02/10
Singular Plurality
“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. Man, created on his own, was "not good" and had not yet arrived at the "good" status that 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 perfectly, not only were the first humans good, they were described in scripture “very good”. No animal, tool, machine or another man was fit to be a helper and partner to the man God created. 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 one is more important than the other, men and women are equally valued and loved in God's eyes. God loves marriage because it is a picture of himself. A singular plurality that paints a picture of the Godhead, separate, yet joined together in perfect union.
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 a supportive figure, 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 support 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 a supportive figure, 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 support 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 Question
- Think about what it means to leads 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?
Message
The following video by Mark and Grace Driscoll discusses how God’s law in marriage is not to inhibit us, but set us free within the boundaries He has set for you and your spouse!