We continue our discourse today on the reasons why God created marriage. Last week, we affirmed that where the purpose is not known, abnormal use is inevitable. Our understanding of these reasons will help us demystify any confusion around the institution of marriage and equip ourselves with the principles that guarantee the staying power needed to walk through marital storms.
 
Other biblical reasons for marriage include:
• Raising offspring: Marriage is not just to produce children, but also to raise them as arrows and good stewards for the Lord. “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors” Deuteronomy 11:18-21, Psalm 22:30.
 
• Demonstrate Christ symbolic marriage to the Church: Ephesians 5:22-33 makes it clear that marriages are meant to reflect the wonderful love relationship between Jesus and His church. The instruction for the husband is to love his wife and the wife to equally honour her husband is to demonstrate Christ’s symbolic marriage to his bride, the Church. This love is sacrificial in principle and practice.
 
• Establishment of the building block of society: Throughout the Bible, we see that the family is the basic unit and building block of society. Families who were willing to fight for and preserve their society executed the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. Jesus was raised in a relatively stable family. A weak family suggests spiritual, mental, social, educational, moral, economic, and criminal decadence. When families are well nurtured, Ephesians 6:4 holds the promise of long life. Colossians 3:17 stresses that the purpose of all we do in life is to glorify God, and may He be glorified daily in your marriage and family (Acts 16:33, Exodus 20:12).
 
• To establish biblical marriage model: Marriage works better when we build on the manufacturer’s manual. A long-lasting marriage is not determined by chance, circumstances, or plain old luck. A good marriage is not just a promise; rather, it requires continuous dedication to hard work, nurturing each other in love, (Ephesians 5:31-33).
Ayo Daniels is a healthy family passionate who writes from Lagos. We will love to hear from you @ [email protected]