Marriage is a beautiful thing—a wonderful partnership that God created specifically for us, for His glory. We could go on and on about the benefits of marriage and all the ways we love it, but today we'd like to touch on the mission of marriage. Since God created it with a purpose, there's so much to uncover here on how He equips us to accomplish kingdom work here on earth through this union. You and your spouse are on a mission, whether you realize it or not, to grow together in faith, intimacy, and friendship, and to reflect the incredible love and grace that the Father has shown us. That's pretty special!
Today, we're sharing God's vision for marriage, as well as His roadmap for doing kingdom work together with our time here on earth. Let's get to it!
1. Marriage As a Calling
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." ~ Genesis 2:15-18
While there are indeed great, glorious plans God has for us through the calling of marriage, the first part of the mission is actually quite simple. When you look back to the Garden of Eden, we see God created Adam and placed him in the garden to "work and take care of it." In short, He gave Adam a project—a calling. When you think about it, this really is the foundation of any relationship. As John Mark Comer states in his book, Loveology, "All healthy marriages are built on a calling. Marriage is a means to an end. It exists for friendship but also to partner with God for the remaking of shalom (kingdom work)." We know where the story goes next. Adam was given a mission, but realized he was lonely, or more specifically, God realized he needed a helper. "I will make him a helper suitable for him," (Genesis 2:18). While this may sound derogatory in English, the word helper is ezer in Hebrew, which can be translated to partner. In short, Eve was created to come alongside Adam, who already was called to this mission, and to join him in his kingdom work.
This is the beauty of marriage. God crafted this unique union around one specific purpose—to do amazing things in the world together, for Him.
2. Marriage As Friendship
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” ~ Ephesians 5:25-27
Now that we've discussed the first mission of marriage, we can move on to the next thing God has for us in this partnership. As we mentioned earlier, Adam was given a project in the Garden of Eden, but not only that—he was lonely. God knew it wasn't good for him to be on his own, so He created Eve. When Adam sees Eve, he exclaims, "At last! This is the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!" Or as Timothy Keller points out in his book, The Meaning of Marriage, "The female speaker in Song of Solomon echoes Adam when she says, 'This is my lover, this is my friend." (Song of Solomon 5:16) God crafted a friend for Adam, but not in much deeper, more meaningful way.
Friendship is so much more than a nice-to-have in life, it's a necessity. We were created to be in fellowship with one another. It's not just about doing fun things together and having common interests—it's about walking alongside someone as you journey through life together, moving toward the same destination. As Christians, we know what our destination is, so it comes as no surprise that our common mission with our spouse is to seek the kingdom of God, do His will, and enjoy Him forever. Your spouse is more than a friend, really. They're your best friend, the one you know intimately. The one who's constantly there for you. The one who points you to Christ on a daily basis.
2. Marriage As a Transformation
"If we let Him, He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though of course, on a much smaller scale!). His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
We can now move along to what marriage is for. Again, Tim Keller explains this the best when he says, "It is for helping each other become our future glory-selves, the new creations that God will eventually make us." Since we believe in Christ, we will get to join Jesus in heaven and be presented before him, with our sins washed clean. How wonderful is it that we get to experience this with our spouse, too?! Marriage is seeing that magnificent, God-given potential in someone and saying, "I want to be a part of that! I can't wait to see what God does with you." As we enjoy heaven, we can look back at our time here on earth and revel in the fact that we saw that potential in our spouse, that unique spark that God called them to be, and later perfected.
Of course, marriage isn't perfect. It's far from it, really. Each of us enter into marriage as a sinner desperately in need of grace and forgiveness. That doesn't change in our lifetime here on earth. But the good news is that with His help, He will transform us into the most dazzling creature, full of love and light. In short, He will make us more and more like Him. We need to view marriage in a realistic way. Yes, our spouse is far from perfect and doing life alongside them won't always be seamless, but also, we need to be hopeful, too. What's something within your spouse that excites you? Beneath all the imperfections, where do you see God forming their character? God has given you the opportunity to join in on this sacred mission with a life partner, and that's something you should always cherish.
An Important (and Stylish) Reminder
Marriage is a beautiful thing. It adds so much vibrancy and fun to life, and it's a different way we can love and serve God, too. Looking for more special reminders of your kingdom calling? Check out our selection of Christian apparel, with collections featuring some of your favorite verses and imagery as a sweet reminder of our mission in life.