I like watching wedding videos. It’s nice seeing two people have one of the happiest moments of their lives. But thinking of marriage from scripture’s perspective, we should be understanding marriage as honoring God.
Genesis teaches us that God created woman as a helper to man. They were designed to be unified in being fruitful, multiplying, and ruling over the earth. Marriage being an original purpose God had for man and woman makes it a unique honor to Him in a sense.
Marriage in the New Testament
There are a lot of interesting things said about marriage in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 7 teaches us marriage helps prevent immoralities. Husbands and wives are to not deprive of each other’s bodies except for a time period of prayer. This is to avoid falling into the snare of the devil.
Apostle Paul in this same chapter gives the opinion that it’s better to be single in order to have undistracted devotion to the Lord. A person is able to focus more on pleasing the Lord, which is our main purpose as Christians. In a way this main purpose as Christians re-emphasizes avoiding immoralities as a part of the purpose of marriage. Immoralities displease the Lord, and to avoid them pleases the Lord.
The more we look at verses on marriage, the more we see honoring God as a theme with marriage. Ephesians 5, reverence to Christ is associated with wives being subject to husbands. Husbands are instructed to mirror Christ’s love for the church in loving their wives sacrificially. Colossians 3, immediately after talking about doing all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, Apostle Paul says it’s fitting to the Lord for wives to be subject to husbands, and husbands shouldn’t be embittered against them. Hebrews 13, it’s instructed that marriage is to be held in honor among all. The marriage bed is to be undefiled, for fornicators and adulterers will be judged by God. 1 Peter 3, Peter speaks of wives winning their husbands obedience to the word by their respectful behavior. He speaks of husbands showing wives honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life so their prayers aren’t hindered.
Marriage circles back to God
Over and over again in the verses on marriage, it all circles back to God.
Culture often makes marriage more about two people’s romantic feelings for each other. Because we’re not immune to culture’s influence, this can cause us to miss the point of marriage at times. It’s fine to think about how much you like the person you might marry. It’s fine to think about how much you’ll enjoy being married to them. Proverbs 18:22 describes a man who finds a wife finds a good thing. He has favor from the Lord. We see romance in Solomon admiring the beauty of his bride in Song of Solomon 4.
But more than all of that, our main focus should be on how we’re honoring God in a special way if we do marry one day. We get to reflect the original purpose He had in mind for man and woman. We get to reflect to Him the relationship between Christ and the Church. Marriage is bigger than the feelings you have for someone. Marriage is a unified exercise of glorifying God.
Speaking as a young single man, I only want to be married to someone if we’re committed to striving for God’s desires of marriage. All in honor to Him.
Peace to you all in Christ.
Fact Based Truth 
Regarding a single person being more able to give single-minded attention to pleasing the Lord: This is very true; the verses in question (vv 33-34) show a kind of “two sides of the coin” meaning. v34 discusses talks about a married person caring how he may please his wife (and vice versa). This is not to denigrate marriage at all, but to point out that it is right and proper for a married couple to focus on pleasing each other. It can happen that one of a married couple ignores the other in an attempt to get “super-spiritual” (as it were). This is wrong!
Hi Richard. Thanks for your comment on this post. Indeed, it wouldn’t make sense for Apostle Paul to denigrate marriage and encourage it at the same time. And if a married couple is not upholding their commitment to the instructions God has in how they treat their spouse, no matter how as you put it “super-spiritual” they think they are being, they’re displeasing and dishonoring God by not being attentive to their spouse in the way God desires.
Peace in Christ
Christ is portrayed to us as the bridegroom while the church is the bride. Our marriage should reflect the relationship Christ has with the church. We love because He first loved us. It is truly an honor to our Lord and Savior. Malachi 2:15-16 says “Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I hate divorce and marital separation and him who covers his garment [his wife] with violence. Therefore keep a watch upon your spirit [that it may be controlled by My Spirit], that you deal not treacherously and faithlessly [with your marriage mate].”