Why Should We Get Married?

I think too often we — whether singles, Christians, whatever — tend to “tag along” with ideas without asking any questions Certain ideas and ways of doing things have just become the status quo. We blindly adopt the “if they’re doing it, I probably should too” ideology.

I would categorize marriage as one of those things. We never really examine if it’s something that’s for us. Instead we just assume it’s the natural next step and right and we fall right in line.

Do we get married because we have legitimate, real reasons, or do we do it just because that’s what society, and especially the church, tell us that we should do? If you get down to the heart of the matter, almost everything that one could do inside a marriage, could also be done outside of a marriage, whether in a committed partnership, or in some cases, just a “regular” relationship.

Having and raising children, for example, while best done with a husband and wife, can also be carried out as long as two loving parents are equally involved in the lives of their children. And with the divorce rate being as high as it is and single parenting being so common, the idea that you have to be married to successfully raise a child can easily be thrown out the window.

Getting married for sex is popular among Christians. While that may not be the only reason, for those Christians who have committed to abstaining from sex while they’re single, you had best believe that thought has crossed their minds as the wedding day approaches. But here again we find something that can be easily accomplished outside of a marriage. It may not be Godly, but it can be done.

These are just two aspects of married life. There’s also the love, support, and companionship that is shared between the husband and a wife. In addition there are countless other things that are crucial to having a healthy, Godly marriage. Yet, honestly, I don’t know that I can come up with one thing that can only be accomplished inside a marriage.

However, that’s a very worldly mindset to have, don’t you agree? God did create marriage. He created it in order that we might perpetuate a Godly legacy through our families and saw that the marriage would be the best means of coming to that end. He did create man and woman to be monogamous, despite what current events and common human behaviors might tell you. We know that a three stranded cord is not easily broken. When those three strands are composed of God, a man, and a woman, each committed to the other wholeheartedly, there is a bond, a covenant that is formed that cannot be broken. That bond is marriage.

There are undoubtedly many singles who have done, and are doing, great things for God. Yet there are special callings and purposes that God has given a married couple as well. They’re things that often cannot be achieved by just one person, but rather require the partnership of marriage in order to fulfill.

So here’s my question for you: why do you want to get married? What purpose or fulfillment would it add to your life that you would not otherwise have? What things do you feel can only be realized within the context of a marriage?

[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his personal blog and follow him on Twitter]

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