What is the purpose of marriage? For some, the purpose of marriage is companionship, to find someone to spend life with. For others, the purpose of marriage is to find someone to support and care for. Scripture teaches that the purpose of marriage extends even beyond these things. Godly marriages, according to Scripture, are meant to show a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church.
Paul addresses the purpose of marriage in Ephesians 5. In this passage of Scripture, he says that marriage is “an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Biblical marriage gives the world a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church. You see, when marriages are healthy, they point others to Christ and His love for His people. As husbands and wives submit to each other and respect each other, those watching get a glimpse of how Christ loves them. Christ spared nothing to save the church; He even gave up His own life. When those watching see Christians demonstrating that kind of love and respect for spouses, the world stops and gets a small glimpse of Christ’s love. This is the purpose of marriage: to point people to Christ.
When was the last time you reminded yourself that the purpose of a godly marriage is to point others to Christ? If you are married, do you find yourself only thinking of how marriage can benefit you and meet your needs, or do you seek, above all else, to love and serve your spouse? Is your focus on pointing the people around you to Christ through your marriage? If you are single, this is a good time to do a pulse check: do you expect marriage to be for your benefit, or do you expect marriage to be for Christ’s benefit? Do you live with the mindset of serving others around you instead of yourself? Some of us may need to have a perspective shift and remember what Scripture teaches about marriage. When we shift our perspective and gain a picture of the purpose of marriage, knowing that it is not about us, then our marriages and all of our relationships will change drastically and will more clearly reflect Christ to the rest of the world.
Marriage is a picture of just how much Christ loves the church. He loves each one of us so deeply that He laid His own life down to rescue us from sin. Take time this weekend to attend one of our weekend services to worship Christ. Thank Him for His love for the church, and declare how much you love Him, too. Let His love lead you to show love to the people He has placed in your life, especially your spouse.
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
41 Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “He is the son of David.”
43 Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’
45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
46 No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
