By the mercy and grace of God, my husband and I are back after a long break—praise God! We want to thank everyone who kept us in their prayers during our time away. This break was much needed for both of us.

Without further ado, let’s pick up right where we left off. As you may recall, we’re currently working on a series titled “Marriage is Spiritual.” Rather than taking up too much of your time with a detailed review of what we’ve discussed so far, we encourage you to quickly scroll down to revisit the previous discussion points yourself.

We took some time to explain why marriage is spiritual. If we assert that marriage is spiritual for all the biblical reasons—such as its establishment by God, who is Spirit, and its purpose being primarily for God’s glory and our benefit as humans—we can confidently and logically conclude the following: The two individuals in the institution of marriage, the husband and wife, must be spiritual people for God’s plan to be fulfilled in their union. Without this, the twin purposes of marriage—the glory of God and the good of humanity—cannot be realized in that particular marriage.

Before we move on to our main points, let’s define some terms. What does the phrase “spiritual people” mean? While many may offer varying definitions, we choose to define it biblically as follows: “Spiritual people” are those who strive to live according to the Word of God.

People who attend church regularly, frequently talk about God, carry a Bible wherever they go, call God’s name constantly, or serve tirelessly in the church cannot automatically be considered spiritual people according to Scripture. True spiritual people, before taking any step in life, always ask themselves, “What does the whole counsel of God say about this?” Their primary concern is the will of God, which can only be understood through reading and studying God’s Word and they strive to live according to the word of God.

A common tendency among Christians today is quietly listening to their own ‘self’ and concluding that whatever ‘self’ suggests must be from God, as long as it feels good. This approach is entirely wrong and dangerous, as the Bible clearly warns us about the nature of our hearts, our ‘self’:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV)

Did you catch that? Looking inward to ourselves for truth is a tragic mistake in light of the verse above. We must not let “our heart” guide our lives, because our hearts, corrupted by original sin (Adam’s sin), are “sick and beyond cure” (NIV). If we rely on our hearts, thoughts, feelings, emotions and opinions, we walk in darkness. This is why David declared, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, ESV). Why? Without the Word of God, we are all stumbling through this dark world, and the consequences of walking in darkness are always predictable.

Another common tendency among Christians is focusing on “doing things” to gain an acceptable life before God, rather than seeking His will and Word in the Bible and striving to live according to it. People often ask, “What should I do in my marriage to make it peaceful and beautiful?” Or, “Tell me the seven steps I need to follow daily to achieve a blissful marriage.” Sometimes, their questions seem to echo this sentiment: “How can I take control of my own life without offending God?”

This mindset, like the one previously mentioned, is both flawed and dangerous. No set of seven or ten steps can produce a life that truly brings glory to God. And anything that fails to glorify God cannot ultimately be good for us, as God has intrinsically linked His glory with the good of humanity in His design.

Spiritual people do not focus on their feelings, emotions, or following “bulletproof seven steps to secure a peaceful and joyful marriage”—a title that might easily become a bestseller in today’s bookstores. Instead, their priority is understanding what the Bible says about marriage and evaluating whether their marriage, or life in general, aligns with God’s Word. If it does not, their efforts center on shaping their marriage to conform to Scripture. The “mold” they place before them is the Word of God, and it is not God’s Word that must be reshaped to fit their lives, but rather their own lives and lifestyles that must be molded to fit the Word.

If married couples are not spiritual people, they pay little attention to what the Word of God says. So, how do they navigate their marriage? They rely on their feelings, emotions, and what is commonly accepted by society, culture, and tradition. While such a marriage may avoid divorce, it cannot escape the curse of humanity, which inevitably leads to pain and suffering. Left to their own devices, humanity remains under the curse pronounced after the fall in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). However, when a married couple strives to live according to God’s Word, their marriage brings glory to God and provides peace and joy to the couple, fulfilling God’s design for marriage.

Everyone is free to live their life as they choose, but for those who desire to live their life and marriage as God has ordained, there is only one way: by being spiritual people. This means making Jesus Christ and His Word the ultimate authority and King over their lives and marriages. . . . cont’d ///