When God Arranges the Marriage: Part I

David, a guest at Fire & Hammer, made a very good point when he asked, “Does not any one consider Genesis?” (Comment posted on “Turbulent Day in Tinseltown” however I believe it was intended for “Should a Husband Focus on his Wife’s Heart or His Own?”) We can learn much about human nature by studying Genesis where we find the intent of the One who created mankind. God created man in his own image. There are many implications of being made in God’s image, one of which is the fact that we were designed for marriage based on the principles of God our creator: principles established by God in order to reveal the relationship for which he is preparing his church.

Because we are created in the image of God we are created for relationships. The first and most important relationship is that between God and man, a point emphasized again and again in the Bible and the reason for the Gospel. “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) The only explanation given for why the Father would send his Son to die is love and love inherently speaks of relationship. The cross is a demonstration of the importance of the relationship between God and man, a revelation of God’s love for us. The Bible gives the terms for sharing in a relationship with God and explains how he is preparing us for this relationship to last for eternity.

The Bible gives a name to the group of people who share in this eternal relationship: The Church. The church is described in terms of a bride who is being prepared for the day when its members will be presented in God’s kingdom, the relationship publicly declared and celebrated. The Bible speaks of only one bride (one church) made up of many parts (members) all unified on the basis of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are no other brides and no other ways to build this type of relationship with God. His Church, God’s chosen, is the only one prepared to stand on that day.

God has created many other beings but only His church is chosen for a special relationship. There are angels, seraphim, plants, and animals: many created beings described as living in heaven and on earth. But God ordained his church to receive a special outpouring of His love. This is right in the eyes of God. Thus it follows that an eternal relationship with God is right for man and for woman: the only beings created in the image of God. Having a right relationship with God is the most important goal in life. By design this relationship is the very essence of who we are as created beings.

We see in Genesis the foundation of human life in the fact that God breathed the breath of life into Adam and Adam became a living soul. Without God the soul is dead, the punishment described as the result of sin. The Bible says Jesus is the life: not a life or a way of life but the life. Because of the fall all mankind is separated from God and sentenced to death. In Christ we are redeemed, God making a way for us to return to a right relationship with the giver of life. By faith we receive God’s gift of life and join his church, the collection of those who live in a relationship with God.

While the relationship between God and man is the number one priority, it is not the only relationship described in the Bible. After establishing Adam on earth along with the animals and trees, God said there was something missing. Adam had a void which needed to be filled. God would fill this void by establishing a relationship which was designed as an earthly representation of the relationship that will be enjoyed between God and His church. Just as God works to prepare his church for an eternal relationship with the creator, he worked to prepare Adam and Eve for a relationship ordained and arranged by the hand of God. Recorded in the Book of Genesis, the first ever marriage.