And He continued to do so throughout the entire Bible. Even before there was any trace of sin or sadness, He blessed marriage. “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, NKJV). Then, with Adam and Eve as the first example of a couple, God defined marriage:
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We find our gender identity in God’s plan for men and women to be “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7, NKJV). God made men and women to be equal partners in the experience of life, walking side by side. Instead, God took a rib from Adam’s side, symbolizing the equality and care they were to show for each other. It’s interesting that God didn’t take a bone from Adam’s foot. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:21-22, NKJV). God put him in a “deep sleep,” removed one of his ribs, and “closed up the flesh in its place. To make the first woman, God took a bone from Adam’s side. “It is not good that man should be alone I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18, NKJV). God helped him recognize the need for companionship and said, God intended it to begin this way so Adam could feel for himself the desire for a partner. “For Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:20, NKJV).
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But when Adam looked to find his mate, he came up empty. Every animal species could start a family and begin to populate the earth. Īs Adam worked with God to name all the animals, he saw that each animal had a mate. After He had created all other living things, God created the first man, Adam. In the beginning of time, God created a beautiful world and filled it with all kinds of animals.
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By their example and their words they are to teach them that Christ is a loving, tender, and caring guide who wants them to become members of His body, the family of God which embraces both single and married persons. Parents are to bring up their children to love and obey the Lord. Increasing family closeness is one of the earmarks of the final gospel message. God blesses the family and intends that its members shall assist each other toward complete maturity. Although some family relationships may fall short of the ideal, a man and a woman who fully commit themselves to each other in Christ through marriage may achieve loving unity through the guidance of the Spirit and the nurture of the church. Regarding divorce, Jesus taught that the person who divorces a spouse, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. Mutual love, honor, respect, and responsibility are the fabric of this relationship, which is to reflect the love, sanctity, closeness, and permanence of the relationship between Christ and His church. For the Christian a marriage commitment is to God as well as to the spouse, and should be entered into only between a man and a woman who share a common faith. Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship.