- Companionship: God did not want Adam to be alone or lonely. [And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Gen.2:18)] Though every creature had a mate, Adam did not. So God created Eve to be Adam's help meet and friend forever.
- Raising of children: "Be fruitful and multiply;" (Gen 1:28) was God's command to Adam and Eve. He has equipped us with all the resources we need to to procreate and raise children for His glory.
- Intimacy: They say intimacy spells "into+me+see!" That's true. In Genesis 2:24, we see that God purposed for a man to be joined to his wife (not his girlfriend or his fiancee or his 'boyfriend') and become one flesh. Such joining and becoming one flesh was only to be within the confines of a Biblical marriage covenant. But it doesn't stop at that. Intimacy also means you share your deep fears, joys and traumas with your spouse. Marriage allows you to be intimate in every sphere of life, while at the same time giving a healthy space of solitude to your spouse.
- Security: In live-in relationships, there is no legal security. You cannot force your partner to co-habit with you. But when you truly love your chosen life partner, you want to give and receive a sense of security, that your bonding will be life-long. Only marriage can provide that. God knew we would need this security and so created the institution of marriage.
God is truly amazing, isn't He! He cares so much for us - for our physical, emotional, biological, social and spiritual needs. And He's given us everything we will ever need to meet these needs. He's truly Jehovah-jireh!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
4 Purposes of Marriage
Carrying on from the previous post, marriage can be said to have 4 chief purposes. They apply to us today as much as they applied to Adam and Eve thousands of years ago!
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you have mentioned sir that god knew that we would need security and hence institution of marriage was created. may be you are right but then how come some one like mother teresa who was unmarried and yet did not need security but infact gave shelter and security to millions worldwide. even jains relinquish worldly life and chose to stay single in pursuit of god. and can one honestly say that those who are married are really loyal to each other. what you have mentioned is spot on but the unfortunate thing is most people are so vulnerable to cheating
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving your comment.
ReplyDeleteI understand your point. Actually, one of the writers of the Bible (the apostle Paul), said, "But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better."
We see from the above verses each person has a calling - either to get married (in most cases) or to stay a virgin. Mother Teresa probably had a calling for the poor and the needy. Maybe God gave her the strength to overcome the passions of youth and lead a sacrificial life. Jains do likewise, but it is with their own will power. The Bible teaches us not to fall back upon our own strength - rather, to lean on God to take care of us, as He has created us and knows our needs.
Also, those who cheat in marriage act against the commandments of God - "thou shall not commit adultery." They have to face judgement - whether in this life or in the hereinafter (post-death). They can escape judgement only if they repent and correct their behaviour before they die. The Bible also commands us not to "defile the marriage bed." So if you are really a born-again Christian, you would definitely obey God and be faithful to your spouse.
The Bible has 8000 promises for us. If you read it with an open heart and mind, you will realise that it has life. God Himself speaks to you through the Bible.
In our Bible study the other day, my wife mentioned that being married really helps her understand more and more about being a Christian. For it's not always easy, sometimes other things do get in the way, communication is huge, you learn to forgive, submit, work together, and love unconditionally, you practice commitment, loyalty, and devotion, intimacy, (and so many more reasons, too).
ReplyDeleteJust more reasons why I continue to say, "Marriage is a God-thing".
Hey Kitoomal, I'd like to invite you to check out my new site. It's called "Dear Pastor Andy" (http://dearpastorandy.blogspot.com/) and is Christian Apologetics based with a Q&A format. I really think you'll like it.