Marriage in the bible is not so much a highly spiritual union between two "soul mates" as much as it is a very physical union between an earthly man and an earthly woman. Being married to one another is the result of becoming “one flesh.”

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

It's safe to say that Romanticism has had a lot to do towards coloring people's perception about marriage and relationships, and not for the better no doubt, but we'll leave it at that for now and tackle Romanticism and it's impact a little later on. To further illustrate the practicality of marriage, let’s examine what Paul has to say on the matter.

"What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh." (1 Corinthians 6:16)
To Paul, a union with a harlot constitutes becoming “one flesh”, thus upholding the rather practical aspect of marriage being first a physical act, of a man and a woman. Now, let us consider the “two” part of it.

We have been presented with the argument that the usage of the word “two” or, as in Mat 19:5, “twain”, indicates exclusivity between one man and one woman only. Paul, on the other hand, indicates that a man can be one flesh even with a prostitute, illustrating the fact that the “one flesh” scenario is not restricted to one woman generally speaking, but rather to “one woman at a time”, and that a man who sleeps with a prostitute is actually making her his spouse, even if neither of them has this in mind at the time., and hence, the source of the sin, in that neither party has any interest at in taking responsibility of fulfilling the Dominion Covenant. The Bible calls this sin fornication.

Read on here:

The Biblical Concept Of Marriage Part 2

Jump to Part 3 and 4 here:

The Biblical Concept Of Marriage Part 3

The Biblical Concept Of Marriage Part 4