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Marriage is a great Idea

Marriage is a great idea, and most people who are getting married think so, otherwise they would nogo through the preparations for the wedding. That process alone is a great way to grow closer togetor grow further apart. People have said that wedding planning has convinced them to stay together

because they never want to go through that part of getting married ever again.

However, the wedding is not the end; its just the beginning. Most of us know this, but in North Amethe average wedding takes months to plan and costs on the average $30,000, and that does not couthe engagement ring. With that kind of investment, one can see how we Americans can get confusand think the wedding is marriage. Fortunately, God has spoken into our lives and brought thepurpose and the function of marriage into focus for us. Lets just look together at what God says thepurpose of marriage is as well as some of the functions of marriage in the family, the church and in thworld.

First, we need to repeat that Marriage is great idea, but its not our idea. Its not the idea of any ma

people group, tribe, culture or nation. Marriage is Gods great idea. He came up with whole plan, ahe instituted it when he created man and woman. The story begins: In the beginning God createdthe heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God came up with creation and initiated and performedeverything necessary for everything in Heaven and on the earth to exist. In his letter to the Colossiathe apostle Paul, speaking of God the Son, Jesus, For by him all things were created: things in heavand on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones and powers or rulers or authorities; all things wercreated by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things a hold together (Colossians1:16-17). The Apostle John adds, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was madthat has been made (John 1:3). In the creation story we quickly find that God created everything tolive and to remain living. All along the creation process God evaluates his work, and proclaims that has done good work. He was pleased with his work. Nothing was missing. On the sixth and final d

God did his best work. Many call this his crowning moment, his opus! It is recorded for us in Gene1:26 and 27, Then God said, let us make man in our image, in out likeness, and let them rule over thfish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creaturesthat move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he createdhim; male and female he created them. After that the Scriptures record God saying that he evaluateall he had created and said it was very good. Genesis 2:1, sums it up this way, Thus the heavens athe earth were completed in all their vast array. The words there mean that everything that was to bcompleted was created. God didnt need to add or subtract anything to his work. He didnt forgetanything, and it was very good.

Notice that mankind, both man and woman, shared the image, the likeness of God. They were equanature and both shared what many early church fathers called the Cultural Mandate or the CreatioMandate, to rule over, to take or to have, or to exercise dominion over all that God had created. Noother creature created by God was given either the image of God or the mandate to manage or toguard the works of God. That was the work of man and woman. But they were also given anothermandate, to multiply. They were to fill the earth with the image of God. This would be Gods remindto all of his creation that God is God and he is the sovereign, the ultimate ruler, of all things that hecreated. That image being seen by all of creation would be his great and lasting testimony. It was tbe a perfect reflection of the glory that is his by nature of being God.

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In Genesis 2, we are told by Moses the same story but from a different, more of a microscopicperspective. God created the man first and placed him in the garden. Man was given the task oftaking care of the garden and was also responsible for naming the animals. Those tasks seem all soinsignificant, but they were exercises given to Adam to show his authority over creation, just as God

had commanded him to take domain over or to manage Gods creation on earth. God was honoringown Word and plan. Even when Adam named the animals, he was showing his authority over themListen to this, Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all of thbirds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; andwhatever the mcalled each living creature, that was its name (Genesis 2:19). I added a little emphasis on the lapart to focus on Gods upholding mans authority. God didnt stop the man or correct the man. Goddidnt suggest a better name or change any of the names Adam had chosen. God was backing manauthority. That will be very important as we go on in this study.

In Genesis 2:18, God points out that for Adam there was no suitable helper. Those two words arevery important. Suitable means matching. There were not other creatures in earth that matched Ad

in nature. Remember, Adam was created in the image and likeness of God. For there to be one tomatch Adam God would have to provide that one creature. That created being would have to be eqin nature with Adam and complimentary in function. Thus, God gives us the very next word, Helperwhich means, One who comes alongside. In the original language it is the Hebrew word, ezer. Tonly time we find that word used in the Old Testament is when God uses it to express his function anrole in relation to his chosen people, Israel, He calls himself the ezer of Israel. In the NewTestament we find God the Spirit is also called the comforter, the parakletos the one who comesalongside the church, Counselor or Advocate, as in a legal sense. These are powerful wordsdescribing the function of the woman in the life of the man. Notice also, Gods describing man withowoman, The Lord said, it is not good for man to be alone. I will make for him a helper suitable (fit) fhim (Genesis 2:18). Again, we see man and woman are like one another, and share the likeness oGod, but they are built to serve different roles in the marital relationship.

Notice God is meeting a great need in man. Man was created in the likeness of God, and he had nosin. Marriage is not a result of anything evil or lacking in the nature of man, but God is a relational Gone God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To fully reflect the nature of the triune God,man needed to be in intimate relationship with one like himself in nature but different in function. Mawas created in such a way that he could share in a relationship with God and with the creation arounhim. But nothing in creation could share the very nature, the likeness of man. God took care of thatcreating woman for man. Her creation was different than that of every other created being, includingman. All the other created beings were created form the dust of the ground, but woman was createdout of the flesh of Adam. She really was organically connected to him. She shared his flesh and boShe was created by God for Adam. When Moses describes this in Genesis he says that God brougher (woman) to the man. The word for brought carries with it a meaning that expresses excitemenfrom the giver to the receiver. God was excited to give the man his new companion, woman. Godknew this gift was going to be greatly and happily received. Woman would meet the relational part oman. She would be able to come alongside him in the work of ruling the creation and reproducing thimage of God, filling the earth with the image of God. She would compliment him in his naturerelationally, physically and spiritually. This was a great idea, and Adam thought so too.

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