Marriage is not about getting; it is about giving-giving oneself totally to other as an expression of unconditional love.
Yes, this is completely right...but I think that even this can lead us astray if we don't take it one step further....it's about both of us giving ourselves completely to God. The closer we both draw to God, then by its very nature, the closer we also draw nearer to each other. Only God can work within two sinful people to bring about that kind of union...selfless giving. The danger of leaving God out can be idolatry. If we 'give ourselves completely to the other' without God, we begin to dabble in idolatry...where if your spouse isn't happy or content with how well you've given yourself, you're looking at a melt down due to what you see as your own failings. You've invested so much in giving your all to this other person, that when they inevitably let you down in some way (which will happen as they're not perfect!) you have a crisis of faith. No....our faith and giving must be to God...and in that way we will become better spouses.
God, therefore, created us as male and female so that in marriage husband and wife may complement one another through procreative union, as an expression of total giving. This union can’t be broken, because it is sealed by God (Mark 10:7-9). In addition, because procreative union is an expression of marital union, to have procreative union without marriage is to abuse the procreative act for selfish purpose. Furthermore, since this union is reproductive in nature, to contracept or to procreate without procreative union ( in-vitro fertilization), goes against the sanctity of marital love and human reproduction.
I agree that sex without marriage is harmful. Too many people ignore the fact that God has given us these rules for our own benefit, not so he can be some miserly boss. He knows the damage that can be done by giving yourself outside of marriage, and he does not want that for us...
As far as our 'union' being only reproductive in nature...I'd have to disagree. Sure, yeah, it's a big part of it, and we're told children are blessings from God. But the bible tells us that marital sex is not just for that. Song of Solomon tells us it is for pleasure between the married couple...we can also know this because God made is pleasurable. It's also for oneness. A God centred couple who come together as God intended can grow in oneness....something that's important when doing life together. We see in the OT specifically, that sex can also be a comforting act between married people. In the NT we're told that getting married and then being free to be with that person, can be a protection against sinful urges. And lastly, I would say that sex between a Godly couple is glorifying to God. He made us this way, he made sex...made it pleasurable, made it incredibly inmate between people...and therefore when married people come together in the very way he designed it to be, then we are glorifying him.
So yeah...there are more aspects to procreation than just children. As Aspen said, there are those people who just cannot have children...for more than one reason. Would God then say that they are not to have sex? I don't think so...not as long as they are following God's plan for their lives, and coming together in a way he designed.
