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Working Marriage
Brian Mashburn
May 9, 2010
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Working Marriage
Oneness.
That describes the point of marriage, best I can tell, that is suggested by the Bible.
In Genesis 1, it says that God created humankind after His own image, but in two parts: masculine & feminine.
In Genesis 2, it reinforces this idea by saying that woman was made of the same stuff as man, and that this was done so that the man and woman might become one. It goes on to say that this oneness is to be thicker and weightier than the oneness that is present between parent and child.
Jesus affirmed this when he was here by quoting the same (Mt 19:4-16) and Paul does the same after he used the oneness that exists between Christ and the church as comparable to the oneness between husband and wife (Eph 6:22-31).
Madness.
That describes the journey to oneness, best I can tell, in most every marriage.
While romantic to the core, oneness in marriage appears to be quite elusive. It is most definitely work. And the feeling of attaining it, of even believing it possible, seems to vary from day to day. Even the most well-intentioned, mature, and optimistic of couples seem to come face to face, at some point, with the profound difficulty of attaining to the “oneness” ideal of Christ for marriage.
It shouldn’t surprise us, really. Current culture, if seen with eyes wide open, is at war against the sacred, Christ-centered, life-long marriage. And deeper behind that seems to be a force that will not stop at keeping man and woman from experiencing the oneness that God intended.
Fortunately, God does not lift up His standard and desire for marriage and then leave us alone to “make it happen” by ourselves (countless marriages have ended precisely because of such well-intentioned efforts). Instead, He arms us with His Spirit and enables us to co-create with Him and with one other special person the marriage of His, and our, dreams.
As we spend the next few weeks together on this most important subject, we will attempt to isolate and expose some of the common things that sabotage marriage, and also examine 4 indispensible resources that are vital for us to master: Attitude, Communication, Romance, and Progress.
Pray for our communities marriages.