God's Purposes for Marriage, Part 1

Why did God create marriage? In this two-part sermon, we will study God's purposes in marriage as established in the Scriptures. The first purpose of marriage is companionship.

1. Companionship

• The marriage relationship was designed to complete. (Genesis 2:20)
- Notice that marriage is designed to complete, not compete. (James 4:1)
- “Marriage is a place of mutual help where two competent, but incomplete, people empower one another.” (Gary Inrig in Whole Marriages in a Broken World: God's Design for a Healthy Marriage, p. 28, Discovery House Publishers, 1996)
- Marriage creates synergy allowing a couple to accomplish more together than they could as individuals. 

• The marriage relationship was designed to transcend any other human relationship. (Genesis 2:24)
- “Leave” means “to forsake or abandon.”
- The primary sense of the word is not geographical, but relational. 
- It means the couple must establish new relational priorities:
> There's a change in the relationship with parents. - You have your own schedule, budget, priorities, and goals
> There's a change in relationships with friends - You give up the freedom to date and to come and go as you please.
> There's a change in the relationship regarding financial responsibilities.
> NEW PRIORITY - SPOUSE FIRST

• The marriage relationship was designed to be permanent. (Genesis 2:24)

• The marriage relationship was designed for sexual intimacy. (Genesis 2:24)
- “To be one flesh” means “to become united as one.”
- “To be one flesh” is primarily a statement of sexual intimacy. 
- The sexual relationship in marriage is beautiful and shameless. (Genesis 2:25)
- Marriage is to be a continual leaving, cleaving, and weaving.