Christian Word - Emmaus Ministries

Most people tend to think of marriage as concerning two people: husband and wife. But this is not what God intended. His intension has always been for marriage to include God as an essential participant. For non-Christians that means a three-way relationship. For Christians it is a five-way relationship since God consists of Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

FURTHER ARITHMETIC COMPLICATIONS

And yet, that is not really the full picture. Having expanded the numbers in the relationship, we now really need to contract them. Why? Because in Genesis 2 God creates woman in a very strange way. The rest of creation seems to be done in a fairly obvious manner, but re-read Genesis 2. 21 , 22 where God causes the man to fall asleep — and then takes a rib from him, out of which he creates the woman. Adam marvels at this, that she was created out of his very own flesh. Two from one, as it were.

But this idea of two from one is then turned on its head, for v 24 tells us that, not only will a man leave his parents for his wife, but that "they will become one flesh". Now note the wording here: "they will become one flesh"! Not "they will become AS IF they were one flesh", or "they will become rather like being one flesh". No! "They will BECOME ONE FLESH". Quite unambiguous.

How are we to understand this? Clearly it does not mean that husband and wife will physically merge together into one being. There is certainly a physical coming together as one flesh in sexual intercourse, an activity reserved purely for marriage between man and woman, and that can be seen as a consequence of Genesis 2. 24, and that it is reserved for within marriage: a kind of physical parallel to a greater spiritual reality. But that is clearly far from the complete meaning inherent in the scripture.

THE ESSENTIAL MEANING

The fundamental meaning here certainly has strong physical and sexual overtones and implications. But the essence of what is being said refers to the spiritual relationship between husband and wife: "THEY SHALL BECOME ONE. "Shall become". There is to be a unity in marriage which will be found in no other human relationship: a spiritual unity embracing purpose, objective, preference and, since we are all called to share in the divine nature (2 Peter 1. 10, 11), a relationship in which both find their oneness in the Oneness of God.

We start off as separate people, but marriage brings us together in a real oneness, but which then has to be worked at, developed, to realise something of its full potential.

Marriage is a commitment of one person to another. It is the promising of that commitment of man and woman to each other before God that makes marriage marriage. It is God who creates the oneness and makes it possible, for it is an imitation of the Godhead and the Three in One.

LIVING THE MEANING

This concept of oneness between husband and wife is so important that Jesus, when questioned about marriage by the Pharisees (e.g. in Matthew 19 1 - 6 and following), not only takes the opportunity to quote Genesis 2. 24 but actually gives added emphasis to it by saying: "So they are no longer two but one". Again, there is no question of a simile here. The two WILL become one.

Developing the oneness means, over the years, actively seeking out coincidences of interest, common purposes and objectives which are mutually compatible and rooted in Christian spirituality.

REALISING THE RESPONSIBILITIES

Yet these conditions attaching to marriage bring with it great responsibilities — for both husband and wife. These responsibilities are all the more difficult to achieve in today’s world, shot-through, as it is, with materialism and demands for short term, indeed immediate satisfactions.

It is a world in which selfishness and egotism predominate. Beauty advertisements repeatedly tell us to buy creams and so forth which enhance our appearance "because you are worth it". With an environment saturated with such pernicious and false values, the embracing of two usually selfish and worldly people to become as one in the Godhead, calls for a letting go of all that would hinder

the oneness to which Christian husbands and wives are called. They can only truelydevelop if that marital oneness becomes a spiritual oneness with God:Father, Son and Holy Spirit at its centre and acitive in the relationship.

AUTHOR: Anthony Keith Whitehead

WEB SITE: http://www.christianword.co.uk

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Over twentyfive years in Christian healing teaching writing ministries. Wide range of secular employments before being called by the Lord into full time independent ministry in 1987. With his wife Iris he has ministered both in the UK and USA. Has written many articles and several books on healing meditation, empowerment, salvation and various aspects of spirituality. Formal qualifications include: B.A., M.Phil.,

Cambridge University Certificate in Religious Studies Post Grad Cert in Education.