marriage

1 .Husband and Wife

God

Husband Wife

a.picture of marriage is not a triangle, but rather a diamond.

b.This diagram illustrates the fact that marriage is to be viewed, not just horizontally and vertically, but also, eternally.

c. By understanding more of the eternal purpose of marriage, couples should be able to use their marriage to relate to the world as God intended.

d. It is my hope that we shall move towards an appreciation of Christian marriage as a diamond. The diamond marriage is one where husband, wife, the Lord and the witness of the marriage to the world, are held together in order to show God’s ultimate purpose to unite all things in the glorification of his Son.

Vibert, S. (2005). The Diamond Marriage: Have Ultimate Purpose in Your Marriage (pp. 35–36). Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications.

Genesis 2:18–22 KJV 1900

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.

gene2:

There are a number of unique features about the creation of Eve which hint at the kind of role she and Adam are to play. First, God took the women from the man—they were originally one flesh. Second, she is made differently, from Adam’s rib, not from the dust of the earth. Third, Adam is absolutely delighted when he sees her: ‘Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh,’ he exclaims! He is filled with joy at the sight of Eve and bursts into song!

Not made out of his head to top him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved.

Genesis 2:24 KJV 1900

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

gene2

1. One flesh’ involves, first, an intention, and second, a growing experience

2.  To be ‘one flesh’ implies more than just sexual intercourse, although that can clearly be inferred. The force of the word is more to do with a social than a sexual union.

3.At one level this happens as soon as the couple are married, but at a deeper level, the couple increasingly experience ‘being one’

A. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 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.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 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.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

First, teaches that both the man and the woman are made in God’s image. In their marriage they will find fulfilment and intimacy with a co-equal partner. There is no room for superiority or domineering here

Second, God had a very ‘hands on’ approach to creating Eve. No animal was able to fulfil the role for which Eve was made. She was specially created from a part of Adam, his own flesh. Adam names her. The Genesis narrative intends us to deduce Adam’s role as including a degree of initiating and leading in the relationship, with her responding and yielding to him.for superiority or domineering here

Third, the first marriage ceremony was one of great joy and delight! Finally, Adam is happy. The woman is ‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’, he says (), and in her, he will find contentment and companionship in the task of looking after the world in which God has placed them.

The Diamond Marriage: Have Ultimate Purpose in Your Marriage Summary

Third, the first marriage ceremony was one of great joy and delight! Finally, Adam is happy. The woman is ‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’, he says (Gen. 2:23), and in her, he will find contentment and companionship in the task of looking after the world in which God has placed them.

The Diamond Marriage: Have Ultimate Purpose in Your Marriage ‘Christianity Isn’t a Joy Ride, but a Joy Road’

‘Christianity isn’t a Joy ride, but a Joy Road’

The Purpose of Marriage

If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and if the chief end of God is to glorify himself and enjoy himself for ever, surely the same can be said to be true of the corporate relationship of husband and wife? The chief end of marriage is to glorify God and find in him and in their union, enjoyment for ever.

Agapē love is unconditional and irrevocable. God chose to love us first, before we gave Him our love in return, or even knew who He was. Agapē love gives without measuring the cost or seeking personal advantage … Agapē love is not natural; it is supernatural … Agapē love has something both glorious and practical to say to the married couple, for it is this amazing way of loving God’s way, which can become our way of loving by God’s power.12

a figure with four straight sides of equal length forming two opposite acute angles and two opposite obtuse angles; a rhombus.

Diamond. Precious gem, usually colorless, consisting of crystalized carbon. In the Bible “diamond” seems to indicate hardness, rather than the actual identification, of the stone.