Discussion Reply: Why People Marry
Discussion Assignment Instructions
Post one reply of 250 words to the following post by your fellow classmate. you must support and incorporate two scholarly citation(s) in Turabian format.
Any sources cited must have been published within the last ten years. Acceptable sources include journals, books, our textbook, and the Bible.
Discussion assignments are research-based threads and replies. This means that each one need to have a research citation that supports what you are saying. Without the research, it is your opinion only.
Chris
The Westminster Confession gives three purposes of marriage “mutuality in love, propagation, and moral development.”[1] Granberg and Root argue that “God instituted marriage so that men and women might complete one another and share in his creative work through the procreation of children.”[2]1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a classic passage quoted by pastors during wedding ceremonies. It is referenced so often that its meaning and depth get lost in the repetition; however, this passage helps us unpack whether couples should marry for love. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” This passage points to mutuality in love and sanctification as reasons and purposes for marriage.
To answer this question, we must determine what is meant by “love.” How do people define love when evaluating marriage? One definition or interpretation of love is better known or described as infatuation. Infatuation describes people with “butterflies” in their stomachs and typically resembles people overwhelmed by beauty and feelings versus actions and commitment. Infatuation is usually common in the early stages of dating and courting. The “feelings” are there; the commitment has not been tested and refined through the fire of challenges, arguments, sickness, etc. If this definition is the reason for marriage, then a person should not marry. However, if commitment and a true understanding of love are made and reflective of how the couple treats one another, then yes, it should be a reason for marriage.
However, love defined by scripture should be a foundation and a driving force for a couple to determine if they are a good fit to become “one” in marriage. True love is based on commitment or covenant with and towards the other person.[3] Thomas, Wilke, and Wilke describe a person who is unfit to be married through the lens of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7[4] as those who are “takers,” arrogant, unkind, and lazy. These characteristics are red flags for a person not to marry; they are the opposite of love. Biblical love is a great reason to marry. When a man and a woman are committed to loving each other according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, God does amazing work in and grows them into the likeness of Christ and are a light to the world around them.
[1] Thomas C. Oden, Crisis Ministries, Classic Pastoral Care (New York: Crossroad, 1986), 100.
[2] Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 743.
[3] Gary Thomas, Steve Wilke, Rebecca Wilke, Nine Essential Conversations Before You Say I Do (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2021), 45.
