Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
It’s that time of year when Valentine’s are passed around, and we have the opportunity to lavish a little extra love on our special someone. This Valentine’s season, my question for all my married friends out there is this:
Would you like to have a Christian marriage that overflows with greater joy and happiness?
Then having an understanding of why God created marriage, and his purposes for it, is the place to start. Colossians 1:16-17 says, “All things were created by Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together.”
If you want to really understand why something was invented then it’s a good idea to ask the inventor. So what better way to understand the purpose of Christian marriage than to ask God?
A deep study of marriage in the bible reveals that God created it for three main reasons:
- As we all know, God created us in His own image (Gen. 1:26-27). However, most Christians fail to realize that God intended for us to bear His image even within marriage. To do this, we must demonstrate love and faithfulness to one another just as God does with us. God’s covenant with his people is similar to the covenant that Christian wives and husbands have with one another. A happy Christian marriage should be a marriage in which love and faithfulness are demonstrated and reflected.
- God created marriage to meet our needs, including the need for food, shelter, clothing, love, acceptance, and intimacy. Just as God provides for his people, spouses are to provide for one another in marriage – to meet each other’s needs. When you consider the concept of God and marriage, you realize that Christian marriage is a place where God’s unconditional love abides. God wants marriage to be a haven of trust, belonging, and hope. It is a place where husbands and wives are to experience God’s everlasting love through one another.
- God created marriage to expand his kingdom and accomplish his work on earth. In Genesis 1:28, God commanded man and woman to “go forth, multiply, be fruitful, and have dominion over the earth.” Marriage isn’t just to benefit the husband and wife. A Christian marriage, a marriage in which God is present, is to be a blessing – to make the world a better place. God created marriage. In Genesis 2:24, God said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh.” When God’s love unites the separate hearts of a man and woman into one heart, a new life is created that is filled with awe, wonder, and profound bliss.
If you want your Christian marriage to overflow with greater joy and happiness, then let it be a haven where God’s unconditional love and faithfulness are demonstrated and reflected; let it be a place where needs are satisfied and met; and let your Christian marriage be a force for good – a blessing – to the world.
