Genesis - 7
The Beginning of Marriage and the Family (Part 2)
Last time we discovered from the opening chapters of Genesis that God created humankind and that He made them male and female. We saw that because of human sinfulness gender difference often becomes gender division. God did not intend such breakdowns in relationship, but designed us to live happily and harmoniously, male and female sharing in life together in a constructive and compassionate manner.
On this programme I want to look more carefully into the matter of human sexuality and how it ties in with God’s design for marriage. To do this we will look at Genesis chapter 1 verses 27 and 28. We discovered last time that God created mankind as male and female and that when He surveyed all that He had created, He pronounced it to be “very good.” All that God made was perfect, including the man and the woman. Each possessing differing sexual characteristics and capabilities according to God’s design and purpose was well pleasing to Him. We need to establish this beyond all dispute as this is what God’s own word teaches us.
We need to establish that principle very clearly because of what we see around us in the world today. In matters of human sexuality virtually no reference is made to God’s pronouncement on these matters. The way men and women behave in their sexual relations with one another in the world at large is completely at variance with the divine purpose and plan. The only reference points seem to be selfishness, pleasure, money or cruelty and exploitation. Look at what is going on around you; read the newspapers; see what is filling television and cinema screens and magazines, and I think you will agree that human sexuality is being widely abused and misused.
Human sexuality, then, was designed and created by God and received his blessing. It is a gift given to us through which, in the bond of the marriage relationship, we can find true joy and fulfilment. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 28 we read that, “God blessed the man and the woman and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’” In other words God was saying to them, “You have been given the capacity to reproduce and this is my will for you. This has my blessing so that the earth will be populated by children born to you.”
Now remember, at this point I am only dealing with the fact of human sexuality and the increase of mankind through the union of man and woman. The setting for it, the God-ordained relationship of marriage, I will come to later. What is being established here in the opening verses of the Bible is that God made us with the mental, physical and psychological capacity for the fulfilling of his purpose that the human race should grow from his original creation and so populate the Earth.
I emphasis all this from these words in Genesis chapter 1 because the sexual nature of man has been affected by his fall into sin. He no longer glorifies God with his sexuality. He simply pleases himself. He does not consider consequences. Little or no regard is given to those who are hurt or harmed by lustful behaviour. Selfish pleasure is the only motive and there is resentment against the restraints found in God’s Word.
Now, God’s design for sexual activity is for something that is in itself pure and fulfilling. It was meant for a human race that lived in a loving relationship with Him and walked with Him and pleased Him in everything. It is corrupt human nature that has debased the whole subject, given it a “bad press” as we might say.
At the beginning it was not like this, being spoken of freely by God to Adam and Eve without any sense of shame or embarrassment.
Let it be clearly understood that God our Creator does not ignore the debasing of human sexuality for commercial and personal exploitation. He does not ignore the cruel and vicious attacks on women and girls that are so commonplace. Neither does He ignore the promiscuity and unfaithfulness that is so widespread in our day. The awful consequences of this are seen in the ravages of widespread sexually transmitted diseases and the number of children born outside a stable and legitimate relationship, many to very young girls. The whole scene shakes its fist in the face of God and everything He meant human sexual relations to be. His judgement will fall and is already falling on those who do such things.
Can I say to you , if you are caught in this evil web of a godless, selfish sexuality, there is a way to forgiveness and cleansing. There is a way to freedom and true wholeness. That way is the way of genuine and sincere repentance towards God for your sins. It is the way of faith in Christ who died for your sins on the cross. Only God who made you can deliver you from your fallen human nature and give you the power to overcome. He alone can cleanse your conscience as you turn to Him for forgiveness and turn away from your old practices.
We are going to discover now that the gift of our sexuality is to be exercised only within the bonds of marriage. Even allowing for the wide variety of customs in our world, there is still a basic understanding that marriage is the coming together of a man and a woman in a serious, life-long commitment to each other. However, in many places this is a principle that is being abandoned, or regarded at best as a nice ceremony with little lasting significance. This is why we need to return to the first principles as found in Genesis chapter 2.
In verse 24 we read these words: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” This would be the fulfilment of God’s command that they should “be fruitful and increase in number.”
This verse also makes it clear that the physical union of a man and a woman is to be the expression of their life-long union: “They will become one flesh.” This is a God-given principle that we ignore at our peril. We live in a world where this concept is being abandoned, but there is a very heavy social and personal cost. “Becoming one flesh” is just seen as part of brief relationships and casual friendships with no regard to God’s pattern of being joined together for life. It has lost its deep significance, resulting in a very unstable society where people drift in and out of marriage or short-term relationships without considering any real, binding commitment to one another. A result of all this is the breakdown of family life and its devastating effect on countless numbers of children and the increase in so-called “one parent families.”
If you are contemplating marriage then seek to enter upon it in the way that God intended, as a life-long commitment. If you are a Christian then seek God’s will for the right partner who is also a committed believer so that you can walk together in his ways.
The establishment of Christian homes, built on stable, loving relationships, where God is honoured and obeyed, will make an impact for good on our world.
The New Testament uses marriage as a beautiful picture of the union of Christ and his Church. A union based on true love - his love for his people and our love for Him. Such a picture surely emphasises the sanctity of the marriage bond and why we should look on it, and our human sexuality, as something good and pure that comes from God Himself.