The Third Purpose of Marriage

Rev. Ernest O'Neill

Now the third purpose loved ones, is there in that same verse if you’d like to look at it and it’s Genesis 2:18.  You see it’s Genesis 2:18a, the first part of the verse, “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone.”  And the Father decided that for fellowship he would give the man a wife and give the wife a husband and that’s the third purpose stated in scripture for marriage, for fellowship, for real love.

Most marriages stop their intimacy at the point of physical intercourse, or at the point of understanding that they had a week after the first child was born.  And the point is God gave you to each other for fellowship for interaction with each other, for intimacy with each other that would pass beyond just physical things.  He gave you to each other to love each other.  That’s really it.  And the love has a purpose; the love is stated clearly in Romans 8:29.  It’s the purpose that God said all things work together for good for, and the purpose is that they may be conformed to the image of his Son.  And God has given you to each other to love each other into the image of God, into the image of Jesus.

He’s given you to each other to make sure that the other person gets into heaven.  That’s why you’re together.  You’re together because nobody can pray for you, nobody can think for you, nobody can want for you, nobody can listen to you as intimately and as correctly, and as precisely as your dear wife, or as your dear husband.  Loved ones, there’s nobody can pray for you like your husband or your wife because there’s nobody who knows you as clearly as your husband or wife does and you’re given to each other to get each other into heaven.