As One

21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23And 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.” 24Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2: 21 - 25 NKJV

What is that purpose of marriage?  Let me try that agian, what is Gods purpose for marriage?  I get the entire life partner, help mate thing, but what is the ultimate goal here?  I've had more than a few conversations with a coworker who argues with his buddy each and every time he mentions the fact that he and his wife are...one.  In fact, we are told in Genesis that God indeed intended this to be.  That is, that a man and a woman, a husband and wife shall be one flesh.  Now, to phrase my friends argument, how is it at all possible that two individual people can indeed be one flesh?  Well, I believe that first we need to understand that we have never been independent from our heavenly Father.  So, in that respect we never have been invividuals.  However, we were all indeed created in our Lords image despite being unique in our own way.  So, yes, in some ways we are different.  But does this relate to that marriage relationship which God has created for his children?  Was Gods intention for marriage that it be as fragile and disposable as we have made it today?  I'm thinking not.  I'm thinking that God created this union between a man and a woman to be one of the most cherished, closely held relationships we would ever enter into.  I have friends who have celebrated more than 50 years of marriage recently.  Imagine that, fifty years of being in a relationship with the same person.  In an age where both personal and online relationships are tossed aside without a single thought, this seems like almost a impossible feat.  However, this was not our Lords intention for His children.  For as Jesus prayed in the garden that all of Gods children would be one with He and the Father, so it is with our own marriage relatinships.

4Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not bpuffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7 NKJV

So, what is this whole thing which my friend refers to as he and his wife being one?  The closest anyone has come to explaining this to me was a pastor friend of mine who simply asked the question of if we have ever known what our wives were thinking or feeling without having to ask.  Since I have yet to be married, I could not profess to answer this question.  However, a few of my friends acknowledged that indeed they have felt this intimate knowledge of their mates from time to time.  This, explained the pastor, is the "one" part of our marriage relationships.  I'm assuming that this also refers to that "one flesh" description which we see in Genesis.  Two people, in some ways seperate, but ultimately joined as ONE.  The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that the husband does not have authority over his own body but his mate does {1 Corinthians 7:4}.  Likewise, a wife does not have authority over her own body...her husband does.  Two people joined as one.  Of course, we have over time bastardized what God intended to be one of the most significant relationships we would ever enter into.  From 99 dollar divorces to throw away marriage relationships, we ourselves have cheapened what our Lord meant for good.  Of course, that doesn't surprise me at all.  This isn't just a modern issue, for man has been fighting with this issue of marriage for centuries.  I have often wondered if we would ever get back to what God intended for our marriage relationships.  Growing up in a single parent home, I've seen the bad side divorce can have on a family.  I don't feel that there will ever come a time where when marriage will be seen as a cherished relationship by our society.  However, I do see the opportunity for Gods children to cherish that which He has created.

1Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
1 Corinthians 13: 1 - 4 NKJV

~Scott~