About Marriage

About Marriage

“Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
"The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.  
Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.  
I say this as a concession, not as a command.  
I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife."
1 Corinthians 7:1-11
Here Paul makes it clear that it is good for people to marry that in the marriage relationship the wife belongs to the husband and the husband belongs to the wife. In short they are one.
He makes it clear that they should not deprive each other of sexual intimacy except by mutual consent for a short time.
Paul realized that the God given sex drive was strong in people and that Satan could use it to tempt people to sin. That’s why he goes on to say,
“It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
He then states that a wife must not separate from her husband and if she does she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. That a husband should not divorce his wife.
I have heard this particular statement used to say the wife in particular should stay in an abusive situation. THIS IS NOT THE CASE.
If the wife or for that matter the husband is being abused then that violates God’s laws and action to end the abusive situation needs to be taken swiftly.
The other point here Paul says a husband must not divorce his wife has to be understood. In Paul’s day it was possible under Jewish law for a husband to divorce his wife for trivial things. Even things as simple burning the meal.
Paul is saying here that marriage should be a love relationship in which the husband and the wife treat each other as they would themselves.
I believe marriage is Gods ideal for a man and a woman. That it has it’s ups and downs.
As someone who has been married now for thirty-six years I know it has to be worked on. Two people will not always agree on things and they have to be talked about and at time compromises made.
The covenant of marriage however can be the most rewarding thing two human beings can enter into.
It for me and my wife has been an incredible journey through trial, tragedy and above all incredible times of happiness.
We have found that no matter what we have gone through our love for each other and the love of God has always been there to get us through.
I can think of no better way than to have spent my life than sharing it with my wife.
It is something I would wish for everyone.