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. —Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 46
Marriage has received Christ’s blessing, and it is to be regarded as a sacred institution. True religion is not to counterwork the Lord’s plans. God ordained that man and woman should be united in holy wedlock, to raise up families that, crowned with honor, would be symbols of the family in heaven. —Daughters of God, p. 180
Let the husband and wife in their married life prove a help and a blessing to one another. Let them consider the cost of every indulgence in intemperance and sensualism. These indulgences do not increase love, nor ennoble and elevate. Those who will indulge the animal passions and gratify lust will surely stamp upon their offspring the debasing practices, the grossness of their own physical and moral defilement. —Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, p. 114
Look to God for your strength. Pray to Him in faith. Sing His praise. Be faithful in little things. It was Daniel’s faithfulness in little things that enabled him to see the necessity of faithfulness in larger responsibilities. This faithfulness gave completeness to his whole life. —Letters and Manuscripts, vol. 16, ms. 113, par. 23
God made from the man a woman, to be a companion and helpmeet for him, to be one with him, to cheer, encourage, and bless him, he in his turn to be her strong helper. All who enter into matrimonial relations with a holy purpose—the husband to obtain the pure affections of a woman’s heart, the wife to soften and improve her husband’s character and give it completeness—fulfill God’s purpose for them.
—The Adventist Home, p. 99
