Articles
The Mystery of Marriage and the Church
What was God’s purpose in creating marriage?
The story of the first marriage in Genesis 2:18-25 shows that God created marriage to meet at least two of mankind’s needs. First, companionship. God saw that Adam was alone, and for the first time in the creation account, he declared something was “not good.” So God formed the woman from the man’s rib so he would have a helper, a complement companion, with whom to share life and its experiences.
God also created marriage for procreation. After creating man (humanity) in his image, male and female, he declared to them, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:27-28). This is why the Bible opposes sins such as transgenderism and homosexuality, because they oppose our fundamental nature. God made us either male or female, each gender having its unique purpose and equally bearing the dignity of God’s image, so that we may fulfill our divine task to fill the earth and subdue it.
But Genesis tells only part of the story. It isn’t until much later in the Bible that we learn marriage isn’t merely for meeting the human need for partnership, sexual pleasure, or procreation, but to fulfill God’s eternal purpose in Christ. In Ephesians 5:31-32 Paul writes (quoting, then commenting on, Genesis 2:24): “’For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
These are astonishing words that connect Jesus and his church (us!) to the very beginning of the world and God’s creative work. Consider the perspective this gives us when reading Genesis. Even before Genesis 3:15 (the first promise in the Bible of Jesus’ coming), God created marriage to teach us something about Jesus and his bride, the church – even before sin entered the world!
When we view marriage as a model of Christ’s relationship with the church, it gives us a greater perspective of our responsibilities and purpose in our own marriages. In Ephesians 5:22-33 says wives are to be subject to their husbands as the church is subject to its Lord, Christ. Likewise, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
However, this text is about more than how to live as husbands and wives. Christ did not give himself up merely so husbands would know how to treat their wives. Instead, he gave himself to bring us into a greater relationship with him, of which marriage is a foreshadowing. As I learn to love my wife better, I also learn how Christ loves me as a part of his body. And this is what God wants me to come to understand more than anything (Eph. 3:18-19).
As beautiful as it can be, marriage is not the greatest relationship we can have. As the most intimate of earthly relationships, it is only a model of Christ’s spiritual relationship with the church. The purpose of marriage is not to meet all our physical and emotional needs, but to draw us closer to Christ. Gary Thomas' book Sacred Marriage has this as its subtitle: "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more that to make us happy?" Good question!
One important implication is that marriage (according to Jesus in Matt. 22:30) is only temporary, whereas Christ’s relationship with the church is eternal. Just as the physical temple was made obsolete when Christ made us his temple, so marriage will become obsolete in heaven. This can be a frightening thing to us if our ultimate happiness is dependent on our spouse. Have you ever wondered, “How will I be happy in heaven if I’m not married to my best friend? Won’t I feel like I’m missing something?” On the contrary, Christ, not our spouses, is our ultimate joy and passion. And heaven is wonderful simply because we will be with him forever.
Ironically, this also helps us understand singleness. Unfortunately, our culture has placed marriage on a pedestal to the extent that most people are expected to marry at some time in their lives. This can be a source of constant frustration for those that are single, either by choice or circumstance. If this is you, know that you have a greater purpose in life than to get married. Seek it in Christ.
What was God’s purpose in creating marriage? So that we can all, whether married or single, be the bride of Christ – glorious, holy, and blameless.
