To many people marriage is a chore, but God says marriage is a blessing. It's hard work, it's a commitment and it's a discipline, but it's a blessing nonetheless. The marriage of a husband to his wife is compared to the love Christ has for the church, which tells us just how important marriage is to God.
Today immorality and infidelity appear to be on the rise, with many among us apparently having forgotten the blessing that God has given us in marriage. The Normal Bar statistics show that 33 percent of men and 19 percent of women admitted to being unfaithful when they were polled. To battle the effects of immorality and infidelity, we must remember why God brought us marriage. This will help us understand and appreciate the gift of marriage.
Genesis 2:18 tells us, "Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." From the very first account of marriage, we can learn three of the major purposes marriages serve.
God's glory | It brought Him honour
When God created everything, He called them good because He created them good. The premise of the goodness of all creation tells us that God's intention was that He was proud of what He created because it brought Him honour. And then He saw man in His loneliness and it did not bring Him glory.
So God created woman to be with man so that in their marriage, He would be honoured. Jesus also paid the ultimate price to wipe away sexual immorality so that God would once again be honoured by marriage if we surrender it to Him.
Companionship | 'that the man should not be alone'
The first thing that displeased God was not man's sin; it was man's loneliness. This comes to show how God values relationship and companionship. While marriage is not the only form of companionship and while those called to be celibate aren't called to loneliness, God gives marriage as a free gift to all to experience the joy of companionship in marriage.
Service | '...a helper fit for him'
A marriage is created first and foremost for service, not of one's needs or the needs of our partner, but of the needs and purposes of God. Our husband or wife is our number one cheerleader, supporter and partner in fulfilling God's purpose for our life. The word "helper" does not mean subordination but partnership, that the woman would help man meet God's purpose, not his own agenda.
Understanding these three purposes that God has for marriage will show us the value there is to marriage and how Jesus paid the price to redeem it so that we would walk not in indulgence but in the fulfilment of God's reasons for creating marriage.
