IN THE BEGINNING
GENESIS PART 1 – ANTEDILUVIAN HISTORY
THE DOCTRINE OF MARRIAGE PART 1: ONE MAN, ONE WOMAN, ONE LIFETIME
GENESIS 2:18-25
INTRODUCTION
- Earlier this month, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America held its national convention. The convention was held in Minneapolis, MN. The purpose of the convention, as with any denomination’s convention, was to gather to discuss and organize different happenings in the denomination. Often times denominational leaders are voted on, programs are introduced, etc.
- There was one topic of discussion that was drawing a lot of attention. On the Desiring God website, which posted an article about the event I’m about to share with you, it says: According to the ELCA’s printed convention schedule, at 2 PM on Wednesday, August 19, the 5th session of the convention was to begin. The main item of the session: “Consideration: Proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality.” The issue is whether practicing homosexuality is a behavior that should disqualify a person from the pastoral ministry.
- On August 19, 2009 at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, this Lutheran denomination was to debate not only the question of the morality of homosexuality, but also whether or not practicing homosexuals could serve in leadership roles in Lutheran churches. Listen to an eyewitness account of what occurred on that day (this is also from Desiring God): On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts—most saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis. The tornado happens on a Wednesday...during the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s national convention in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The convention is using Central Lutheran across the street as its church. The church has set up tents around it’s building for this purpose. This curious tornado touches down just south of downtown and follows 35W straight towards the city center. It crosses I94. It is now downtown. The time: 2PM. The first buildings on the downtown side of I94 are the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran. The tornado severely damages the convention center roof, shreds the tents, breaks off the steeple of Central Lutheran, splits what’s left of the steeple in two...and then lifts.
- What in the world was going on there? I believe, along with others who had seen or heard of the event, that God was providing a warning not just to the Lutheran church, but to all churches: Do not condone what Scripture condemns. Now natural disasters occur in all sorts of places and affect all sorts of people; Bible believing, born again Christians included. So a natural disaster happening does not automatically translate into an act of God’s judgment.
- But we believe in a God who controls the tiniest details of this universe. The wind and the waves still obey the voice of the Savior. What seems like happenstance to others is God’s sovereignty and providence at work to us. And as we are going to see today during our look at Genesis: God is concerned with the purity of human sexuality. He is concerned with the sanctity of marriage. I think God made his “vote” very clear on that August day. And more importantly, he is certainly clear in Scripture. There is no doubt about what God has to say about marriage in the Bible. Let’s take a look at the very first marriage ceremony as we continue our look at Genesis.
[READ GENESIS 2:18-25]
- The first thing that the careful reader should notice in this passage is the stark contrast between v.18 and the whole of chapter 1 and chapter 2 up to this point. In 1:4 God sees the light that is shining on Earth’s surface and he calls it “good”. On the third creation day, after God separates the land from the seas, Moses writes: And God saw that it was good. Later on that same creation day after God forms the plants it says the same thing: it was good. The pattern continues into the fourth day: the luminaries are called “good”. The sea creatures and birds created on day five are called “good”. God sees that his creation is “good” after he forms the land animals on day six. And at the end of day six, after mankind, the pinnacle of God’s creation is formed, Moses writes: And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
- Now in chapter 2 the author zooms in on the creation of mankind and fills in some of the details that are not mentioned in vv.26-31 of chapter 1. All of this time, God has been saying that his creation is “good”. But sometime after the “good” declaration of the land animals and the “very good” declaration of mankind, the LORD God says: It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.
- And so goes the rest of account of the creation of woman out of man. God wants the man to experience deep and unique companionship with another creature. None of the animals created were appropriate for such companionship. So God forms another human being – like Adam and yet unlike Adam. When he presents the woman to Adam, the man proclaims that at last he has a true helper; someone who is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.
- Now let’s read again what Moses writes after this declaration of Adam: Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
- This is the first reference to the covenant of marriage in Scripture. We are going to put this reference together with other biblical references to piece together a biblical view of marriage. And the importance of marriage cannot be overstated. It is the second primary doctrine that receives treatment in the Scriptures and it is the first human institution. The only doctrine discussed before it is creation, of course. So you might remember its importance like this: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (that’s creation). And in the beginning, God created the institution of marriage.
- So, first of all from this text:
MARRIAGE IS THE MEANS BY WHICH GOD’S COMMAND TO BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY IS OBEYED
- In v.28 of chapter 1 God tells the man and the woman: Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it...God’s intent for mankind was that they would rule over the other creatures on this planet. Remember we stated last time that this is part of what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. Now in order for this to happen, some sort of method needs to be in place by which Adam can reproduce, just as the plants and animals reproduce according to their kinds.
- So God designs the woman Eve as Adam’s sexual counterpart. She is described in 2:18 as a helper fit for him. The phrase literally reads: a helper corresponding to him. In what way was Eve to be Adam’s helper? Well, one very obvious way is that she was to help Adam be fruitful and multiply.
- The Creator instituted this relationship so that human beings can enjoy sex and have children. Scripture is crystal clear: sex is only to be enjoyed within the relationship of marriage; and it follows that if sex is limited to marriage, then having children is as well.
- The easiest place to start with this is adultery. The Bible is replete with references to adultery as a sin against God and a person’s marital partner. In fact, we don’t even have to go outside of the Pentateuch to see that, do we? The 7th commandment listed in Exodus 20 is: You shall not commit adultery. Adultery in the Old Testament was punishable by death. It was considered a serious offense.
- And in the New Testament, while the penalty for adultery changed, the sinfulness of it did not. In John 8 when the scribes and Pharisees brought Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery, he spares her life by asking the person who is without sin to cast the first stone at the woman. But his sparing of her life is not to be seen as an acceptance of her behavior, because he says to her: go, and from now on sin no more. Once you are married, you are to have sex with one person and one person only: your spouse.
- But what about premarital sex? Is it wrong for people to have a sexual relationship before they are married? The Bible is equally clear on this issue as well. Now, you will not find the words “premarital sex” in Scripture. There is no “you shall not have premarital sex” commandment, worded as such. But the concept of sex before marriage is condemned just as much as the concept of sex outside of marriage.
- I found this quote on the internet that I thought summarized things very well. It is a quote by a woman named Linda MacQueen. I believe she is the editor of the national Lutheran magazine in Australia, but I was not able to verify that fact. So by using this quote I am in no way aligning myself with her beliefs, but I would whole heartedly agree with what she says here: In the time when the Bible was written, there wasn’t anything like dating and “going out together”. People married young. Most people old enough to be interested in sex were already married. That’s probably why the Bible doesn’t deal specifically with the question of premarital sex. For the majority of people, it simply wasn’t an issue. But the Bible does have a lot to say about the proper use of sex and the wrong use of sex. The Bible presents only one proper place for sexual intercourse: within marriage. Adultery is wrong (Exodus 20:14) and casual sex with prostitutes is wrong (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). Single people who lack self-control are urged to marry, not practice “safe sex” (1 Corinthians 7:2,9). The Bible clearly states there is no other place for sex but within the security and sanctity of marriage.
- When Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus through a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, Joseph contemplates annulling their betrothal (which is similar to our engagement) because of her perceived sin. Even the woman who committed adultery in John 8 was involved in a form of premarital sex because she was not likely married; although her partner in sin was.
- So the boundaries of sex are clear, but what about the purpose of sex? Why did God create us as sexual beings? There are two primary purposes for sex found in Scripture. The first is procreation.
- You don’t have to be a biologist to understand that sexual intercourse is the natural way that children are brought into this world. And the word of God tells us that the family that has many children is blessed. Psalm 127:3-5 says: Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
- To separate sex from having children is to ignore one of the main intentions of God. However, this does not mean that sex is only to be enjoyed for the purpose of procreation. The second primary purpose for sex in the Bible is martial intimacy. God is glorified when a husband and a wife rightly enjoy his gift of sexual intimacy.
- The Song of Solomon is a great example of this. The whole book is a celebration of the intimacy a man and a woman rightly share within the covenant of marriage. And in the book of Proverbs Solomon himself writes this 5:15-20: Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
- Often we only see the warning against adultery there. There most certainly is a warning against adultery! But how is that sin to be avoided? By a husband delighting in his wife. The sexual relationship they share is to be satisfying to them, so they see no need to go elsewhere for pleasure. I know the language and imagery is foreign to us (men, I wouldn’t try calling your wife a lovely deer or a graceful doe!), but the point is that it is a good and godly thing for a married couple to enjoy their intimacy.
- So marriage is the only acceptable relationship in which sex can play a part. And it follows, therefore, that having children is intended to be a part of marriage only. There is no room to wiggle around this. In Hebrews 13:4 the Bible says: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. So marriage is the only way this familiar Genesis command can be rightly obeyed.
- So that’s one of the answers to the “Why marriage?” question. Let’s consider what we might call the “Who?” question next.
MARRIAGE IS TO BE ENTERED INTO BY ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN
- This statement addresses the issues of polygamy and homosexuality. Let’s start with polygamy since it tends to be far less volatile.
- The Genesis text is quite simple in this regard. The “two” shall become “one” flesh. There is no room for any concept of additional people here; mostly because there are only two people in existence at this point! So “the three shall become one flesh” isn’t even an option!
- Later Levitical law prohibited a man from marrying sisters. In Deuteronomy 17 there is a command for Israel’s kings not to marry multiple wives. And in the New Testament there is a similar requirement for elders: they are to be “one woman men”, or the husbands of one wife. The only real difficulty with this is that polygamy was rampant in the Old Testament. There are numerous examples of men, some of whom we would consider biblical heroes, marrying multiple wives.
- However, simply because they did these things does not mean that God approved of them. And when Jesus quotes this Genesis passage in the Gospel of Matthew the number of people intended by God to take part in a marriage is evident: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh.”
- The other, and more culturally volatile issue has to do with whether or not it is right for a man and a man to marry or a woman and a woman to marry. What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
- I’m going to give you two very clear texts, and one very specific clear text. There are more, but these will suffice. Leviticus 18 contains a number of laws governing sexual relations. And we still look to the moral aspects of Levitical law to determine what God deems appropriate and inappropriate. Leviticus 18:22 says: You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. But, in case you have trouble understanding how moral issues in Leviticus translate to our modern world, here is Romans 1:26-32:For this reason [the fact that they had exchanged the glory of the eternal God for idols] God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
- Homosexuality is seen here as dishonorable, unnatural, and shameless. Those who commit such acts deserve, like the rest of the those listed in this passage, to die. This is not pretty language, I know. And we need to remember that we all fit into this list somewhere as deserving of eternal death – which is why we desperately need the Savior. But there is no lack of perspicuity here.
- And this next passage is as specific as I am comfortable mentioning in a public setting. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
- The phrase that is translated as “nor men who practice homosexuality” in the ESV is οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται and it explicitly refers to both the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts. Those who would claim that on the issue of homosexuality the Bible is silent, do not know the Scriptures. The covenant of marriage is designed for two people; and one of those two is to be a man, and the other, a woman. That is almost painfully clear.
- Add to those prohibitions against homosexuality that fact that a crucial aspect of God’s design for sex is procreation and you have a stalwart argument. Men with men and women with women cannot naturally be fruitful and multiply; no matter what reproductive science can do.
CONCLUSION
- So those are the first two issues concerning marriage that we see initially discussed in Genesis 2 and expounded upon in the rest of the canon. Next time, we are going to return to this text and fill in some of the remaining holes concerning what this text says about the marital covenant. We will also talk about what to do when these ideals are broken. How do we respond to situations where these principles and the principles to be discussed next time are absent? How do we treat those who are in direct violation of the things we are addressing? Once we put all of the pieces together our primary concern is going to be this: lovingly, yet firmly upholding a biblical view of marriage in a sinful and broken world.
