Narrow Way with Steve Phillips Two are One
Marriage establishes a testimony to God, angels, and to all mankind. It is why God created marriage: to have a tangible expression of His glory evident to all spiritually intelligent creatures.
The husband is to show the character of God, in a similar way that God is a Father within His own family. As well, he portrays Christ as the devoted and loving Bridegroom of His bride, the church. The wife shows the respectful submission of the church to Christ by devoted affection to her husband.
And harmoniously together, man and wife both display the Holy Spirit as the source of all things good and virtuous in the life, with that godly fruit which comes only from Him. That is God’s design.
We are specifically told of the purpose for which God created the woman. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone’” –Genesis 2:18. Alone, no expression of God as Father to His family could happen. If no bride was taken from Adam’s body, no testimony of Christ and His church would ever be had. And the fruit of the Spirit can only be seen if there is someone else to relate to.
The Lord resolved the peril of being alone, both for the sake of Adam and for the sake of establishing a testimony to Himself as the Triune God. “I will make him a helper suitable for him” –Genesis 2:18.
Here is help provided, both for testimony and for Adam. She is a helper, apart from which, neither Adam nor the testimony would be satisfied. And the woman as helper is the perfect solution to both.
This woman/helper is: Suitable – NASB, NIV, Just Right – NLT, Comparable – NKJV, Meet – KJV, His Counterpart – Darby, Corresponding To – Literal Hebrew Meaning and NASB Margin, Suitable Companion – GNB, and Fit For – RSV, ESV.
She perfectly solved the problem of being alone. His deficiency was complemented by her sufficiency. Eve was just right as his counterpart to fill his lack. Apart from her, there would be no one to love and to reciprocate that love. No family could ever come into being. The expression of the full spectrum of fruitful virtue would have been dwarfed.
She was thus formed, both as his body and his bride. As being fashioned from his body, she is one in life, dignity, and essential constitution as he. United as his bride, she became the bearer of the image of God to following generations by giving birth to children also in that same image.
Her body fashioned from Adam’s rib shows her partaking of the same substance. Being presented as a bride demonstrates a deep oneness though distinct in personality and role. Taken from near his heart and finding a place at his side under his loving protecting arm, this is God’s design: The Two are One.
Adam laid down his life for his bride. Through his deep sleep, life came forth from him that resulted in this glorious corresponding bride. She is truly “bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh, for she was taken out of man” –Genesis 2:23. And so Christ and His bride, the church, have a testimony established upon earth. It is what marriage is designed to be. It is profoundly the reason for why we marry.
Expressing obedience to God in loving companionship and fruitful virtues produced by the Holy Spirit is the purpose. Testimony to a Trinity of love: to partake of a oneness of harmonious delight is why we marry. Setting forth the blessed union of Christ and His church is our high calling.
The woman was not created to be ruled over and dominated by the man. She is a co-regent having equal dominion over all the lower animal kingdom. She, as well as he, rules in her appointed sphere.
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over all creatures that move on the earth’” –Genesis 1:26.
Man as well as woman is to have dominion and rule over all the earth; but she is not part of the animal kingdom to be ruled. No, they are co-regents, co-heirs, and co-partakers of the grace of life.
“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: Rule” –Genesis 1:27,28.
Three times the word “them” is used: equal in essence, life, dignity, responsibility, dominion, and constitution as made in the image and likeness of God. Animals and creeping things are to be ruled, not women. How could she be? That is not possible when the Two are One.