Genesis 2:19-24 (New American Standard)
19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept ; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man 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." 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife ; and they shall become one flesh.
19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept ; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man 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." 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife ; and they shall become one flesh.
If you were to come over to my house, I would welcome you inside but
there would be a set of rules by which to abide. Just like I would need
to abide by the rules for your house. For example, in my home, I don't
allow smoking. So if you smoke, you would need to put out your cigarette
before you came in my home.
I am able to make these rules and enforce them because it is my house.
Marriage is God's house. He came up with the idea. And it can only run
right when it is run by His rules.
What married couples often want to do, though, is to have God's
institution of marriage, yet run it by their own rules. They want to get
married in the church so that God will bless their marriage, but then
they want to leave God standing at the altar. They want to make up their
own rules for how a marriage should be run.
But let me tell you a secret. It is a very powerful secret. Pay
attention: You don't get God's results without operating by God's rules.
You don't get God's blessings in your marriage, and in your home,
without following God's instructions. You don't enjoy God's provision,
protection, and peace in your relationships without abiding by God's
policies concerning the conventional union of marriage.
Ephesians 5:21-33
Instructions for Christian Households
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[b] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
God designed marriage to be successful. He intended couples in covenant with Him and one another to have beautiful, fulfilling relationships, not disastrous, emotionally-draining ones. While marriage is at the heart of our culture, only when couples begin to properly live out covenant relationships in marriage will the fabric of our society be altered.
Adam and Eve, before they fell into sin, experienced the only perfect marriage in history. God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. God instituted marriage for procreation, and both parents were to rear the children in fear and admonition of the Lord. Marriage and parenting are vital for the continued godly dominion over the earth.
Marriage also completes us as individuals. In marriage, God has deeper levels of maturity and much higher heights of potential planned for couples. Marriage is also an illustration of the divine. When Christian couples live their lives according to God's principles, the world sees what Jesus and His bride look like.
But let me tell you a secret. It is a very powerful secret. Pay
attention: You don't get God's results without operating by God's rules.
You don't get God's blessings in your marriage, and in your home,
without following God's instructions. You don't enjoy God's provision,
protection, and peace in your relationships without abiding by God's
policies concerning the conventional union of marriage.
Ephesians 5:21-33
Instructions for Christian Households
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[b] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
God designed marriage to be successful. He intended couples in covenant with Him and one another to have beautiful, fulfilling relationships, not disastrous, emotionally-draining ones. While marriage is at the heart of our culture, only when couples begin to properly live out covenant relationships in marriage will the fabric of our society be altered.
Adam and Eve, before they fell into sin, experienced the only perfect marriage in history. God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. God instituted marriage for procreation, and both parents were to rear the children in fear and admonition of the Lord. Marriage and parenting are vital for the continued godly dominion over the earth.
Marriage also completes us as individuals. In marriage, God has deeper levels of maturity and much higher heights of potential planned for couples. Marriage is also an illustration of the divine. When Christian couples live their lives according to God's principles, the world sees what Jesus and His bride look like.
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