God has given marriage as a good gift. God remarked that it would not be good for man to be alone after creating Adam (Genesis 2:7), therefore God made a helper for him (2:18). Being alone has less to do with loneliness (since the chapter makes no mention of it) and more to do with serving God; the idea is that the man needs a companion (a woman) in order to carry out the task that God has given him (2:18). Consequently, serving God is one of marriage’s goals.
Marriage is a good gift
Scripture consistently attests to the blessings of marriage: take a look at the Song of Songs, Jesus’ teachings on marriage (Matthew 19:4-6), Paul’s teachings on marriage (Ephesians 5:22–33, for example), etc. This is so because, according to Ephesians 5:32, marriage is a representation of the perfect marriage—that is, the union between Christ and His church. Put another way, every Christian marriage ought to reflect and symbolize in some way the bond that exists between the church and Christ. Ephesians 5:22–30 describes a few aspects of this.
Not a command for everyone
Nonetheless, God’s people are not required to marry elsewhere in the Bible. In fact, Jesus states in Matthew 19:11–12 that some individuals will never get married, including those who decide against getting married for the benefit of the kingdom. Paul adopts a corresponding stance in 1 Corinthians 7:8. “I tell the widows and single people that it’s best for them to remain single like I am.”
Thus, marriage is not a need for every man or woman. Although Paul states that “a married man is worried about the concerns of this world – how he might satisfy his wife – and his interests are divided,” it is nevertheless a precious gift from God and does aid in the service of our Lord (1 Corinthians 7:33-34). Consequently, there is conflict for married people. However, this tension is released from [unmarried people], as they are “concerned about the Lord’s affairs” (1 Corinthians 7:32).
But the whole church, which is made up of all Christians on the planet, is already engaged to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), and the church will eventually get married to Christ (Revelation 19:6–9) in a union that will have the utmost importance.
