by David Gibson<\/p>\n
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD<\/em>” (Proverbs 18:22 NASB).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Why marry?<\/h2>\n
The Bible offers two options: 1) being married or 2) remaining single. Each has its own advantages (I Corinthians 7). Whether to marry is an individual decision.<\/p>\n
Peter, for example, was married; Paul was not. There’s a place for both in God’s kingdom. But if we choose to marry, we need to understand God’s purposes for the marriage relationship.<\/p>\n
Purpose #1: Procreation<\/h2>\n
“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD<\/em> . . .” (Psalm 127:3).<\/p>\n
The sexual union as God made it is good (Genesis 1:27-28, 31). He created sex to be enjoyed by a husband and wife within the covenant of marriage.<\/p>\n
No other sexual relationship has His blessing (Hebrews 13:4).<\/p>\n
Purpose #2: Companionship<\/h2>\n
Before God formed Eve, He said of Adam, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him<\/em>” (Genesis 2:18). And He did!<\/p>\n
God made males and females different from one another biologically, emotionally, etc. Each brings something unique to the relationship.<\/p>\n
Purpose #3: Nurturing Children<\/h2>\n
Although many single moms and dads are wonderful parents, children thrive best when they have two parents who model and teach God’s word (Proverbs 6:20). Both boys and girls need the complementary, synergistic male\/female influence of both parents.<\/p>\n
Purpose #4: Avoiding Temptation<\/h2>\n
Paul distinguishes between those who have a gift for remaining single and those who would do better to marry (I Corinthians 7:7-9).<\/p>\n
“… because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband<\/em>” (I Corinthains 7:2).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A couple should not deprive one another of intercourse, “except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control<\/em>” (I Corinthians 7:3-5).<\/p>\n
Since God designed intercourse exclusively for marriage, it serves as the only legitimate means of satisfying sexual desires. Therefore, the frequency of intercourse helps prevent immorality.<\/p>\n
God’s Plan<\/h2>\n
When we honor and observe God’s design for marriage, we will be blessed. God truly wants us to enjoy happy, lasting marriages. And we can. He has told us how.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by David Gibson “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (Proverbs 18:22 NASB). Why marry? The Bible offers two options: 1) being married or 2) remaining single. Each has its own advantages (I Corinthians 7). Whether to marry is an individual decision. Peter, for example, was married;…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64],"class_list":["post-95423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-marriage"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":95423,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? Answer: Registering for the draft is a government law that does not violate any teaching of God. \"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1296,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-boy-girl-relationships-not-advisable-at-a-young-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":95423,"position":1},"title":"Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age Answer: Youth is a time of impatient desires. They want the things available to adults, but adulthood seems so far away. The typical teenage boy enters puberty around the age of 11. 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Hamilton Text: Job 19:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Each week the paper publishes its list of top selling books \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes the books are biographies, fictional stories, or fiction placed in historical settings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They hope that others will also purchase the books, if for no other reason than curiosity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many author\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-passages-that-refer-to-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":95423,"position":5},"title":"Are there passages that refer to THE Lord’s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have been studying the Lord's supper issues and one of our main concerns is about a second offering in which only a few partake, for the reasons you listed in your article (not doing it together). 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