A Purpose Driven Marriage

I once heard a fellow believer contend that the institution of marriage was a system cleverly concocted by the government as a means of monitoring the finances of the masses, through the disguise of taxation. As he went on to explain this ideology, the entire rationalization of this ‘insightful’ notion resonated like a bad scene from the 1997 Mel Gibson movie, “Conspiracy Theory.” To consider such a notion completely discounts the biblically sound fact that marriage was established by God Himself at the very beginning of man’s creation. So, contrary to this believer’s faulty philosophy, marriage was not culturally designed for man’s convenience or governmental benefit; it was divinely instituted by God to establish a covenantal relationship between the husband and wife and Himself.

God's Plan

Societal norms have created a false notion that marriage is primarily for the purpose of procreating, legitimizing physical intimacy, or affirming the affection one has for their partner. However, biblically speaking, marriage is not simply about mating or showing love; nor is it a means of obtaining limitless, guiltless, sex. Marriage, according to God’s sacred design, was established to:

1. eliminate man’s loneliness (“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” ~ Genesis 2:18 [NIV]),

2. enhance mankind’s capability to rule (“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule… I will make him a helper…” ~ Genesis 1:26; 2:18 [NASB]), and

3. establish God-centered families, raising God-fearing children, who will partner with Him to build a God-focused nation (“God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.’” ~ Genesis 1:28 [NKJ]) (“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” ~ Matthew 28:19,20)

Per scripture, God fashioned this Holy covenant to provide man with companionship and to aid in his ability to rule, expand, and conquer. Marriage gives each partner the necessary support that is essential to carrying out His overall plan for their lives. Such a union serves to assist in personal and spiritual development, and to strengthen each person’s capacity to complete their God ordained task to “multiply” and “subdue.”

Companionship: The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18 [NIV])

For all that God created, He said of it, “It is good.” It was not until He spoke of Adam’s lack of companionship, that He said, “It is not good.” God identified and acknowledged Adam’s need for a mate… someone who would be suitable for him. The beauty of it is that in Adam’s definitive need, God demonstrated that no commonplace ‘help meet’ would do. Scripture tells us that God “formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man… but {still} for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:19, 20 [NASB]). When God said that He would make Adam a “suitable” helper, it implied that Adam’s helpmeet wasn’t to be any old ordinary helper, but an extraordinary one, suited specifically for him… to meet his needs. Adam confirmed this truth when, upon receiving Eve, he exclaimed, “At last!... This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” (Gen. 2:23 [NLT]) Adam, no doubt, recognized that ‘woman’ was his perfect helper. God had created her to be uniquely distinct but still a suitable completion to man.

Rulership: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule… I will make him a helper…” (Genesis 1:26; 2:18 [NASB])

God’s initial instructions to man were to reproduce, increase in number, take control of the earth, and manage it. He tells Adam, in Genesis 1:28, to “Be fruitful and multiply (reproduce); fill the earth (increase in number) and subdue it (conquer/take control of it).” He further instructs him to “rule over (manage) the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky, and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”[NIV] From the very beginning of our creation, God gave us His instructions for, and the authority to govern the world. He first gave these directives in His instructions to Adam (Gen. 1:28, 2:16-17), secondly when He gave His laws to Moses (Exod. 20:1-17), and finally when He gave His principles through Christ Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49). Mankind’s responsibility has always been clear: to increase in number, to rule, and to govern. God, however, recognized that man was incapable of completing this daunting task alone. As such, He provided him with a helper.

And it is certainly undeniable that Adam was in need of an assistant; otherwise, God would not have deemed it necessary to create him one. In this respect, marriage was created to provide man with a partner to aid him in his efforts to carry out the charge that God had given. Therefore, Eve was never created to simply be Adam’s physical partner for procreation, but to aid him in his ability to rule over the domain in which God had placed him.

Expand & Conquer: God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.”