Back to Eden: Man's Home

Text: Genesis 2:18–25
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why Genesis 2:18 says it was not good for man to be alone.
2. Show that marriage was created by God before sin entered the world.
3. Identify the four divine principles in Genesis 2:24–25: leaving, cleaving, becoming one flesh, and unashamed intimacy.
4. Apply God’s marriage design to husbands, wives, parents, in-laws, and the church.
5. Defend biblical marriage against divorce, selfishness, disorder, and modern attempts to redefine God’s design.

Thesis

God created marriage in Eden as a permanent covenant between one man and one woman, built on priority, loyalty, unity, and honorable intimacy.

Introduction.

1. Genesis 1 repeatedly says God’s creation was good. a. Genesis 1:4 says the light was good. b. Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, and 25 repeat the same judgment over creation. c. Genesis 1:31 says God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
2. Man’s fall cannot be blamed on God’s creation. a. God did not make a defective world. b. God did not create sin. c. Everything God made was good in its created purpose.
3. Genesis 2:18 introduces the first “not good.” a. “It is not good for the man to be alone.” b. This statement comes before sin enters the world. c. Loneliness was not God’s final design for man.
4. God’s answer was not another animal, another garden task, or another hobby. a. God made woman. b. God brought her to the man. c. God established marriage.
5. If we want to understand marriage, we must go back to Eden. a. Not to culture. b. Not to court opinions. c. Not to wounded family patterns. d. Not to selfish desires. e. Back to what God made before sin started breaking homes.

I. God Saw That Man Needed a Suitable Helper.

A. Genesis 2:18 identifies the need.

1. God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” a. Adam was not morally defective. b. Adam was not in sin. c. Adam was incomplete for the human companionship God intended.
2. The loneliness of Adam was not fixed by more scenery. a. Eden was beautiful. b. The garden was full. c. Beauty without a suitable companion was not enough.
3. The loneliness of Adam was not fixed by more work. a. Adam had responsibility in the garden. b. He had meaningful labor. c. Work cannot replace the companionship God designed for marriage.

B. God said, “I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

1. The word “helper” is not an insult. a. Scripture uses help language for God Himself in other contexts. b. Help does not mean inferiority. c. Help means suitable strength brought to meet a real need.
2. “Suitable for him” means corresponding to him. a. She would share his human nature. b. She would complement him. c. She would be neither animal beneath him nor duplicate without distinction.
3. God defined the need before man did. a. Adam did not design marriage. b. Adam did not invent woman. c. God knew what was good for man.

C. The animals could not meet Adam’s need.

1. Genesis 2:19–20 shows Adam naming the animals. a. God brought them to Adam. b. Adam named them. c. Adam saw the living creatures in their kinds.
2. Among them there was not found a helper suitable for him. a. Animals could share the earth, but not Adam’s nature. b. Animals could serve purposes, but not fulfill covenant companionship. c. No creature in the animal world could become one flesh with the man.
3. This matters in a confused age. a. Marriage is not a social experiment. b. Marriage is not merely emotional attachment. c. Marriage is rooted in God’s creation of male and female.

II. God Made Woman and Brought Her to Man.

A. God formed the woman from the man.

1. Genesis 2:21 says God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man. a. Adam did not perform this work. b. Adam did not engineer his wife. c. God acted as Creator.
2. God took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh. a. Woman was not made from the dust separately as a stranger. b. She was taken from man. c. Her origin shows nearness, not distance.
3. Genesis 2:22 says God fashioned the rib into a woman. a. The woman was God’s workmanship. b. She was not an accident. c. She was not an afterthought.

B. God brought the woman to the man.

1. Genesis 2:22 says God brought her to the man. a. Marriage begins under divine action. b. God is not a spectator to the first home. c. God is the giver of marriage.
2. Adam recognized her as his own counterpart. a. “This is now bone of my bones.” b. “And flesh of my flesh.” c. Adam saw in her what no animal could ever be.
3. Adam named her Woman because she was taken out of Man. a. There is distinction. b. There is relation. c. There is unity without sameness.

C. The Old Testament continues to honor marriage as covenant.

1. Malachi 2:14 calls the wife “your companion and your wife by covenant.” a. Marriage is not merely paperwork. b. Marriage is not merely romance. c. Marriage is covenant before God.
2. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.” a. A wife is not a burden to be despised. b. A wife is not property to be used. c. A godly wife is favor from God.
3. Proverbs 31 shows the strength of a worthy wife. a. Her value is beyond jewels. b. Her husband trusts in her. c. Her household is blessed by her diligence and wisdom.

III. God Gave the Pattern for Marriage.

A. Marriage requires severance: “a man shall leave his father and his mother.”

1. Genesis 2:24 begins with leaving. a. Marriage creates a new household. b. The marital relationship takes priority. c. Father and mother must not govern the new home.
2. Leaving does not mean dishonoring parents. a. Exodus 20:12 commands honor for father and mother. b. Jesus rebuked those who used religion to avoid caring for parents. c. Leaving changes priority, not respect.
3. Many homes suffer because this order is ignored. a. Parents try to rule what they must release. b. Married children keep running home instead of building a home. c. In-laws may advise, but they must not govern the marriage.

B. Marriage requires permanence: “and be joined to his wife.”

1. The word carries the idea of clinging or being joined. a. Marriage is not disposable. b. Marriage is not a temporary arrangement. c. Marriage is not to be abandoned when feelings shift.
2. Malachi 2:16 says God hates divorce. a. The context condemns treachery against the wife of one’s youth. b. God sees betrayal in marriage. c. Divorce is never to be treated casually.
3. Jesus appeals to Genesis when teaching on marriage. a. Matthew 19:4–6 says God made them male and female from the beginning. b. Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24. c. He concludes, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

C. Marriage requires unity: “and they shall become one flesh.”

1. One flesh includes bodily union, but it is not limited to that. a. It includes shared life. b. It includes shared loyalty. c. It includes shared direction.
2. Adam and Eve were not created for competition. a. They were not enemies. b. They were not rivals. c. They were fitted for life together under God.
3. The New Testament presses this unity. a. Ephesians 5:28 says husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. b. Ephesians 5:29 says no one ever hated his own flesh. c. A husband who mistreats his wife attacks the one-flesh union God made.

D. Marriage requires honorable intimacy: “the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

1. Genesis 2:25 places intimacy inside marriage. a. Before sin, there was openness without shame. b. The sexual relationship was not dirty in God’s design. c. Shame entered after sin, not before.
2. Hebrews 13:4 says marriage is to be held in honor among all. a. The marriage bed is undefiled. b. Fornicators and adulterers God will judge. c. God honors intimacy in marriage and judges sexual sin outside it.
3. First Corinthians 7:3–5 teaches mutual responsibility. a. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife. b. The wife must fulfill her duty to her husband. c. Neither spouse should selfishly use intimacy as a weapon, punishment, or bargaining tool.

IV. Christ Restores Marriage to God’s Original Design.

A. Jesus sends us back to the beginning.

1. Matthew 19:4 asks, “Have you not read?” a. Jesus expected Scripture to settle the matter. b. Jesus did not begin with cultural custom. c. Jesus did not begin with emotional exception-making.
2. Jesus says God made them male and female. a. Marriage is rooted in creation. b. Marriage is between man and woman. c. Marriage is not man’s invention to redefine.
3. Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24. a. Leaving. b. Cleaving. c. One flesh.

B. Jesus forbids man from separating what God joined.

1. Matthew 19:6 says they are no longer two, but one flesh. a. Marriage changes the relationship permanently. b. The two become one by God’s design. c. Man must not treat that bond lightly.
2. Jesus says, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” a. God joins. b. Man must not tear apart. c. Divorce is not a harmless legal adjustment.
3. Matthew 19:9 gives the exception. a. Whoever divorces his wife except for fornication and marries another commits adultery. b. Jesus gives one lawful ground. c. Man has no authority to multiply exceptions.

C. Ephesians 5 shows marriage under Christ.

1. Wives are called to respect the order God gives. a. Ephesians 5:22 speaks of submission to the husband as to the Lord. b. This is not permission for abuse. c. It is God’s order in the home.
2. Husbands are called to sacrificial love. a. Ephesians 5:25 says husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church. b. Christ gave Himself up for her. c. A husband who uses headship selfishly has not understood Christ.
3. Marriage points beyond itself. a. Ephesians 5:32 says the mystery is great. b. Paul speaks with reference to Christ and the church. c. A Christian marriage should not lie about Christ by selfishness, cruelty, impurity, or covenant-breaking.

Application.

1. For husbands. a. Love your wife as your own body. b. Do not rule by harshness, neglect, laziness, or selfishness. c. Lead in a way that reflects Christ, not pride.
2. For wives. a. Honor the marriage God gave. b. Do not despise your husband or compete against the home. c. Help build the household in faith, loyalty, and wisdom.
3. For parents and in-laws. a. Counsel when invited, but do not rule what God has joined. b. Do not make your child choose between loyalty to spouse and obedience to your interference. c. Help the marriage become stronger, not more dependent on you.
4. For the church. a. Teach marriage from Genesis before the world teaches confusion. b. Defend the permanence of marriage without cruelty toward those who have sinned and need repentance. c. Hold the line where Jesus held it.
5. For the next generation. a. Marriage is not a game. b. Marriage is not merely romance. c. Marriage is covenant, service, sacrifice, purity, and lifelong faithfulness under God.

Conclusion.

1. Eden teaches us what marriage is before sin damaged human relationships. a. God saw that man should not be alone. b. God made woman. c. God brought her to the man.
2. Genesis 2 gives the pattern. a. Leave father and mother. b. Cleave to your wife. c. Become one flesh. d. Live in honorable intimacy without shame.
3. Jesus upheld that pattern. a. He went back to the beginning. b. He said God joins husband and wife. c. He warned man not to separate what God joined.
4. The church must return to God’s design. a. Not to cultural confusion. b. Not to selfish marriage habits. c. Not to easy divorce. d. Back to Eden. e. Back to Scripture. f. Back to God’s word.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.
7. If your home is out of order, repent and bring it under Christ. a. If you have sinned against your spouse, repent. b. If you have broken covenant, seek God’s mercy and obey His word. c. If you are not in Christ, obey the gospel today.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.