Genesis 2:18-25 & Ephesians 5:21-33 Some Examinations on Marriage & Christ and His Church

Genesis 2:18-25 & Ephesians 5:21-33

Some Examinations on Marriage & Christ and His Church

Genesis 2:18-25

(Genesis 2:18-25) “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 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. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

1) Why did God say, "It is not good for man to be alone”-

Man will have “an help meet” (v.18b) The wife will be a blessing and help to him in his life. So, it is obvious that the wife will help the man. However, God has established relationships. God expresses Himself in relationships that function in honoring Him. God teaches through relationships and that is why it is not good for man to be alone. God ordained fellowship is in His design of creation. Adam knew God and Eve would know God also. Rather than be alone, it would be better for Adam to have someone special to pursue this experience together of knowing God.

2) What it means for the husband and wife to become one flesh-

Within this text, God wants to establish a Holy and intimate union. Verses 18 and 25 interlock into a purpose of intimate fellowship in which God designed. Furthermore, systematically examining The Scripture gives us a New Testament lens in which to see this passage. One flesh shows a union that surpasses conversation, speculation, and sparingly interacting. Their desire and affection is interlocked in an intimate relationship. They function as one person. Each obeys their God given roles (individually) and as a result glorifies God in a Holy union (one flesh). Self-obedience to God as an individual brings them in union with God and as one flesh in union with each other which is established in God.

Ephesians 5:21-33

(Ephesians 5:21-33) 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

1) Why use this imagery of marriage to talk about the mystery of Christ and the church-

In understanding marriage, we also understand the great mystery concerning Christ and the church. The mystery began to unfold in Genesis 2 when God ordained the sacred union. We see God’s desire for relationship, fellowship, intimacy, and Holy union. God’s design of marriage is an ordained presentation for humanity to gaze into the relationship God desires with His people. The understanding of a Biblical husband is the steppingstone to understanding Christ as the head of The Church. The understanding of a Biblical wife is the steppingstone to understanding The Church as His bride and its submissiveness to His commandments. Therein, lies the relationship with the purchased flock of God and its Savior, Jesus Christ The Righteous. His authority is rooted in a wellspring of love and fully proclaimed in His sacrifice on the cross. We follow Him, not as our own authoritative figures but under the authority of Christ our groom.

2) Why Paul delivers for a wife to respect her husband and a husband to love his wife, but he does not say for a wife to love her husband and a husband to respect his wife?

These ministries are not designed to fail. God has given us the ministry of the husband and the wife in this passage. It is appropriate to determine that these are being done systematically in the fulness of Scripture. Notice, God does not give these commandments based upon the performance of the other. It is clearly understood that the husband and the wife are to exercise these roles based upon obedience to God. The husband leads in the will of God and love. The wife submits to her husband in the will of God and in so doing verifies her love. This is the presentation of marriage in its tabernacle being built up to God in glorifying Him through obedience. If done in accordance to this passage, the husband is not leading in disobedience to Christ or lack of love for his wife. If done in accordance to this passage, the wife is submitting to her husband as he follows Christ and not the lusts of his own desires. The husband’s authority is rooted in love as he serves the weaker vessel. As the wife is being led with love, served with love, she gives her respect and love to her husband. The obedience in their individual roles verifies their love to Christ and to each other. Obeying God’s design in marriage will fuel the greatest experience of love.

3) What do you think Paul means when he says, "wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do the Lord."

As stated previously, this passage gives a design of a husband who is obeying Christ. He leads with sacrificial love for his wife to walk in obedience to Christ. As he is submitted to the Lord, she submits to the husband. The wife is not enslaved to follow the unrighteousness of her husband. She submits and reverences her husband but is not forced to obey sinful conformities. When the husband is obeying Christ, she submits as a weaker vessel, as does The Church to Christ.

4) Meaning of "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body of which he is the Savior"-

Christ leads The Church to obey righteousness. Christ died on the cross in perfected love for us as we are His bride. He sacrificed Himself in the work to make us righteous. The husband lays down his life daily in order to lead his bride with love into greater paths of obedience to Christ. He is the role of authority, but only to serve his bride and love her by Spirit led paths of obedience. The husband should show the greatest illustration of the head of The Church, Jesus Christ. As Christ will present us blameless before God, the husband should present his wife blameless as well as he has led her in the will of God.

Works Cited

The Holy Bible Authorized King James Version. R.L. Allan & Son Publishers.