RELATIONSHIPS
MARRIAGE IS A SHADOW OF THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE IN CHRIST

BY C. LEE BITTING
SEPT. 10 2003
Modified April 6, 2016
 

ASV EPHESIANS 5:32
 32.  THIS MYSTERY IS GREAT: BUT I SPEAK IN REGARD OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH.

ASV 1 CORINTHIANS 6:16-17
 16.  OR KNOW YE NOT THAT HE THAT IS JOINED TO A HARLOT IS ONE BODY? FOR, THE TWAIN, SAITH HE, SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
BUT HE THAT IS JOINED UNTO THE LORD IS ONE SPIRIT.

JUST AS IN THE FLESH A MAN AND WOMAN BECOME ONE, IN THE SPIRIT WITH GOD WE BECOME ONE WITH GOD, THE ATONEMENT OR AT  ONE  MENT.


KJV John 17:21
 21.  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

KJV John 17:23
 23.  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

KJV John 17:26
 26.  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Ephesians 5:32-33
32.  THIS MYSTERY IS GREAT: BUT I SPEAK IN REGARD OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH.
 33.  NEVERTHELESS DO YE ALSO SEVERALLY LOVE EACH ONE HIS OWN WIFE EVEN AS HIMSELF; AND LET THE WIFE SEE THAT SHE FEAR (respect and obey) HER HUSBAND.

THE WIFE IS THE MANS HELPER OR HELPMATE IN THE FLESH JUST AS THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE HELPER IN THE SPIRIT. In the kingdom we will be the help mate of Jesus and rule and reign with him. Husbands and wives should help one another in their growth in Gods love.  Rather than bite and devour one another in constant arguments yield to Gods spirit to work out problems in Love. Spend time with each other, be not strangers to one another but rather the best friend each other has in this world.

A MAN SOWS A SEED INSIDE THE WOMAN TO PRODUCE AN OFFSPRING IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. INSIDE THE CHURCH OF GOD, THE WOMAN, GOD SOWS THE SEED OF HIS SPIRIT TO PRODUCE A GODLY OFFSPRING IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. THE PROPHETS SPOKE OF THIS CONNECTION OF MARRIAGE AND THE CHURCH.

KJV MALACHI 2:14-15
 14.  YET YE SAY, WHEREFORE? BECAUSE THE LORD HATH BEEN WITNESS BETWEEN THEE AND THE WIFE OF THY YOUTH, AGAINST WHOM THOU HAST DEALT TREACHEROUSLY: YET IS SHE THY COMPANION, AND THE WIFE OF THY COVENANT. (Marriage is a covenant with God, the man and the woman)
AND DID NOT HE MAKE ONE? YET HAD HE THE RESIDUE OF THE SPIRIT. AND WHEREFORE ONE? THAT HE MIGHT SEEK A GODLY SEED. THEREFORE TAKE HEED TO YOUR SPIRIT, AND LET NONE DEAL TREACHEROUSLY AGAINST THE WIFE OF HIS YOUTH.

A HUMAN CHILD IS WITHIN THE MOTHERS WOMB SUBMERSED IN AMNIOTIC FLUID REFERRED TO AS WATER AND WHEN THE CHILD BREAKS THROUGH THE WOMB AND COMES OUT OF THE WATER HE IS BORN. BAPTISM IS THE SPIRITUAL BIRTH IN SYMBOLISM OF BEING BORN AGAIN IN THE SPIRIT. THIS SPIRITUAL BIRTH MAKES ONE A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST.

ASV EPHESIANS 5:22-33
 22.  WIVES, BE IN SUBJECTION UNTO YOUR OWN HUSBANDS, AS UNTO THE LORD. (This is the woman’s challenge and a device of Satan to attack her, to get her to sin)
 23.  FOR THE HUSBAND IS THE HEAD OF THE WIFE, AND CHRIST ALSO IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH, BEING HIMSELF THE SAVIOUR OF THE BODY.
 24.  BUT AS THE CHURCH IS SUBJECT TO CHRIST, SO LET THE WIVES ALSO BE TO THEIR HUSBANDS IN EVERYTHING.
 25.  HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR IT; (This is the man’s challenge and where Satan will get him to sin)
 26.  THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY IT, HAVING CLEANSED IT BY THE WASHING OF WATER WITH THE WORD,
 27.  THAT HE MIGHT PRESENT THE CHURCH TO HIMSELF A GLORIOUS CHURCH, NOT HAVING SPOT OR WRINKLE OR ANY SUCH THING; BUT THAT IT SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH.
 28.  EVEN SO OUGHT HUSBANDS ALSO TO LOVE THEIR OWN WIVES AS THEIR OWN BODIES. HE THAT LOVETH HIS OWN WIFE LOVETH HIMSELF:
 29.  FOR NO MAN EVER HATED HIS OWN FLESH; BUT NOURISHETH AND CHERISHETH IT, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO THE CHURCH;
 30.  BECAUSE WE ARE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY.
FOR THIS CAUSE SHALL A MAN LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.


There are no exceptions to this and no reasons that will be approved of by God for us husbands not fulfilling this. Wives have their obligations as well.

WHEN A MAN MARRIES HE LEAVES HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND CLEAVES TO HIS WIFE. IN THE SPIRIT WE MARRY CHRIST AND COME OUT THIS WORLD TO CLEAVE TO HIM. The church is Jesus’ Eve.

KJV 2 CORINTHIANS 11:2
 2.  FOR I AM JEALOUS OVER YOU WITH GODLY JEALOUSY: FOR I HAVE ESPOUSED YOU TO ONE HUSBAND, THAT I MAY PRESENT YOU AS A CHASTE VIRGIN TO CHRIST.

ASV ROMANS 7:4
 4.  WHEREFORE, MY BRETHREN, YE ALSO WERE MADE DEAD TO THE LAW THROUGH THE BODY OF CHRIST; THAT YE SHOULD BE JOINED TO ANOTHER, EVEN TO HIM WHO WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD, THAT WE MIGHT BRING FORTH FRUIT UNTO GOD.
 

We see many parallels in human marriage and our relationship to Jesus as his church.  It is in human relationships that we as saints of God are provided opportunity to grow in Gods love and honor the covenant we made with God. Of all relationships marriage is the one Paul focuses on and this is because the two who were formerly strangers are to become one flesh.  If in a marriage we cannot grow in Gods love then we will fail in all other relationships in our lives. 
We know that whatever is not of Gods Love is sin.  We learned from the Fathers spirit about His love and all the wonderful benefits it provides in the article “The Wife of the Lamb”  and how we must love by being a doer and not just a hearer in the article “Doers of the Word”.  The spirit of the Father is at this time bringing all these things into a more perfect understanding, making them reality to us.  I cannot stress to much the importance of what God is doing to us now; this is our salvation held out before us and we must reach out to God to receive it.

The sexual union in marriage is symbolic of the Holy Spirit of the Father.  In marriage we do not have sexual relations with any other person just as we have no spiritual relations with any other God.  For this reason God commands sex in marriage.  If one or the other refuses to see this and withholds that which is the right of the other and the command of God then they commit sin against their mate and God.  This will lead to an opportunity for Satan to tempt the one denied what is their right to develop the lustful eye which is then their sin and so you see one sin leads to another.

KJV 1 Corinthians 7:1-5
 1.  Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
 2.  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
 3.  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence (sexual intercourse): and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
 4.  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
 5.  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency (Failure to control sexual behavior).

God created us sexual creatures but sex is to be in a Godly prescribed manner and to depart from this will bring problems. 
If a wife truly knows that her husband loves her she will not have a problem submitting to him just as we know, as the wife of the Lamb, that Jesus loves us.  Husband and wife need to speak to one another in love and not with  harsh or disrespectful language; a soft answer turns away wrath, speak the truth in love.  When we violate these God given principals it will destroy peace and harmony and lead to a multitude of sins.  We have seen this in the carnal world and in our own marriages; why do we invite so much pain and suffering when if we only obey a loving God we could have much joy. 
God is showing us these things by living demonstrations in our lives and teaching us now that His way is the better way.  I have violated all of these principals in my marriage and not only I but Coni has suffered for it.  God has led me to see this and taught me more perfectly His way of love and I responded and sought Gods forgiveness and Help from His spirit to change my ways.  I have been blessed for it.  As mentioned in the article “Doers of the Word” most all sin we do involves relationships we have with other people and our not using the spirit power of Gods love to address those situations that Satan attacks us with. 
What is at steak here is everlasting life in the kingdom of God; an immortal impeccable existence.  There is absolutely nothing worth giving that up for. 

If you notice the original date of when this article was written, it was September 10, 2003, almost 13 years ago.
We had some fundamental understanding of these things but now we have been enabled by God to see them more clearly.  We should be most thankful.

Brethren; Not only in our marriages but in all of our relationships love one another fervently with a pure heart even if you do not receive it back for this is what God and Jesus did for us.