ONE
WITH GOD
In
the early dawn of man's introduction to the newly created Earth, Adam
stood alone among the fresh scent of new (yet full grown) trees and
the lullaby sound of young streams. He was surrounded by the
grandeur of God's creation of both plant and animal life. Eden's
treasures withheld nothing from his enjoyment and pleasure with the
exception of one tree located in the midst of this garden paradise.
Yet, amid those idyllic surroundings, something was missing that all
nature could not satisfy. And so, it was observed by the Divine
Creator, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make
him a helper comparable to him." (Gen. 2:18)
The
final creative act, performed while Adam slept and underwent God's
surgical procedure of removing one of his ribs, was a masterpiece of
Divine workmanship. (Gen. 2:21-22) "And He brought her to the
man. 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.'"
(vss. 22-23) In consideration of Adam's proclamation, it is recorded
for all time that "... a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."
(vs. 24) God's institution of the law of marriage is forever set in
stone in those words. From henceforth this Divine arrangement would
commence an everlasting cycle to ensure the continuation of the
society of mankind over the face of the Earth. This relationship
between man and woman was, and still remains, the standard
against which all perversions are declared as sinful before the eyes
of its Author.
As
we look at the creation account in the first chapter of Genesis, the
creation of man and woman are stated as a single work, even though
the next chapter goes into greater detail as previously noted.
However, notice how Divine inspiration records that account; "So
God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male
and female
He created them." (Gen. 1:27) God created man as a
pair.
Therefore, being "one
flesh,"
both man and woman are a complete unit by God's design.
It
is sad that the sanctity of the marriage relationship has been so
disregarded in our society. However, this is nothing new. Even
during Christ's earthly ministry, He encountered a lack of respect
for the institution of marriage. The Pharisees confronted Jesus with
the question; "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for
just any reason?" (Mt. 19:3) To their shame, Jesus replied,
"Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made
them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave
his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall
become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what
God has joined together,
let not man separate." (vss. 4-6) It is little wonder that
Jesus referred them to the scriptures that recorded the origin
of God's arrangement for marriage and declared it to be the work of
God in joining them together.
It
is not likely that these Pharisees, in their apparent disregard for
the marriage bond and their preoccupation with the Mosaic allowance
for divorce, would have been impressed by the lesson Paul taught
Christians at Rome. Paul used the analogy of the lifelong bond of
marriage to teach that they had been freed from the old law by death
in order to be married to another. How could they have comprehended
this unless they understood
that "...the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?
For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as
long as he lives.
But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her
husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another
man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she
is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has
married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become
dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be
married
to another -
to
Him who was raised from the dead,
that we should bear fruit to God." Rom. 7:1-4)
Notice
that Paul spoke of being "married...to
Him who was raised from the dead" - that is, to
Christ!
How many recognize that "...as many of you as were baptized
into Christ have put on Christ" and that "you are all one
in Christ Jesus"?
(Gal. 3:27, 28) By that very act we are making a commitment as
binding as the marriage that it is. Paul emphasized the intimacy of
this marriage when he wrote that "...he who is joined to the
Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Cor. 6:17) Such a spiritual
analogy is comparable to that of two becoming one flesh.
As
mankind continues to digress in his disregard for God's arrangement
of one
man for one woman for life,
where the two become one flesh, we see the fabric of society fraying
and unraveling so that every perversion imaginable is quickly
approaching the status quo. (Read Rom. 1:24-28) As divorce rates sore
and society becomes indifferent to the sanctity of marriage, there is
a resultant failure to be impressed with the commitment involved in
such a bond. That being the case, the impact of Paul's teaching
regarding the relationship between Christ and the church is lost.
Without
a healthy understanding of the commitment of God's marriage
arrangement, how are we to be impressed with the command, "Wives,
submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head
of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the
Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to
Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself for her" (Eph. 5:22-25) Without understanding the
proper roles in marriage, how are Christians supposed to comprehend
the deep, self-sacrificing love of Christ for them, or their
submissive role of commitment to Christ within His church?
Furthermore,
without being impacted by the bond that is to be realized between two
in marriage, how are we to be impressed with Paul's teaching on this
matter when he wrote, "For we are members of His body, of His
flesh and of His bones. 'For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become
one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ
and the church."? (Eph. 5:30-32)
When
Paul wrote of the relationship between husbands and wives in his
letter to the church at Ephesus (Eph. 5:22-33), his purpose was to
define the church's relationship with Christ. How do you describe
the relationship between physical man and the spiritual God of
Heaven? To convey such a spiritual concept demanded an illustration
that our fleshly mind could relate to and understand within this
physical realm in which we live. Hence, the relationship between a
man and a woman wherein the "two become one flesh" best
defines the relationship between a Christian and Christ. (Or, when
referring to all Christians as a collectivity - the church) What
would otherwise be a mystery, is defined within the context of the
marriage relationship between a man and a woman. Therefore, Paul
concluded his remarks about husbands and wives by saying, "This
is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
(Eph. 5:32)
In
Paul's description of the roles of a husband and a wife, he
emphasized the necessity of a man loving his wife as being compared
to the love of Christ for His bride, the church. "Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself for her"
(Eph. 5:25) Jesus declared that "Greater love has no one than
this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (Jn. 15:13)
There is no doubt of Christ's love for His bride because He has
proven it by the ultimate sacrifice of life; "By this we know
love, because He laid down His life for us." (1 Jn. 3:16) If
there is not this level of commitment in marriage, how is man to
comprehend his commitment of love to Christ as His bride?
The
prophet Jeremiah recorded the words of God as He spoke of His love
for Israel; "...I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (Jer. 31:2) We
can understand the influence of love that draws
another to one's side. It is that same kind of love that has drawn us
to His side. Therefore, "We love Him because He first loved
us." (1 Jn. 4:19) With such love as He has lavished upon His
beloved bride, how easy it should be and how willing she should be to
love Him in return by honoring Him in obedient submission as her
Head. So Paul has written; "Wives, submit to your own husbands,
as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ
is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore,
just as the
church is subject to Christ,
so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." (Eph.
5:22-24)
The
proof of the genuiness of our love for Him is in our obedient
submission to
His will. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (1 Jn.
5:3) Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments."
(Jn. 14:15) Understanding that each person who has entered Christ by
means of baptism (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3) is a part of the body of
Christ (Eph. 5:30), it should also be understood that, collectively,
as His church, we are subject to His will. Therefore, His church has
not been given legislative power to make
law, but rather to submit
to His written law as it is contained in the New Testament.
The
creed books of denominations and the failure of many other religious
groups calling themselves the church, are testimony to the fact that
they have not submitted to the will of God but have rather legislated
their own laws. All such religious groups who have organized
themselves outside of the pattern that has been revealed in the New
Testament (Phil. 1:1), have disregarded the will of God. The same
can be said in regard to the worship that is offered in many places
without regard to the New Testament pattern. In short, Christ's
bride will not characterize herself with the "outward adornment"
of the trappings of that which attracts the attention of the fleshly
minded, but rather will be characterized by her "incorruptible
beauty" as seen in her heart (see 1 Pet. 3:3-4) So it was said
of early women who honored their husbands; "For in this manner,
in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned
themselves, being submissive to their own husbands." (vs. 5)
The
bond between Christ and His bride is one that is to be honored unto
death. Again, this is understood in the context of the marriage vow
between a man and a woman. Solomon wisely said, "When you make
a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in
fools. Pay what you have vowed - Better not to vow than to vow and
not pay." (Eccl. 5:4-5) In today's society, many marriages are
entered with the attitude that if it doesn't work out we will just
get a divorce. Within that attitude there is found no real
commitment, and the vows are without any substance.
When
one is baptized into Christ, a commitment is being made for life.
"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried
with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life. For
if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly
we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection." (Rom.
6:3-5) Such a relationship should not be entered lightly.
To
all who take their relationship with Christ lightly, these words
ought to be considered; "Beware,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God;
but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of
you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For
we have become partakers of Christ
if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
(Heb. 3:12-14) Peter says of those who choose to disregard their vow
of faithfulness to Christ, "...it would have been better for
them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known
it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has
happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to his
own vomit.' and, 'a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the
mire.'" (2 Pet. 2:21-22)
"Marriage
is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and
adulterers God will judge." (Heb. 13:4) The purity of the
marriage relationship is to be constantly guarded and maintained.
Anytime the vow of marriage is corrupted, it has become adulterated.
So it is when Christians decide to be unfaithful to Christ.
-
Gary V. Womack - April 2006