1. THE WISDOM OF MARRIAGE
PROVERBS 18:22

2. The Wisdom of Marriage
God designed marriage Gen. 1:26-27; 2:24 oneness of spirit  oneness of flesh
Oneness of flesh  offspring
Malachi 2:10-16
Remain married  godly offspring
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable in every respect; and, in particular, sex within marriage is pure. But God will indeed punish fornicators and adulterers. Comp Jewish Bible

3. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1989
50% married
20% never married
12% divorced
10% widowed
5% cohabiting
3% separated

4. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die

5. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die
Divorced
Separated

6. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die
Divorced 27% more likely to die
Separated 27% more likely to die

7. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die
Divorced 27% more likely to die
Separated 27% more likely to die
Cohabiting
Never Married

8. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die
Divorced 27% more likely to die
Separated 27% more likely to die
Cohabiting % more likely to die
Never Married 58% more likely to die

9. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die
Divorced 27% more likely to die
Separated 27% more likely to die
Cohabiting % more likely to die
Never Married 58% more likely to die
Never married males 19-44

10. Physical Benefits of Marriage
U.S. Census data 1997
Death rates after adjusting for age, health, and other factors
Married
Widowed 40% more likely to die
Divorced 27% more likely to die
Separated 27% more likely to die
Cohabiting % more likely to die
Never Married 58% more likely to die
Never married males % more likely

11. Emotional Benefits of Marriage
Live Science article, dated Feb. 14, 2014:
“Marriage is linked with numerous health benefits that simply cohabiting doesn't seem to provide. Now, research suggests the reason why — the brain links "just" living together with a lack of commitment and can't relax.”
In 2006, Dr. James Coan used the threat of a mildly painful electric shock to test brain response of 16 married women
“During this process, the volunteers either held their partner's hands, a stranger's hands, or faced the shocks alone.

12. Emotional Benefits of Marriage
“All of the couples went through the same experimental procedure: one person would lie in the fMRI scanner, where they could see a computer screen that cued them into a potential threat — a shock on the ankle. Some cues signaled a 20 percent chance that a shock was coming, and others signaled a 0 percent chance of shock.
They had a decreased brain response to the threat of shock when holding their husband's hand versus holding a stranger's hand or no hand at all.

13. Emotional Benefits of Marriage
“The effect occurred in the hypothalamus, an almond-sized structure buried deep in the brain that helps regulate some of the body's responses to stress, including increased blood pressure.”
New Study
The new study used many more people and also tested cohabiting partners as well as married partners.
"There's a pretty strong and predictable regulation effect in the married couples and no regulation at all in the cohabiting couples," Coan said. "None, zero."

14. Emotional Benefits of Marriage
Commitment is the key
Cohabitation is a mindset to keep emotional distance
Unwillingness to commit to relationship more difficult to break
The brain won’t outsource stress response to the partner; doesn’t subconsciously trust the partner
It does if one is fully committed
Marriage is a proxy for trust and reliability
What does that mean for cohabitation?

15. Emotional Benefits of Marriage
Coan said that marriage is “a socially understood sanctioned world that communicates to your partner commitment, really powerful, strong commitment, the kind of commitment that is hard to get out of. That's what your brain is looking for.”
“We really pay close attention to when it's safe to let down our guard and to outsource our stress response to our social networks.”
“The findings were unexpected, Coan added: ‘I'm sort of freaking myself out with this research.’”

16. Economic Benefits of Marriage
2002 study
Continuously married have higher levels of wealth than others
Never married have 75% less wealth
Divorced have 73% less wealth
More stable home
Save and invest more in the future
Specialize and complement each other
Better protection for illness, job loss, etc. Eccl. 4:9-10

17. Spiritual Benefits of Marriage
Heb. 13:4
1 Cor. 7:1-11
Exception in v in the present distress
Ephesians 5:21-33
Jesus loves us v.25 sacrificed for us
Trust His love for us 1 John 4:16-19
Commit to Him (repent Lk 13:3; confess)
Submit to Him Mark 16:16