What Does It Mean That God Joins A Husband And Wife Together
God joining a man and woman together as husband and wife means He approves and blesses such a union. God, through His actions in presenting Eve to Adam as his wife set the standard for the ages to come. All over the world, the union of a husband and wife is recognized as forming the building block of society.
How Do You Know God Doesnt Want You In Life
Here are 7 signs God is telling you to end that relationship:
What Does What God Has Joined Let No One Separate Mean
The command what God has joined together, let no one separate refers to marriage and divorce. It is from Jesus teaching on marriage and divorce. It is found in 12 and Matthew 19:112.
In Jesus time, marriage wasnt for love although, Im sure, many couples who married were in love. Marriage for women in those days was for survival. If a woman was not married, she was at the mercy of her father.
And those who did marry were at the mercy of their husbands. It was reasonable in those days for men to say their wives no longer pleased them and they had the right to divorce. Men could divorce if a woman was not sexually appealing, if she cheated, or if she couldnt produce a male heir.
On one occasion, the Pharisees intended to trip Jesus up in His teachings. They asked Jesus if it is legitimate for a man to divorce his wife.
Jesus fundamentally answered, No.
You’ve likely heard this phrase a lot before. But what exactly does God bring together? And what is a marriage covenant, and how do we define that. Let’s explore these two questions in lieu of the statement, “What God has joined, let no man pull asunder” or “let no one separate.”
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What Is A Marriage Covenant
In biblical terms, a covenant between God and His people holds great significance. It creates the foundation of how God interacts with people. A covenant marriage is a binding contract said before the Lord and your partner.
It is a lifelong commitment, a joining of two individuals that become one flesh for a lifetime. It cannot be broken and over time the bonds of marriage grow stronger. The idea of sickness and in health, to love and to cherish becomes more meaningful.
This is because the phrase What God has joined, let no one separate means a couples commitment to each other isnt dependent on circumstances, its dependent on when God chooses to take one of them home.
It means that marriage comes from God, and therefore people should not end a marriage. Other passages that support this verse includes:
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken .
Imagine the imagery of a chord of three strands. A braided chord is much harder to pull apart than a braid made of two. Think of God as the third strand in a relationship.
Be completely humble and gentle be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace .
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity .
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her .
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Finished With The Pharisees
Thats the end of Jesuss conversation with the Pharisees about divorce. He has more to say to his disciples, but he is done with the Pharisees. They ask no more. He tells no more. They came with their question. Jesus gave his answer. They asked, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? And Jesus answers: What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. No. It is not lawful. It contradicts the ultimate meaning of marriage.
Of course, someone might say, it has always contradicted the meaning of marriage even when the permission of Deuteronomy was written. But Jesus is not thinking that way. He is calling his followers to a higher standard than the compromise with hardness of heart in Deuteronomy.
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What Is The Will Of God In My Life
God is God and He works all things, including your life, according to his purposes. Psalm 57:2 says, I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. This is key in understanding Gods purpose for your life. God has numbered your days and will fulfill every purpose He has for you.
What’s The Origin Of The Phrase ‘what God Has Joined Together Let No Man Put Asunder’
The injunction is taken from the Bible, Matthew 19:6. It appears first in print in English in Miles Coverdale’s Bible, 1535:
Now are they not twayne then, but one flesh. Let not man therfore put a sunder, that which God hath coupled together.
It is interesting to note that ‘asunder’ was, in the 16th century, ‘a sunder’. Sunder meant ‘separate from’.
The two words have merged into one, in the same way that many nautical terms, like ‘aboard’, ‘amidships’ etc. have done.
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Matthew 1: 46 1890 Darby Bible
4 But he answering said to them, Have ye not read that he who made them, from the beginning made them male and female,5 and said, On account of this a man shall leave father and mother, and shall be united to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh?6 so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.
Jesus Didnt Come To Reaffirm Moses
Jesus did not come to simply affirm the Mosaic Law. He came to fulfill it in his own consuming, forgiving, justifying obedience and death, and then to take his ransomed and forgiven and justified followers into the higher standards that were really intended when all of Moses is properly understood. Remember Matthew 5:17, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
And then he gives six examples of what this radical obedience will look like in his disciples. Here are just two: You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder . . . but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment . You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart . And there are four more like this in Matthew 5.
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What God Has Joined Together
Matthew 19:1-12
INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Jesus, the Master Teacher, and we are looking at a series of Jesus teachings from Matthew 18-20. Todays teaching has to do with marriage, divorce and singleness. I know divorce is a difficult subject for many of us. And so, I just want you to note where this teaching falls in the gospel of Matthew right after the passage we just looked at on unlimited forgiveness.
We said last week that God offers unlimited forgiveness, and so should we. So, if you have divorce in your past or you are going through a difficult time in your marriage right now, please know God loves you and wants to help you. Jesus died on the cross for all our sins, and he offers forgiveness and new life to everyone who puts their trust in him. Gods grace is greater than all our sin, which means we can bring him all of our troubles, all of our problems, all of our failures, all of our sins. God is there, God cares and he forgives.
If you had to give a talk on marriage, divorce and singleness, what would you say? What if you were told you had less than a minute? You have to give a T.E.D. talk on marriage, divorce and singleness and you have a time limit of one minute. What do you say?
The occasion: a question about divorce
I. Jesus teaches about marriage
So, lets look at Jesus teaching about marriage first. Look at verses 4-6 with me:
A. Marriage was created by God Genesis 1:27
What God Has Put Together Let No Man Break Apart Meaning
Definition: Christian marriages should not end in divorce.
Sometimes people use the word joined instead put, as in what God has joined together, let no man put asunder or they use tear or instead of put asunder as in, what God put together let no man separate or what God put together let no man tear apart.
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Matthew 1: What God Has Joined Together
Disregard for the sanctity of marriage is nothing new. It was a problem in the days of Jesus as evidenced in Matthew 19:1-12. Four centuries prior it was a problem for Israel , and more than 1000 years before that, Moses had to address the problem in the giving of the law . Though never mentioned in Scripture prior to Moses Law, we can assume that such was also the case in the previous millennia when the world became utterly corrupt .
In Matthew 19:4-5, Jesus goes back to the Creation in reminding men what was Gods original plan for marriage, namely, one man and one woman for life until separated by death. While Adam spoke of the two becoming one flesh, no statement is made concerning the authority of the joining until Jesus statement in verse 6, Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
The fundamental principle of marriage is that of oneness. That is, two individuals, becoming as one in the Divine institution and covenant of marriage. Many, if not all, of the questions about what God recognizes as proper marriage can be answered using this principle.
The Bible uses accommodative language to speak of or recognize things that happen in reality, . However, it is a far different thing to say that God approves of that reality.
God recognizes that a marriage has taken place, but by implication denies its right to exist by identifying that relationship as constituting adultery.
Matthew 1: 46 The New King James Version
4 And He answered and said to them, HaveyounotreadthatHewhomadethematthebeginningmadethemmaleandfemale,5 andsaid, Forthisreasonamanshallleavehisfatherandmotherandbejoinedtohiswife, andthetwoshallbecomeoneflesh? 6 Sothen, theyarenolongertwobutoneflesh. ThereforewhatGodhasjoinedtogether, letnotmanseparate.
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Matthew 1: 46 New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update
4 And He answered and said, HaveyounotreadthatHewhocreatedthemfromthebeginningmadethemmaleandfemale,
5 andsaid, Forthisreasonamanshallleavehisfatherandmotherandbejoinedtohiswife, andthetwoshallbecomeoneflesh?
6 Sotheyarenolongertwo, butoneflesh. WhatthereforeGodhasjoinedtogether, letnomanseparate.
Divorce And The Gospel
But in closing today I want to emphasize that what Jesus says here in verses 1012 is incredibly good news even to those who have been divorced and are remarried. Heres why: Jesus says, Dont divorce your spouse and marry someone else. If you do, youve committed adultery. Why is it adultery? Ultimately, it is adultery because it betrays the truth about Christ that marriage is meant to display. Jesus never, never, never does that to his bride, the church. He never forsakes her. He never abandons her. He never abuses her. He always loves her. He always takes her back when she wanders. He always is patient with her. He always cares for her and provides for her and protects her and, wonder of wonders, delights in her. And you you who are married once, married five times, married never if you repent and trust Christ receive him as the treasure who bore your punishment and became your righteousness you are in the bride. And that is how he relates to you. Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name .
The radical call of Jesus never to divorce and remarry is a declaration of the gospel by which people who have failed may be saved. If Christ were not this way, we would all be undone. But this is how true, how faithful, how forgiving he is. Therefore, we are saved.
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Breaking Down The Key Parts Of Mark : 9
#1 Therefore The previous statement made by Christ is that any provision for divorce in the Law of Moses was given because of the hardness of the hearts of his people, but that God had joined man and woman together as one flesh, and as such, they are to leave their parents and cleave to one another. This is the grounds for the present statement.
#2 what God has joined together, The first couple was joined by God when Eve was presented to Adam and he took her as his wife. Traditionally, a marriage contract is written, followed by a ceremony of some kind, and the consummation finalizes the union, being the ultimate expression of conjugal oneness.
#3 let no one separate. If God cannot create an unbreakable bond, who can? One of the sins humanity will be judged for is the lack of seriousness toward this rule. In our sin, we are often foolish, especially when we are young. If only more married couples would take seriously the vows they took to God and one another, they would find that given time and the chance to mature and grow wise, God can make a happy marriage, especially when two committed Christians participate. Happiness is not the goal of Christian marriage, but it will usually be a bi-product of true faithfulness to God, truth, and one another.
Other Translations For Mark : 9
What therefore God hath ioyned together, let not man put asunder.– King James Version – View 1611 Bible Scan“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”– New American Standard Version What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.– American Standard Version Let not that which has been joined together by God be parted by man.– Basic English BibleWhat therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.– Darby BibleWhat therefore God hath joined together, let not man separate. – Webster’s BibleWhat, therefore, God has joined together let not man separate.”– Weymouth BibleWhat therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”– World English BibleTherfor that thing that God ioynede togidere, no man departe.– Wycliffe Biblewhat therefore God did join together, let not man put asunder.’– Youngs Literal Bible
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Matthew 1: 46 King James Version
4 And he answered and said unto them, Haveyenotread, thathewhichmadethematthebeginningmadethemmaleandfemale, 5 Andsaid, Forthiscauseshallamanleavefatherandmother, andshallcleavetohiswife: andtheytwainshallbeoneflesh? 6 Whereforetheyarenomoretwain, butoneflesh. WhatthereforeGodhathjoinedtogether, letnotmanputasunder.
Presentation On Theme: What God Has Joined Together Genesis : 15
1 What God Has Joined Together Genesis 2:15-24 1
2 What God Has Joined Together A simple, well-defined topic A lot of emotionalism wrapped up in it though “What if” is a common response “Just the facts, ma’am” 2
3 The Origin Of Marriage Established by God Genesis 2:24 “cleave unto his wife” Purpose Genesis 2:18 “not good that the man should be alone” “meet” , “fit” , “comparable” , “suitable” 3
4 The Origin Of Marriage Number The establishment verses use singular forms of speech Not until 7 th generation that we see more than one Genesis 4:19 “Lamech took unto him two wives” Not until Genesis 16 that we see it again 4
5 The Origin Of Marriage Number Not a universal practice OT shows more monogamous marriages than polygamous NT has no implication of a plurality of wives 90 occurrences of “wife” and “wives” Matthew 18:25 “his wife” Matthew 22:24-28 “the woman” 5
6 The Origin Of Marriage Number The principle of Matthew 19 is valid Matthew 19:8 “He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so.” 6
7 The Origin Of Marriage Relationship Love Ephesians 5:25-33 “love your wives” Colossians 3:19 “love your wives” Titus 2:4 “love their husbands” Respect/Subjection Ephesians 5:21 “subjecting yourselves to one another” I Peter 3:7 “according to knowledge” Titus 2:5 “being in subjection” I Peter 3:8-9 “loving as brethren” 7
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The Covenant Remains Until Christ Removes
One of the reasons that I have emphasized the ultimate meaning of marriage so much in this series is that the meaning of marriage is such that human beings cannot legitimately break it. The ultimate meaning of marriage is the representation of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church.
To live this truth and to show this truth is what it means, most deeply, to be married. This is the ultimate reason why marriage exists. There are other reasons, but this is the main one. Therefore, if Christ ever abandons and discards his church, then a man may divorce his wife. And if the blood-bought church, under the new covenant, ever ceases to be the bride of Christ, then a wife may legitimately divorce her husband. But as long as Christ keeps his covenant with his bride, the church, and as long as the church, by the sustaining grace of God, remains the chosen people of Jesus Christ, then the very meaning of marriage will include: what God has joined, only God can separate, not man.