The Purpose of Marriage

But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

 (Malachi 2:15 NKJV)

Is Scripture still applicable to us today? Does this Living Document, which was written many long years, even ages ago, and which believers in Fulfilled Eschatology believe has been filled up, still hold any Principles of Instruction for God's People? Does it hold true even though some do not acknowledge it as such?

In this day & age, there are many, Christian & non-Christian alike who have purposely departed from the traditional & biblical definition of marriage! Rather than 'the union of one man and one woman', a certain denomination has tried to redefine marriage as simply 'the union of two persons'. If the purpose of marriage is, as the passage above clearly says, to raise up 'Godly offspring', then how can a union, if such is possible, exist between two persons of the same sex? If God brought Adam & Eve together in the beginning because He sought Godly Offspring, wouldn't it be safe to say that this is why men & women have inter-locking parts?

Is it really as simple as that, though? Was The Eternal Principle of Marriage really defined by God when He brought Eve to Adam? The Church, for many long ages, has taught this very doctrine, but, like certain other doctrines that have been formulated from Scripture; we might well find ourselves saying, with the Spaniard, 'I do not think it means what you think it means'! Is marriage defined by Scripture as between two sexually compatible partners, one with a penis and one with a vagina, or was the Purpose of Marriage simply to raise Godly Offspring, not necessarily to bring them into this world through procreation? What if our Creator simply wanted a Relationship with His Creation, and for His Creation to Commune with each other?

But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 

(Luke 20:35, 36 NKJV)

There are those who believe that The Resurrection has yet to occur, and this same group takes these words of Christ at face value, saying that in The Resurrection, no one will get married anymore! This seems somewhat ridiculous to our minds, because the Logical Conclusion of this reasoning might well be that The Institution of Marriage will no longer be held sacred in The Resurrection! Maybe this is one reason that Fulfillment scares the hell out of some Christians!

We read very plainly in Genesis 2:24, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.' This marriage, as we have traditionally understood it, was but a picture of Christ & His Bride, or the Church. Can a same-sex union be a picture of Christ & the Church? Would a homosexual, whether a man or a woman, be willing to sacrifice him or herself for their partner? I dare-say that some would!

Scripture says as well that it is an abomination for a man to lie with a man as with a woman ( and, we assume ), vice-versa! While this is undeniable, is it really as simple as that? Was God forbidding the practice of homosexuality in general, or was He simply making a separation between His Special People and the people of Canaan, between the Sons of God and the daughters of men?

Is this to say that, since we are in the Resurrection, and there is 'no more marrying and being given in marriage', we are now free to be with anyone we wish ( even multiple partners ), whether they be the same sex or of a different gender? Did the apostle really mean to say, as some believe Jesus did, that in The New Age, ' there is 'no male or female' ( Galatians 3:28 )? You will have to judge for yourself, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

There is no denying that some people are just naturally drawn to others of the same sex, or gender, and while most Christians would attribute this tendency to The Fallen Nature of Man, I do not! I do believe that our Heavenly Father makes no mistakes, and that He loves all of His Creation, and seeks Communion with them, independent of their sexual preference!

It is true that a man cannot have sexual intercourse with another man, or a woman with a woman, but is it possible that a homosexual couple could raise up Godly Offspring, which is what our Heavenly Father seeks? Sadly, it would seem, not in this Day & Age!

In His Grace & the Power of the New Age,

Charles Haddon Shank