Moral Values on the Decline

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 more happier when they know that their mates are faithful?

Next time: What if Problems Arise?

Watchtower, 2000