The first marriage – a gift of God from Eden. – Genesis 2:18-24 – ¹⁸And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ¹⁹Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. ²¹And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. ²²Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. ²³And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.” ²⁴Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

The First Marriage
God Himself gave Adam a companion. He provided “an help meet for him” – a helper corresponding to him – one who was fitted to be his companion, and who could be one with him in love and sympathy. Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him. A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his second self, showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that should exist in this relation. “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it” (Ephesians 5:29). “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one.” God celebrated the first marriage. Thus the institution has for its originator the Creator of the universe. “Marriage is honorable” (Hebrews 13:4); it was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the Fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise. When the divine principles are recognized and obeyed in this relation, marriage is a blessing; it guards the purity and happiness of the race, it provides for man’s social needs, it elevates the physical, the intellectual, and the moral nature. PP 46

Jesus celebrated a marriage with his presence and a miracle. – John 2:1-10 – ¹On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” ⁴Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” ⁶Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. ⁷Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. ⁹When the master of the feast had tasted the wat er that was made wine, and did not know where it come from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. ¹⁰And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

Never Failing Supply
The feast that [Jesus] provides for the soul never fails to give satisfaction and joy. Each new gift increases the capacity of the receiver to appreciate and enjoy the blessings of the Lord. He gives grace for grace. There can be no failure of supply. If you abide in Him, the fact that you receive a rich gift today insures the reception of the richer gift tomorrow. DA 148

Believers should marry believers. – 2 Corinthians 6:14 – Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

No Union Between Light and Darkness
But there is no union between the Prince of Light and the prince of darkness, and there can be no union between their followers. When Christians consented to unite with those who were but half converted from paganism, they entered upon a path which led further and further from the truth. GC 45

How wives should relate to their husbands. – Ephesians 5:22-24 – ²²Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body. ²⁴Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

How husbands should relate to their wives. – Ephesians 5:25-30 – ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her; ²⁶He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

Marriage a Foretaste of Heaven
Though difficulties, perplexities, and discouragements may arise, let neither husband nor wife harbor the thought that their union is a mistake or a disappointment. Determine to be all that it is possible to be to each other. Continue the early attentions. In every way encourage each other in fighting the battles of life. Study to advance the happiness of each other… The marriage, instead of being the end of love, will be as it were the very beginning of love. MH 360

Couples should leave their parents and become one flesh together. Ephesians 5:31 – For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

Couples should demonstrate mutual love and respect. – Ephesians 5:33 – Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Marriage a Symbol
Like every other one of God’s good gifts entrusted to the keeping of humanity, marriage has been perverted by sin; but it is the purpose of the gospel to restore its purity and beauty. In both the Old and the New Testament the marriage relation is employed to represent the tender and sacred union that exists between Christ and His people, the redeemed ones whom He has purchased at the cost of Calvary. MB 64

Jesus teaches on divorce. – Matthew 5:31 & 32 – ³¹”Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Further teaching of Jesus on marriage and divorce. – Matthew 19:3-9 – ³The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” ⁴And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leav-e his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” ⁷They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” ⁸He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹And I ay to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

Reconciliation, not divorce, is God’s will for a troubled marriage. – 1 Corinthians 7:10 & 11 – ¹⁰Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. ¹¹But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

Parents to diligently teach children God’s law and will. – Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – ⁶”And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

To Give We Must Have
As a preparation for teaching His precepts, God commands that they be hidden in the hearts of the parents… In order to interest our children in the Bible, we ourselves must be interested in it. To awaken in them a love for its study, we must love it. Our instruction to them will have only the weight of influence given I by our own example and spirit. Ed 187

Train up a child in the right way, and later the child will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Children should obey and honor their parents. – Ephesians 6:1-4 – ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²”Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise. ³”that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” ⁴And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.