Marriage and the Bible

1. Marriage and the Bible Based on the Living in Love Series by Richard L. Strauss, Biblical Studies Foundation - 1998

2. Honeymoon’sOver! Chapter 1: Adam and Eve

3. Ground Rules • Think before you speak. • Use this series as an opportunity for honest self-evaluation. • Be prepared to humbly seek help from God, your spouse, or others if you feel led to do so. • Humility!

4. Warm-Up Questions • How would you describe the marriage of Adam and Eve? • How would you define a honeymoon? • The honeymoon is not meant to be the pinnacle of our relationships. • God’s plan is for our marriages to grow sweeter with the passage of time.

5. Adam and Eve’s Marriage • We do not know precisely how long Adam and Eve enjoyed their relationship in the garden before the original sin. • We do know that their relationship during that time would have been filled with ecstasy, joy, and delight. • Theirs was the perfect marriage, designed by God.

6. Adam: Perfect Husband • Adam was made in God’s own image. • Flawless physique, ruggedly handsome • Brilliant intellect, undiminished by sin • Capable of perfect emotions – tender and unselfish love. • No imposter syndrome – in harmony with his Creator and The Creator’s purpose for his life.

7. Eve: Perfect Wife • Eve was created to perfectly fulfill a deep and fundamental need in her husband. • God’s creative genius must have made Eve a truly and stunningly beautiful image. • Eve must have personified grace and beauty in every from. • Also created in God’s image with a purpose and intellect unblemished by sin.

8. A Match Made in Heaven • Read Genesis 2:3 • Adam recognized that Eve had been made out of him and was part of him. • She was a perfect complement and counterpart, unmatched by any of God’s creations. • Imagine the genuine appreciation, love, and completion that they must have enjoyed! • Why else would theirs have been the perfect marriage?

9. Their Environment • Eden means “Delight” • Read Genesis 2:8-10 • They lived in a green paradise of abundance • Their work was effortless • They were unhindered by external strains and could thus appreciate each other all the more • Do you think they spent much alone time at this juncture?

10. Perfect Order • Modern mentalities aside, there is no question that Eve was made for Adam. • 1 Corinthians 11:9 • Yet, their roles were in perfect harmony. God created Eve to be Adam’s helper (Gen. 2:18). • Keep the context of their perfect love and appreciation for each other. The arrangement worked.

11. AND THEY WERE NAKED

12. Enter the Serpent • The key lie delivered in Gen. 3:5 yielded the exact opposite – Adam and Eve would descend from their likeness of God. • As with Jesus in the wilderness, Satan uses distortion as his primary weapon. • Do you have any areas in your life that The Holy Spirit has revealed to you as distorted?

13. Enter the Serpent • Why would God put those two trees in the garden in the first place? • Read 1 John 2:16 • Read Genesis 3:6

14. The Completely Sprung Trap • The lust of the flesh – “Good for food.” • The lust of the eyes – “A delight to the eyes.” • The pride of life – “To make one wise.”

15. The Blame Game • Eve took of the fruit and gave it to her husband. • WHERE IN THE SAM HILL WAS ADAM DURING ALL THIS? • Adam and Eve share equal blame for giving harbor to temptation and eventual birth to the world’s first sin.

16. The Ultimate Outcome • Naked = Not Cool • They attempted to blame each other. • What is your response when blame is to be had in your relationship? • What are the consequences of avoiding responsibility?

17. The Ultimate Outcome • Careful – There was blame to be had on both sides and each shared equally in the consequences. • Childbirth • Irresistible urge for her husband • Adam has to work a job • Adam’s time and attention are now divided • “And he shall rule over you” Gen. 3:16 – the perfect harmony is upset in the hands of a sinful man

18. The Ultimate Outcome • Adam and Eve were no doubt aware of all they had lost. • Their new marriage paradigm would ultimately lead them to stand above the first recorded grave in history.

19. THE END

20. Wait! There’s Good News! • Read Genesis 3:13 • At the height of man’s defeat, God foretells of man’s greatest victory and the reversal of this great tragedy! • Christ puts the bondage of sin aside so that we can regain much of what was lost in Eden. • The Scriptures and The Holy Spirit guide us toward productive and healthy relationships.

21. More Good News • Christ’s sacrifice allows us to look past our sinful desires and ego-centric mindsets. • Christ gives us to power to act contrary to the urgings of the flesh. • The honeymoon can be restored, but only after the acknowledgement of sin and the centralization of Christ in our lives.

22. Closing Questions • Is Christ the center of your marriage? Is there evidence of that? • Which aspects of Adam and Eve’s marriage would prove helpful in improving your own marriage? • Which of Satan’s temptations have your attention and have you contemplating destructive action?

23. Closing Questions • How can you challenge your spouse in a way that builds-up instead of weakens? • Are you owning up to your own problems, or are you playing the blame game? • Husbands – Where are your wives on your list of priorities? Wives – Same question.