The Good of Marriage
By Pastor Tom Anderson
God created marriage. (Genesis 2:24-25) It belongs to him. When we enter into marriage it is like responding to an invitation to build a house on someone else’s property. It is a gift to us. We receive the blessings of this gift and become caretakers of this gift. It is not ours to desecrate or waste.
Purposes of Marriage
The purpose of marriage is unity. (Matthew 19:6) The two become one. This oneness is expressed sexually, financially, emotionally and spiritually. True marriage involves a merging of lives so that we rejoice together and mourn together. We are two separate personalities but we strive to live a common life.
The purpose of marriage is nakedness—not just of body but of soul. (Genesis 2:25) This requires building a bond of trust so deep that we can live in complete honesty with one another.
The purpose of marriage is acceptance—we aim to reach that place with each other where we are not ashamed of our failures, weaknesses and deficiencies. We live in grace and forbearance.
The purpose of marriage is partnership. Eve was created from Adam’s rib not his foot bone. (Genesis 2:22) She should not be beneath him but at his side. The picture is of mutuality and partnership in life.
The purpose of marriage is procreation. (Genesis 1:28) Children are our greatest asset. They do best when they are brought into this world and nurtured by a mom and a dad who love each other and are committed to each other. This is God’s plan.
Enemies of marriage
Satan despises marriage. (John 10:10) He works to destroy it. He uses every temptation and every evil spirit he can find to create despair and division.
The world desecrates marriage by treating it as a mere consumer product. Its purpose is to benefit the customer and if it fails, the answer is always more shopping. (Romans 12:2)
Our sinful selves are the enemy of marriage. (Ephesians 4:22) S.I.N. stands for “Self-Interested Nature.” Obsessed with ourselves we find it difficult to submit to a cause greater than ourselves–like building a life together.
Benefits
Marriage will keep your love alive. Without the committed covenant of marriage, the love between a man and a woman goes out like a candle in the wind. In any human endeavor, committed behavior always out-performs uncommitted behavior (John 10:12). That is true in business, sports, finance and education. Without commitment love will fail.
Marriage is the school for Christian character. (Ephesians 4:15) Here is where you will learn to forgive and be forgiven, to turn the other cheek and to go a second mile. Here is where you will learn to practice patience, kindness, faith, hope, and endurance. Marriage is designed to make us holy.
Marriage is a witness to others of the reality of God’s love. (Isaiah 54:5) It unites two very different people in a relationship of love. It’s a living emblem of the relationship God wants to have with each of us in his church. People see the love of married couples, and it gives them hope.
