How Essential Is Marriage to Eternal Happiness?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to three books of scripture – Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5 – that teach about the Creation of heaven, the Earth, Adam and Eve, and all the plant and animal life on the earth. This lesson is titled “In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth,” and it was introduced by the following information. 

Because the world around us is so beautiful and majestic, it’s hard to imagine the earth when it was “without form, and void” and “empty and desolate” (Genesis 1:2; Abraham 4:2). One thing the Creation story teaches us is that God can, over time, make something magnificent out of something unorganized. That’s helpful to remember when life seems chaotic. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are Creators, and Their creative work with us is not finished. They can make light shine in dark moments in our lives. They can fill our emptiness with life. They can transform us into the divine beings we were meant to be. That’s what it means to be created in God’s image, after His likeness (see Genesis 1:26). We have the potential to become like Him: exalted, glorified, heavenly.

This scripture block contained several principles, including the following: (1) “By mine Only Begotten I created these things” (Genesis 1:1-25; Moses 2:1-25; Abraham 4:1-25). (2) I am created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; Moses 2:26-27; Abraham 4:26-27). (3) Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18-25; Moses 3:18, 21-24; Abraham 5:14-18). (4) I am responsible for caring for God’s creations (Genesis 1:28; Moses 2:28; Abraham 4:28). (5) God blessed and sanctified the Sabbath day (Genesis 2:2-3; Moses 3:2-3; Abraham 5:2-3).

I feel prompted to discuss principle #3 concerning marriage for eternity. First, we will look at the applicable scriptures. (Emphasis added.)

Genesis 1:27-28 (Old Testament)

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:18-25 (Old Testament)

18 ¶ And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

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

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Moses 3:18, 21-25 (Pearl of Great Price)

18 And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten, that it was not good that the man should be alone; wherefore, I will make an help meet for him.

21 And I, the Lord God, caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and he slept, and I took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in the stead thereof;

22 And the rib which I, the Lord God, had taken from man, made I a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said: This I know now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Abraham 5:14-19 (Pearl of Great Price)

14 And the Gods said: Let us make an help meet for the man, for it is not good that the man should be alone, therefore we will form an help meet for him.

15 And the Gods caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and he slept, and they took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in the stead thereof;

16 And of the rib which the Gods had taken from man, formed they a woman, and brought her unto the man.

17 And Adam said: This was bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; now she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man;

18 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.

19 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

In short, these scripture references teach the following: Male and female were created in the image of God. God said that it was not good for the man to be alone, so He created the female to be a help meet for the man. It stands to reason that the man was also a help meet for the woman. Help meet means companion or partner. God blessed (or performed a marriage ceremony) Adam and Eve and commanded them to multiply (have children) and to cleave (hold tight) to one another. Now we will turn to the words of latter-day prophets and apostles.

President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Adam and Eve were joined together in marriage for time and for all eternity by the power of [the] everlasting priesthood” (“Lessons from Eve,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 87). A marriage is sacred and should be treated with reverence and considered holy. Lessons from Eve

"The Family – A Proclamation to the World" was announced to the world 30 years ago. It proclaims that “the family is ordained of God” and “is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” The proclamation declares “that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.” It also states, “we further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.” The Family Proclamation

At a different time, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson taught the following to an audience at Brigham Young University: the family is “pivotal to God’s plan…. In fact, a purpose of the plan is to exalt the family.” Faith and Families | Russell M. Nelson | BYU Speeches

Then acting as President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, Dallin H. Oaks gave the following counsel in his address during the October 2025 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Church of Jesus Christ is sometimes known as a family-centered church. It is! Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of our Heavenly Father for the benefit of His spirit children. We can truly say that the gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.