Let’s go to Genesis and we’ll pick up in the beginning here and see the purpose of our union, the responsibilities of each of us involved.  Go on and look at some of the wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives through the Apostle Paul in the new and the better covenant.

Genesis, Chapter 3, we see the fall of man taking place—the subtlety of Satan having won out.  Chapter 3, verse 1, the questioning of God’s care and love for us.  The appealing to that flesh, that willingness, desire for independence and self-will.  And so, the woman, then, having seen this fruit was good, Satan having seduced her, said it would cause their eyes to be opened and they would be as gods.  In fact, partly down here through this verse, you remember the Lord speaks and He says, “They have become as one of Us.”  The power of that enlightenment that took place, man, that greatest of God’s creation, partaking of that fruit, the knowledge of good and evil.  We need to understand the magnitude of what took place there.  Tragically, what happened was that each became a god unto themselves—they’ve become as one of Us.  And this deity, this worship, or I should say, this idolatry, this worship of self that originated here in this sin is of great power.  And we were born into that as the children of Adam, each one now, being born into this world, tragically, with this sin nature within us.  By one man sin entered into the world.  I’m saying all of this just to show you that as we go on into marriage, the purpose is to be the edification of one another.  Originally, when God said it’s not good for man to be alone, He was sending man this comforter.  This one that would come alongside him, with whom there would be fellowship, this one to whom we men should be able to trust in with all of our hearts.  But tragically, what we see is that being negated.  This is a very important part of what we’re going to try to get understanding.

Within our nature, men, as we’re overseeing our homes, we’re to be loving our wives as Christ loved the church.  Within our members, that sin that’s within our members, how powerful it is.  I’ve seen so much damage in relationships when that old man, that sin that’s still in our members, rises to prominence so often.  Where we begin to judge the motives of our spouses.  Listen, I’ll try to keep the balance in this, but we overemphasize the mother Eve within our spouses, rather than seeing them as the redeemed of the Lord and free from that dominant power.  In other words, we don’t respond out of accusation because of the nature of Eve in them, we respond to the fruit of the Spirit, the consequences of redemption; we don’t think evil.  We don’t presume “Evilness” upon them unless there’s true evident fruit of it; amen?  In other words, love thinks no evil; amen?

We always assume our wives are innocent, we always assume our wives as the redeemed of the Lord.  We see the Romans 7 aspect in our wives.  When you look at them and there is conflict or there is sin, we stand up and cover them by saying, “It’s not them, it’s sin that’s in them.”  That’s some good revelation for you today; amen?  That’s not them, that’s not who they want to be, that’s not who they are normally.  This, yes, is something that is sin, it’s something that I might be personally offended by, but that’s not them, that’s sin that’s in them.  They are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, and I will not think evil against bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, for no man ever yet hated his own body and we are one; amen?  I don’t know if that affects you the way it affects me, but that’s some revelation that can take us a long way down the road of being able to walk together.