1. In the Christian tradition, humans were given the gift of marriage, and sex is an essential part of that gift. Marriage is built into human nature; it is part of our design. It is not a social artefact that can be remoulded through law or by custom.
2. Marriage is not a contract which exists to meet the needs of individuals. The marriage covenant exists so that the next generation of children can be nurtured and loved.
3. Love is not merely a matter of feelings; love is measured by what we are prepared to sacrifice for one another.
4. No child comes into the world without a man and a woman. If procreation did not always involve a man and a woman, there would be no need for marriage.
5. We are accountable for our actions and for one another. This means bringing a new life into the world is a tremendous responsibility.
6. Our parents are part of our identity. Children wish their parents to love them and to love each other. Therefore, Christians require that a man and woman take responsibility and commit to love one another before they begin a sexual relationship.
7. Every marriage has a meaning and a message. While every marriage is a relationship which can accept the gift of children, a marriage that has been denied this gift is still a family in its own right. Their marriage reminds us that men and women were made for one another, that every child will have a mother and a father, and that every child’s mother and father should be examples of commitment, faithfulness and love.
7. There is more to marriage than romantic love because mere human love is as frail as humans. Love leads the couple to the altar; but when they marry, they enter something which has more value than their feelings and promises; they are given a charge, a mission, from God himself.
8. Marriage is binding because, when I married, I gave my word in front of my friends, my family, my neighbours, my country, my Church, and God. If I break that promise, what other promise can I keep? If God set the terms of that covenant, who am I to renegotiate it?
9. Once you have made a covenant in front of your friends, family and God there is no turning back. Your marriage is not for you alone, or even for you and your spouse. All this seems challenging and daunting and risky; and that is what makes marriage worthwhile. That, and the fact that God made us in his image, male and female, and called marriage good. Marriage has an absolute value that exists even where it is not recognised and honoured by the world.