Today is my 25th anniversary! I can honestly say that it has been the best 25 years of my life and I thank God every day for giving me a godly, wonderful, intelligent, beautiful wife who loves and respects me, and sacrifices herself to take care of her family. Our oldest daughter got married just over a month ago, so between that and our 25th anniversary, it seemed fitting to write some brief thoughts about marriage.
What is the purpose of marriage? God created marriage (see Genesis 2:18-25), and ultimately, everything God created is for the primary purpose of glorifying Him. We find in God’s Word that marriage is a tool that God uses for at least three purposes: sanctification, illustration and procreation.
Sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which God in His free grace makes us holy. God uses marriage to sanctify us; to make us more like Him. Ephesians 5:25-27 says “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
Illustration. An illustration is an image or an example. God gave marriage as a living illustration of the relationship between Christ and His church. Ephesians 5:31-32: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” A husband properly loving his wife is an illustration of how Christ sacrificially loves His church, and a wife properly submitting to her husband is an illustration of how the church submits to Christ’s Lordship.
Procreation. Procreation is having kids. The first command God issued to mankind after creation was to “be fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:28). In Malachi 2:15 we read “Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.” Having kids is a purpose of marriage but it is not merely numbers of kids because you can have kids who are not godly - more specifically the procreation of “godly offspring” is a purpose of marriage.
Marriage is not always easy but like most things in life, the more effort you put into it, the greater the rewards you will reap from your marriage. A good marriage is the most delightful relationship we can have on this earth and can fulfill God’s intended purpose for marriage.
We thank God that our oldest daughter married a godly man and we pray that God will bless them and their marriage as they seek Him together. And we look forward to the next 25 years (God willing) of marriage together, praying that our relationship will continue to deepen and grow. I love you Missy!
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