02/10
Original Design
“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18
Genesis 2:18
God created marriage. It was His idea and it was a perfect idea. When man had been created on his own, he had not yet arrived at the "good" status each of the other aspects of creation had been. God would not stop short of perfection. Once women were created and the two were joined and fit together, not only were the first humans good, they were described in scripture as very good. Nothing else was fit to be a helper and partner for a man; not an animal, not a tool, not a machine, and not another man. It was only a woman, created specifically to be compatible with and complementary to a man, that would do. This is not to say that either man or women is more important than the other. Both men and women are equally valued and loved in God's eyes. The reason that God loves marriage so much is because marriage is a picture of God’s very nature. It paints a picture of the singularly plural Godhead; separate, yet joined together in perfect union. All parts are equal yet they are distinct in their function. The husband and wife are equal in value but serve different purposes created by God, just like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The healthiest marriages will always be those which exist closest to the way they were originally designed. Marriages linked together under the umbrella of the protection and provision of God will be stronger than those who reject God and rely on their own protection and provision. God designed marriages with a man as the head of the household and the wife as a supportive counterpart, not so he would lord his authority over her, but that He would be the one who goes first and leads, and the wife would encourage that vision and strengthen her husband. In today's day and age, even this design can be framed as sexist or somehow wrong, yet the more marriage drifts from God's perfect design, the more specific marriages, and marriage, in general, will suffer. As followers of Jesus, we need to become champions of God's design for all things, because it was created perfectly.
The healthiest marriages will always be those which exist closest to the way they were originally designed. Marriages linked together under the umbrella of the protection and provision of God will be stronger than those who reject God and rely on their own protection and provision. God designed marriages with a man as the head of the household and the wife as a supportive counterpart, not so he would lord his authority over her, but that He would be the one who goes first and leads, and the wife would encourage that vision and strengthen her husband. In today's day and age, even this design can be framed as sexist or somehow wrong, yet the more marriage drifts from God's perfect design, the more specific marriages, and marriage, in general, will suffer. As followers of Jesus, we need to become champions of God's design for all things, because it was created perfectly.
Reflection Questions
- Has there been any societal influence that has distorted your view of God ordained marriage? How has this affected your marriage if so?
- Think about what it means to run ahead as the man and to help as the woman. How can you and your spouse gain a better understanding of God’s perspective on these roles and then practically apply them to your marriage?