The purpose of marriage
The purpose of marriage (1) - Glory to God
The purpose of marriage, of course, is to glorify God. How should we glorify God through our marriage? We can glorify God by living a marriage life of helpful companionship. The first purpose of marriage is the need for helpful companionship (Douglas Wilson).
In the United States, there was a lot noisy due to legal debate about gay marriage. Although we Christians do not understand how some people were trying to legalize same-sex marriage, but I am sure in their perspective, they believed that it was right for them to promote it. It is a pity, but now it seems to me that it is time to say that marriage of "men and women" is to glorifying God. It is also surprising that we face the age in which when a man and a woman are glorifying God by becoming "one flesh" in the Lord. Why is it glorifying God in that we are legally married and make one flesh and one family in the Lord? One of the reasons is because there are many people who have contract marriage nowadays and if there are differences in personality, they can break up the contract. So, it seems to be common that many young people living together and get married because the young women are pregnant. Not only that, since there are many gay and lesbian marriage, it is glorifying God when a man and a woman are married and make one flesh and one family in the Lord.
The Christian young people in this time must have a clear purpose of marriage, why they get married and for what reason or purpose. They should not marry just because they are getting old and people around them are getting married. They should marry with God’s given clear purpose of marriage. Of course, no one will have no purpose of marriage. I am sure everybody has purpose of their own marriage. The people marry in order to make a beautiful home, or to pursue happiness. But the important thing is not what our purpose is, the purposes of the people around us are, or the purposes of the people in this world are. The most important thing is the God’s purpose for our marriage. We, as children of God, need to struggle with this and cry out to God for understanding and conviction of god’s will and purpose of marriage. This struggle and prayers to God will be harder for us after we get married because it’s more challenging to live and build the strong God’s purpose driven marital relationship. The reason is that it is more difficult to walk the path of purpose when we have a family, especially after having children. The purpose, according to Genesis 2:18-24 and 1 Corinthians 11:9, is that God’s purpose of making a woman is for her to be a helper to Adam. The creation order says that the woman is created for the man. As a result, man and woman each have different orientations. The man needs help, while the woman needs to help.
This is what Douglas Wilson says, in his book "Reforming Marriage": “She is called to the work through ministering to him. He is oriented to the task, and she is oriented to him” (Wilson). But I do not know how many Christian women are aware of and preparing for the need to help their future husbands while thinking about God's marriage-purpose of the need for helpful companionship. I am sure there are women who are not married yet or who are already married may have thoughts that may be contrary to God's creation order of marriage. I wonder how many single women think “How can I help my future husband?’ and prepare their marriage. Maybe some of them expect their future husbands to help them and fill their needs instead of expecting God to fill their needs. One sad reality is that many women are not "man-oriented" but "work-oriented". Although it is beautiful that the women have their own vision, purpose, dreams and so forth, if they do not meet the vision of their future husbands and go their own way even after they marry, then I do not think they are not fulfilling the God’s given purpose or the divine calling. The problem is that men lack a vision. If the men live a life worthy of God's calling, they will lead their future spouses to the purpose that God has given them with one heart and one will. And as they move toward that purpose, the men will ask their women for help. And the women will help their men. They will try to see each other’s differences in God’s perspective and they will use their differences wisely to accomplish the God’s given goal of their marriage.
We must have the right purpose of marriage. God is not bringing a man and a woman to come together in marriage not just for them to love each and for their happiness. We must have a higher goal. We are the ones who are called by higher God. We must struggle to accomplish God’s purpose of our marriage with divine calling consciousness. God wants both man and woman to be one flesh and work together to accomplish God’s will and divine calling of marriage. As the couple helps each other, the husband must know that he needs help from his wife and the wife needs to help him.