ICS Daily Devotions
True OnenessMalachi 2:14 (NKJV): “Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”
Marriage is a covenant in God’s eyes. Oneness in marriage does not mean similarity or sameness in matters relating to ideas or feelings. Rather, it means oneness in understanding.
Everything that God has created and planned was good, including marriage. God instituted marriage before work. Adam and Eve were to work together to tend to the Garden of Eden and all of God’s creation. God created a helper comparable to Adam because it was not good for Adam to be alone. God’s plan was for them to be one flesh. God intended marriage to be permanent and committed.
Genesis 2:23 (NKJV) And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
The concept of one flesh is more than just physical union. The married couple must become one in their goals, directions, wills, emotions, minds, and spirits. They move together through life as though they are a single entity. Adam said of Eve, “Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” This was God’s original plan and desire for us today as a couple. In addition, His plan also includes us always having to be connected to Him, just like a three-strand cord, which will not be easily broken.
1 Peter 3:7 (NKJV) Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honour to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
God expects us to honour the marriage covenant through our commitment to each other. We are to look after our spouses and treat them well. In fact, God will not listen to our prayers when we are harsh with or treat our spouses treacherously.
The most crucial part of a Christian wedding is the marriage vow that we utter in the presence of God. God is the primary witness of the marriage. Therefore, God will hold the couple, especially the man, accountable for staying faithful to the marriage.
A Christian marriage is a sacred blood covenant witnessed and guaranteed by God Himself. It is unconditional, unlimited, and unending. Based on the marriage covenant, we are one flesh. Therefore, we will face everything together. A covenant is the only secure foundation for a happy, fulfilling, and permanent marriage. Understanding the meaning of a covenant will help us understand the importance of being one so that our marriage will be strong.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do
