Stick to Your Mate

Our Creator created Adam and then made Eve to be his partner. Their union was the first marriage in history and was to be an enduring relationship. God said: “A man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife.” Some 4,000 years later, Jesus Christ repeated this marital standard for all of his followers. Further, he condemned sexual relations outside of marriage.​—Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24; Matthew 5:27-30; 19:5.

According to the Bible, two important keys to a happy marriage are love and respect on the part of both partners. The husband, who is the head of the household, ought to show unselfish love by seeking his wife’s best interests. He is to live with her “according to knowledge” and should not get “bitterly angry” with her. The wife is to treat her husband with “deep respect.” If marriage mates follow these principles, most marital difficulties can be avoided or overcome. The husband will want to stick to his wife and the wife to her husband.​—1 Peter 3:1-7; Colossians 3:18, 19; Ephesians 5:22-33.

Does the Bible standard of sticking faithfully to one’s mate contribute to a happy marriage? Well, consider the results of a survey carried out in Germany. People were asked what factors are important for a good marriage. At the top of the list was mutual faithfulness. Would you not agree that married people are far happier when they know that their mates are faithful?

What if Problems Arise?

What, though, if a husband and wife have serious disagreements? What if their love fades? Is it not best under such circumstances to end the marriage? Or does the Bible standard of sticking faithfully to one’s mate still make good sense?

Bible writers recognized that all married couples will have problems as a result of human imperfection. (1 Corinthians 7:28) Still, couples who observe the Bible’s moral standards try to forgive and to work out their difficulties together. Of course, there are circumstances​—such as adultery or physical abuse—​when a Christian may appropriately consider separation or divorce. (Matthew 5:32; 19:9) But hastily ending a marriage without a very serious reason or in order to take another mate reveals a selfish disregard for others. It certainly does not bring stability or happiness to one’s life. Let us take an example.

Peter sensed that his marriage had lost the sparkle it once had.a Hence, he left his wife and moved in with Monika, who had abandoned her husband. How did things work out? Within a few months, Peter admitted that living with Monika was “not quite so easy as I imagined it would be.” Why not? Human failings were just as evident in his new partnership as they had been in the old one. To make matters worse, his hasty and selfish decision got him into serious financial problems. Furthermore, Monika’s children were emotionally crushed by the radical change in their family life.

As this experience illustrates, when a marriage encounters rough weather, abandoning ship is rarely the answer. On the other hand, in the face of a storm, living by the moral values of God’s Word, the Bible, can often keep a marriage afloat and bring it into calmer waters. This was the case with Thomas and Doris.

Thomas and Doris had been married for over 30 years when Thomas started to drink heavily. Doris plunged into depression, and the two of them discussed divorce. Doris confided in one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Witness showed Doris what the Bible says about marriage, encouraging her not to rush into separation but first to work with her husband to try to find a solution. That is what Doris did. Within a few months, divorce was no longer being considered. Thomas and Doris were working on their problems together. Following the Bible’s counsel strengthened their marriage and gave them time to sort things out.

Furthermore, faithful marriage mates are the basis of stable families. And most people would agree with the European politician who declared: “The [traditional] family remains to this day the most important haven of human security and purpose.” The peaceful family unit is where adults and children have the best opportunity to feel emotionally secure. Those who are faithful in marriage are thus helping to build a stable society.