Marriage: Is It a Must?

Many people longed to share their lives with a spouse, and many longed for children right after they got married, but mostly don't get what they desired to have. Then these people starting to feel frustrated... Are ones not complete as human by not being married nor having children?

Human brought to live by being born alone. Even as twins they still have to get out of the womb one by one. But human can't live alone. We need each other to keep us company. God knows that well. That's why He gave woman to man, to accompany him :

Kejadian 2:18. TUHAN Allah berfirman: "Tidak baik, kalau manusia itu seorang diri saja. Aku akan menjadikan penolong baginya, yang sepadan dengan dia."

So, God wanted to create a company for man. At first He created all kind of creatures to keep Adam company, but none of those creature were a match for him to meet. Then He made woman out of man's rib, and brought her to him, and he accepted her. The explanation gave earlier in Genesis 1 then explained :

Kejadian 1:27-28 Maka Allah menciptakan manusia itu menurut gambar-Nya, menurut gambar Allah diciptakan-Nya dia; laki-laki dan perempuan diciptakan-Nya mereka. Allah memberkati mereka, lalu Allah berfirman kepada mereka: "Beranakcuculah dan bertambah banyak; penuhilah bumi dan taklukkanlah itu, berkuasalah atas ikan-ikan di laut dan burung-burung di udara dan atas segala binatang yang merayap di bumi."

Observe that the order God gave human was after He created man and woman. So the order He gave for human to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, was after He created human as male and female, a full version of HUMAN. It is clear here that there's a difference between the PURPOSE of the creation of woman (BEFORE) and the TASK given to man and woman (AFTER). It is clear that God gave woman to man as a company, a friend, a helper, another creature that is equal to him. And this means that the relationship between man and woman doesn't always have to be as couple. Woman wasn't intended to be a sexual object to man, but sexual relationship has been given as a bonus to man and woman who has been granted a special relationship in marriage, as a way to express feelings as well as way to procreate, which is part of the task human must do as ordered by God.

After human sinned and fell upon disgrace before the eyes of the Lord, so does every aspect of their lives, including the nature and the task and orders given. Jesus then came to make everything new. Jesus replenished the definition of man, as well as the tasks and orders. Disgraced first human, man and woman, has been renewed in the term of "new man", that is according to Paul's description means :

Efesus 4:24 dan mengenakan manusia baru, yang telah diciptakan menurut kehendak Allah di dalam kebenaran dan kekudusan yang sesungguhnya. 

Kolose 3:10 dan telah mengenakan manusia baru yang terus-menerus diperbaharui untuk memperoleh pengetahuan yang benar menurut gambar Khaliknya.

The first task in english version was first to be "fruitful", which actually in Indonesian means "berbuah". The word fruitful or "to bear fruit" has the meaning of having to bear child. But as the word used was "fruitful" it actually implies to a broader aspect of life. That's why we can see that this order was aligned with the parables Jesus gave to unveil "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:11). He spoke about the Divine Seed, that is The Word of God. That it shall be fruitful to the new men--men that already heard about the Truth and live within the Truth.

Matius 13:23 Yang ditaburkan di tanah yang baik ialah orang yang mendengar firman itu dan mengerti, dan karena itu ia berbuah, ada yang seratus kali lipat, ada yang enam puluh kali lipat, ada yang tiga puluh kali lipat."

The second order was to "multiply", in Indonesian it's "bertambah banyak". This order too has the similar meaning to the order He gave His disciples before He ascend to heaven :

Matius 28:19 Karena itu pergilah, jadikanlah semua bangsa murid-Ku dan baptislah mereka dalam nama Bapa dan Anak dan Roh Kudus,

The renewed man and woman should bear the new enlightened task God gave to human. In Jesus there is broader aspect of relationships between reborn men and women. But the point of it is to embrace the TRUTH.

Efesus 3:10 dan telah mengenakan manusia baru yang terus-menerus diperbaharui untuk memperoleh pengetahuan yang benar menurut gambar Khaliknya

From here we learn that God's order for human to be fruitful and multiply is no longer apply to flesh or biological task anymore, but rather spiritually. This means "discipleship". Marriage is only one way to imply discipleship. The calling to every people is personal. Some were called to apply discipleship by building a complete family and to teach the children the TRUTH; some were not given children to nourished but to build a strong bondage between husband and wife to serve others; and some were to serve Him solely, being a single fighter but powerful in the battlefield of God.

May we all can learn our own calling and do our best in fulfilling our own God's given tasks, whether by being married or single.

God bless you all.


Rei's Contemplation - 27042013
(Missing my hubby badly....)