman only	Homosexual unions
A partnership for the whole of life	Divorce and remarriage
For procreation and education of offspring	Contraceptive sex

Contraceptive sex includes all forms of sexual acts that are not open to the transmission of life, such as oral sex, anal sex, and masturbation.

Even sexual intercourse between a man and a woman is itself is protected by Church law, and is to be used only within a valid marriage. Hence pre-marital sex, extra marital sex, prostitution, and fornication are all forbidden by the Church.

It all comes back to that one thing - upholding and protecting the sacredness of marriage, which is not man-made but God-given. It was given so that man (which includes both men and women, since we are made in the image of God) could be like God, who is Love.

To challenge the definition of marriage is to change the image of God. It is to render meaningless of Christ’s sacrificial gift of Himself to the Church. It is to put a stumbling block between Man and God. It is to frustrate our capacity to be what God created us to be.

This is why it is said that those who promote acts such as oral sex, anal sex, masturbation, contraception, gay marriage, etc, are attacking Christianity. These attack the very fundamental spousal relationship of Christ and His Church. For if it is perceived that Christ is not married to the Church, then it is perceived that Christ has come in vain, and we are still in our sins. ( 1 Cor 15:18 )

But the truth is that Christ did die and He was raised from the dead, the first-fruits of the marriage between Christ and His Church (1 Cor 15:20). This is the truth that Satan and his agents want to keep us from seeing and believing in. Ultimately then, this is Satan’s goal - to keep us in our sins, and to frustrate the reconciliation between God and man.

It is a spiritual battle that takes form in the ongoing battle in our society today - for and against life. This life means more than simply the birth of a person, but the eternal life that God has offered to each of us. As with all spiritual battles, it takes more than reason to win this fight. A most important element is that of prayer, and who is the best person we can turn to in prayer?

“Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?” (Song 6:10)

She is the woman who represents us, the Church, the bridegroom of Christ. She is the new Eve.

Related articles:

- Contraception and the Family - The immorality of contraception and its effects on family life

- Pope Calls For a Return to Creator’s Design

- Flaws in the pro-gay position

- Gay Marriage (a Catholic.com special report)

- What do Catholics believe about Mary?

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