- Male and Female Created He Them - God created man in his own image. No other creature that God made during the six days of creation is quite like man. The reason for this is because man has an eternal soul (unlike the animals), and he was made in the image of His Maker. Man was created perfectly by God – that is, he was endowed with mental, physical, and spiritual capabilities in order to serve God and enjoy fellowship with Him. God has given man the capacity to communicate, to reason, to work, to feel emotion, to nurture, to explore, to invent – to name just a few capabilities. In Gen 2:20, in connection with the creation of man, we see “... but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” and in Gen2:18, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”. So God created Woman out of Man, from his bone, from his flesh, divinely designed them to form an intricate and intimate union with one another and God instituted marriage, as seen in Gen 2:21-24. God created Woman to be alongside Man as his “other half”, to be his aid, his helper, his companion and his life partner. In Gen 1:28 we learn that Adam and Eve were blessed by God to bear children and rule over the rest of God’s magnificent world. The biblical concept of marriage is a oneness between two individuals, husband and wife, that pictures the oneness of Christ with His Bride, the Church.
Gen 1:26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Gen 2:21-24 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto 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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
Mark 10:6-9 “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
- Men with Men and Women with Women - Man was made to serve and obey God and man chose to rebel. Unfortunately, this idyllic situation in Garden of Eden was short-lived because they tragically failed a test that was set up by their Creator: “... God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ... And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen 3:1-6). However, a tragic event unfolded that sent eternal shockwaves throughout the universe, infected every single human being in the process, and sentenced all (unless redeemed) to eternal death in Hell: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). Man, who had been perfectly created in the image and likeness of God had rebelled against His Maker. Adam and Eve and all the rest of us are deceived by three factors, as 1 John 2:16 tells us – a very real and insidious problem of life on this sin-cursed earth is that man is captivated by “… all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life...”. Man’s innate sinfulness, pride and rebellion against God continued. Not only is he in complete rebellion against God and His Law, the Bible, throughout history man has attempted to create the Infinite, Eternal God “in man’s own image”, reducing God to man’s level, to something he can control – a portable, practical kind of a god – very much like a puppet of sorts. Though many today do not worship so-called “idols”, they are just as guilty for worshiping their own minds, or humanity, or education, or science, or fame or power, or money, or politics. Man is guilty of changing God’s laws of the Bible, especially regarding marriage, to suit his own sinful inclinations. Marriage has everything to do with the family, and the family is the foundation of society. Same-sex marriages cannot be fruitful nor can they multiply. Man is setting up for his own extinction. The family is the cornerstone of every nation. When the families are destroyed, the destruction of the nation is not far behind. Luke 17:26-33 is a fitting commentary of our day, as we are in the period known as “Great Tribulation”. It is important to remember that God has obligated Himself to punish sin, and that man is completely accountable to God for his sin because he was created in the image of God. Although God is extremely patient with mankind, that does not in any way diminish the fact that He hates sin and hates sinners: “God judgeth the righteous [saved], and God is angry with the wicked [unsaved] every day” (Psa 7:11). Man will be brought to justice on the dreadful Judgement Day as 2 Pet 2:9 states: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
Rom 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Luke 17:26-29 “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”
Isa 5:20-26 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 24Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:”
- The Ultimate Male and Female – Christ and His Bride - God alone provided the solution for man’s sin. You see, though through woman sin entered, it was through the woman, Eve, that help would one day come, as Gen 3:15 and 1 Tim 2:13-15 alludes. So, who is the seed of the woman? it is Christ as Gal 4:4-5 elaborates. God also likens the union of a husband and wife to the mysterious union between Christ and His Bride, the eternal church, in Eph 5:31-32. The language God used to describe the intimacy of Christ and the Church “we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” is same as the one he used to describe how woman is the integral part of man, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man”. In other words, God is assuring us that He has made a spiritual commitment that the church is to be forever the bride of Christ. Once Christ had committed to build a church from and for Himself, He will never revoke His commitment to love that church [eternal body of believers] eternally. In this intimate, wonderful example of the church being the bride of Christ, God looks at the physical marriage relationship, and admonishes husbands to follow the same pattern.
Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his [Christ] heel.”
1 Tim 2:13-15 “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing [Christ] ...”
Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law…”
Eph 5:25, 28-32 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
No comments:
Post a Comment