"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Gen. 2:24
This verse is quoted by Jesus in Matt 10:6-9 and Mark 19:4-6. Why is the idea of marriage, particularly marriage between one man and one woman in a lasting union so important to God? Let's look at the first union of man and woman in the Bible and see what we can glean.
My understanding and insight into the scriptures was hindered my whole life until God brought me to the realization that every word, every place, every name, every number, every letter, every story points to Jesus Christ.
That being said, it is puzzling how Paul could say in Romans 5:14 that " death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come" When Paul says that Adam is “similitude” or foreshadowing of "him that was to come” who is he talking about? Well “him that was to come” is of course none other than Jesus Christ. This verse in fact gives us one of the many names we use for Christ, that being the "Last Adam" 1st Corinthians 15:45. So how is it that Adam, who sinned by taking the forbidden fruit, be a figure or foreshadowing of Jesus Christ?
The most important part of this story is to realize what caused Adam to sin. We can find the answer to this in1st Timothy 2:14 "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." If Adam was not deceived, then we can conclude that Adam knew what he was doing. He knew the consequences that this sin entailed and yet he knowingly and willingly took this sin upon himself. So again we ask how could Adam be a figure or a Jesus Christ? The answer is really quite touching.
Let’s look at what had taken place up to the point in which Adam was offered the fruit. Eve had been deceived and she had sinned; her eternal salvation had been forfeited. She was doomed to be eternally separated from God due to her sin. She would now have to face the world and death completely alone, for there were none who shared her predicament.
Adam on the other hand, before he took the fruit mind you, was perfect, he walked with God, he dwelt in paradise, he partook of all the blessings and joy that God offers one who is in perfect communion with Him. Adam, had he chosen, could have left Eve to her terrible fate. He had not sinned and was not subject to the punishment she would certainly endure. However that is not what Adam chose to do at all. Adam knew that Eve's fate was sealed and he knew exactly what partaking of her sin would ultimately cost him, yet he loved her so much that he chose to leave his Father’s side and made Eve's sin his own so that his bride would not have to face a world of sin and death alone with no hope of redemption. You could technically say that he "became sin" for her.
I don’t think it’s too difficult to realize that our Father is trying to show us is that this is exactly what Christ did for us "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." And just like Adam, Christ, out of the immense love He had for His beloved bride, left His Father’s side, stepped into a sinful world, took His bride’s sin upon Himself and ultimately gave His life so that she, His bride, would not have to face this world of sin alone with no hope of redemption. "God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Adam’s story is just the opening stanza of a love story, written in blood on a cross in Judea over 2,000 years ago.
So that brings us back to the original question. Why is the idea of marriage between one man and one woman in a lasting loving union so important to God? Because marriage offers us a way to experience if only in a small way the love that Christ, the groom, feels towards us, His bride, and the love and reverence that we, the bride, should have for Christ, our groom. Marriage provides a way for us to experience the relationship Christ desires with us in a way that is impossible by any other means.
It is also worth mentioning that because Adam took on this sin, it provided means by which offspring would be produced through which the God of Eternity would be born of a virgin in small Judean town and ultimately take that first sin and all that will ever be committed upon Himself and do exactly for us what Adam did for his bride.
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Revelation 19:9
Note: I would like to point out that Adam did sin and betrayed God. No sin is justified, and God does not cause people to sin for his own purposes. However God in all his glory used what Adam had done to give an example in the earliest parts of the scriptures of the price Christ would ultimately pay for his beloved bride. Remember that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was not a tragedy, it was an accomplishment, it was a victory, it was the culmination of a plan laid down before the world began. Christ when speaking to the two men on the road to Emmaus about His suffering and death on the cross ask "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Luke 24:26. Christ himself tells us that it happened exactly the way it was supposed to. What an amazing God we serve!!
For another story about marriage from the Bible see my post titled Christ's First Miracle
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Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Under the Lamb
Over the year’s archeologist, anthropologist, theologians, missionaries and many others have found countless examples where certain elements of a certain people group's customs or traditions point directly to the God of the Bible and Christ’s finished work. Missionaries in turn have been able to use these elements, which appear to have been strategically placed, to win souls for Christ. An example of this was presented in the previous post regarding the custom of the Sawi tribe's offering of a "Peace Child". What follows is yet another example.
The Chinese system of writing is based on 214 signs, or “roots”. These 214 roots are combined to produce between 30,000 and 50,000 characters. Many missionaries who have had to learn the Chinese language have understandably met with great difficulty. However, one day certain missionary was studying the Chinese character for the word "righteous". The missionary noticed that the character is made up of three symbols which form two distinct parts, an upper and lower portion.
The upper portion consists of the Chinese symbol for a lamb.
The bottom portion is actually made up of two symbols.
The symbol for hand
and the symbol for spear or knife
When these two symbols are used together they form the first person pronoun I.
So in total the word "righteous" consisted of the symbol for the first person pronoun I underneath the symbl of a lamb.
The missionary had made an extraordinary discovery; here, hidden within the complex Chinese writing system was the heart of the Gospel:
I under the Lamb am righteous!
The Chinese were baffled when their attention was drawn to this hidden message. They had never noticed it before, but now they saw it very clearly. From that point forward missionaries would point out this message hidden within the Chinese’s very own writing system and ask them, "Under which lamb do we have to stand in order to be righteous and just?" When the Chinese could not provide an answer the missionaries would joyfully tell them about the "the Lamb which was slain" Rev. 5:12, the same "Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world" John 1:29, none other than The Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, God does not leave Himself without a witness! Acts 14:17
Note: It is very interesting that the symbols used to form the pronoun I are a hand and a spear/knife. Perhaps this points to the sacrifice which was required of this Lamb in order for us to be made righteous. In addition to that, this could also point to the fact that this Lamb would be pierced. Psalms 22:16, Zec 12:10, John 19:34, Rev. 1:7. There is no limit to the lengths our Father has gone to, to gather us back into His arms. We truly serve an Amazing God!
Taken from Don Richardson's book: Eternity In Thier Hearts
The Chinese system of writing is based on 214 signs, or “roots”. These 214 roots are combined to produce between 30,000 and 50,000 characters. Many missionaries who have had to learn the Chinese language have understandably met with great difficulty. However, one day certain missionary was studying the Chinese character for the word "righteous". The missionary noticed that the character is made up of three symbols which form two distinct parts, an upper and lower portion.
The upper portion consists of the Chinese symbol for a lamb.
The bottom portion is actually made up of two symbols.
The symbol for hand
and the symbol for spear or knife
When these two symbols are used together they form the first person pronoun I.
So in total the word "righteous" consisted of the symbol for the first person pronoun I underneath the symbl of a lamb.
The missionary had made an extraordinary discovery; here, hidden within the complex Chinese writing system was the heart of the Gospel:
I under the Lamb am righteous!
The Chinese were baffled when their attention was drawn to this hidden message. They had never noticed it before, but now they saw it very clearly. From that point forward missionaries would point out this message hidden within the Chinese’s very own writing system and ask them, "Under which lamb do we have to stand in order to be righteous and just?" When the Chinese could not provide an answer the missionaries would joyfully tell them about the "the Lamb which was slain" Rev. 5:12, the same "Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world" John 1:29, none other than The Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, God does not leave Himself without a witness! Acts 14:17
Note: It is very interesting that the symbols used to form the pronoun I are a hand and a spear/knife. Perhaps this points to the sacrifice which was required of this Lamb in order for us to be made righteous. In addition to that, this could also point to the fact that this Lamb would be pierced. Psalms 22:16, Zec 12:10, John 19:34, Rev. 1:7. There is no limit to the lengths our Father has gone to, to gather us back into His arms. We truly serve an Amazing God!
Taken from Don Richardson's book: Eternity In Thier Hearts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Christ: The Ultimate Peace Child
In 1962, missionary Don Richardson his wife Carol and their eight-month-old son Stephen, traveled to New Guinea and lived as missionaries among the Sawi one of nearly a thousand tribes living in New Guinea. The Sawi people are one of only five tribes in the world who practice both headhunting and cannibalism. The Sawi prided themselves on being masters of treachery in that they would befriend an individual and gain their trust only to later slaughter and cannibalize that individual. Individuals who can sustain this form of trickery for long periods of time with various individuals are highly revered by the Sawi people
Because of this strange custom Richardson and his wife met with many difficulties while trying to communicate the gospel to these people. The Sawi viewed Christ’s betrayer Judas as the hero of the gospel story because of his success in deceiving Christ with his friendship only to later betray him. The Sawi would cheer and dance when the story of Judas betrayal kiss was told. The Sawi viewed Christ as simply the naive dupe to be laughed at and made fun of. The Richardson’s struggled to find a way to communicate the real meaning of the gospel story to people whose customs are so far removed from Christian values.
Richardson ask God for help. One day, an enemy tribe attacked the tribe Don was living with. For weeks they fought each other. Finally Don told the leaders of the tribe, that if they did not stop fighting he would leave the tribe. That was a serious threat to them. They liked Carol's medical care and Don's steel implements. Plus, the presence of the white family gave them status. The chief of Don's tribe realized that he had to pay the price of peace.
One day as Don watched the warriors of the warring tribes formed a line opposite each other. The chief of the tribe Don was staying with took his newborn son from the arms of his wife. She sank to the ground wailing in uncontrollable grief. Then the Chief walked down the line of his warriors and each of them put their hands on his little newborn child. With determination and resolve the chief walked across the open space between the two warring tribes. He stood face to face with his enemy and placed his son into the arms of his adversary.
With the baby in his arms, the chief of the enemy tribe walked down the line of his warriors. In full view of the father and the father's tribe, each enemy warrior placed his hands on the baby boy; next the warriors turned and disappeared in the bush with the infant. The baby was gone, never to be returned to its grieving parents.
Richardson soon learned that the Sawi had a unique way of making peace and forestalling violence among warring tribes. If a Sawi father offered his son to another tribe as an offering of peace, then all past grievances would be forgiven and future violence and treachery would be prevented. The Sawi name for this peace offering was the "peace child" The requirement for peace was that each member of the tribes would each lay their hands on the given son and say "We receive this child as a basis for peace." The "peace child" would then live with the enemy tribe for the remainder of his life and there would be peace between the two tribes as long as the child lived. The Sawi viewed betrayal of a "peace child" as the worst possible crime.
God had provided Richardson with the means to break the spiritual barriers of the Sawi people, by explaining to them that Jesus Christ was and is the ultimate "Peace Child" given to us by his Father as an offering of forgiveness and peace and Judas by betraying him had committed the worst possible crime. Richardson used verses like Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us child is born, unto us a son is given" To show that God had freely given his Son. He told the Sawi that if they would accept Christ the Son of God, the ultimate "Peace Child" then all their past and future sins would be forgiven and there could be peace with God as long as the Peace Child lived. And since Christ is alive today and forevermore if you accept him there can always be peace with God.
Since then approximately two-thirds of the Sawi people have, as they say, laid their hands by faith upon "Gods Peace" Child Jesus Christ. Richardson uses this illustration and many others to show how God has placed unique customs and practices into the lives of even the most primitive peoples as a means of conveying to them the story of the gospel. He urges fellow believers and especially missionaries not to dismiss these practices as simply pagan or barbaric beliefs and practices, but rather as catalysts into sharing the gospel story to these people. Just as Paul says in the book of Acts, "(God) in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness." Acts 14:16-17 The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that "God has made everything in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." and elsewhere in Jeremiah "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" Jer. 31:33
It is amazing the lengths that God has gone to, to write eternity into our hearts so that none may perish. All he ask is that we accept the peace and forgiveness he has offered us by accepting His Son who came into this world to be a ransom for all. All that is required is for us to "lay our hands by faith" upon His "Peace Child" Jesus Christ"
Excerpts taken from Don Richardson's book
"Eternity in Their Hearts"
Because of this strange custom Richardson and his wife met with many difficulties while trying to communicate the gospel to these people. The Sawi viewed Christ’s betrayer Judas as the hero of the gospel story because of his success in deceiving Christ with his friendship only to later betray him. The Sawi would cheer and dance when the story of Judas betrayal kiss was told. The Sawi viewed Christ as simply the naive dupe to be laughed at and made fun of. The Richardson’s struggled to find a way to communicate the real meaning of the gospel story to people whose customs are so far removed from Christian values.
Richardson ask God for help. One day, an enemy tribe attacked the tribe Don was living with. For weeks they fought each other. Finally Don told the leaders of the tribe, that if they did not stop fighting he would leave the tribe. That was a serious threat to them. They liked Carol's medical care and Don's steel implements. Plus, the presence of the white family gave them status. The chief of Don's tribe realized that he had to pay the price of peace.
One day as Don watched the warriors of the warring tribes formed a line opposite each other. The chief of the tribe Don was staying with took his newborn son from the arms of his wife. She sank to the ground wailing in uncontrollable grief. Then the Chief walked down the line of his warriors and each of them put their hands on his little newborn child. With determination and resolve the chief walked across the open space between the two warring tribes. He stood face to face with his enemy and placed his son into the arms of his adversary.
With the baby in his arms, the chief of the enemy tribe walked down the line of his warriors. In full view of the father and the father's tribe, each enemy warrior placed his hands on the baby boy; next the warriors turned and disappeared in the bush with the infant. The baby was gone, never to be returned to its grieving parents.
Richardson soon learned that the Sawi had a unique way of making peace and forestalling violence among warring tribes. If a Sawi father offered his son to another tribe as an offering of peace, then all past grievances would be forgiven and future violence and treachery would be prevented. The Sawi name for this peace offering was the "peace child" The requirement for peace was that each member of the tribes would each lay their hands on the given son and say "We receive this child as a basis for peace." The "peace child" would then live with the enemy tribe for the remainder of his life and there would be peace between the two tribes as long as the child lived. The Sawi viewed betrayal of a "peace child" as the worst possible crime.
God had provided Richardson with the means to break the spiritual barriers of the Sawi people, by explaining to them that Jesus Christ was and is the ultimate "Peace Child" given to us by his Father as an offering of forgiveness and peace and Judas by betraying him had committed the worst possible crime. Richardson used verses like Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us child is born, unto us a son is given" To show that God had freely given his Son. He told the Sawi that if they would accept Christ the Son of God, the ultimate "Peace Child" then all their past and future sins would be forgiven and there could be peace with God as long as the Peace Child lived. And since Christ is alive today and forevermore if you accept him there can always be peace with God.
Since then approximately two-thirds of the Sawi people have, as they say, laid their hands by faith upon "Gods Peace" Child Jesus Christ. Richardson uses this illustration and many others to show how God has placed unique customs and practices into the lives of even the most primitive peoples as a means of conveying to them the story of the gospel. He urges fellow believers and especially missionaries not to dismiss these practices as simply pagan or barbaric beliefs and practices, but rather as catalysts into sharing the gospel story to these people. Just as Paul says in the book of Acts, "(God) in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness." Acts 14:16-17 The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that "God has made everything in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." and elsewhere in Jeremiah "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" Jer. 31:33
It is amazing the lengths that God has gone to, to write eternity into our hearts so that none may perish. All he ask is that we accept the peace and forgiveness he has offered us by accepting His Son who came into this world to be a ransom for all. All that is required is for us to "lay our hands by faith" upon His "Peace Child" Jesus Christ"
Excerpts taken from Don Richardson's book
"Eternity in Their Hearts"
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