Impact

How The Nature Of Man Affects The Nature Of Our Marriage Relationship

It was one of those sleeps that when you wake up it takes a few minutes for everything to come into focus.  God had caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, removed a rib from his side and used it to fashion Eve.  It’s uncertain what first caught Adam’s eye but one thing is certain, Eve was striking.  “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man.”  The Genesis account teaches us about the nature of man and the nature of the marriage relationship. 

It was one of those sleeps that when you wake up it takes a few minutes for everything to come into focus.  God had caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, removed a rib from his side and used it to fashion Eve.  It’s uncertain what first caught Adam’s eye but one thing is certain, Eve was striking.  “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man.”  The Genesis account teaches us about the nature of man and the nature of the marriage relationship. 

From chapter two we know that God placed Adam in the Garden second only to Him; to maintain and care for it.  Specifically, God gave Adam the responsibility to name all of the animals.  The power to name is the power to lead.  Part of man’s nature is that he is a leader

As Adam was naming and cataloging the creation, certainly he noticed Mr. and Mrs. Giraffe and Mr. and Mrs. Rhinoceros and Mr. and Mrs. Alligator, etc…  Watching the creation propagate the earth, Adam realized that he had no counter part.  However, life in the Garden was helping develop the second nature of man; creation was teaching Adam to love even before Eve was made.   Part of man’s nature is that he is a lover.

Men, listen up:  How we lead and how we love affects the nature of our marriage relationship, which is also found in Genesis.

One of the natures of relationship found in Genesis is that there’s a partnership.  Eve was fashioned from one of Adam’s ribs; part of him.  In a marriage, there’s a partnership.

The second nature is found in 2:24-25, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family.  The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.”  Genesis 2:24-25

Another translation says that the two ‘will become one flesh’.  In this case of the union of husband and wife, when the two become one, there’s permanency; the second nature of marriage relationship.

Let’s put this all together:  How we lead and how we love affects the nature of our marriage relationship, which is partnership and permanency.

Men, think about any marital strife you’ve experienced.  No matter what it is, the strife can be traced back either to a failure in leadership or a lack of love.

Here’s a sampling of common strife’s gripping marriages that I encounter almost weekly as a pastor:

Arguing over finances?  Poor leadership.

Extramarital affair?  Lack of love.

Addictions?  Poor leadership and lack of love.

Drifted or grown apart?  Poor leadership and lack of love.

Lack of convictions or godly values?  Poor leadership.

Differences in parenting styles?  Poor leadership and lack of love.

A failure in leadership or a lack of love can and will affect a marriage partnership and its permanency.  Men, let us lead and love our wives well.

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