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Genesis 2-3; Ephesians 5:21

Let me invite you to turn with me to Genesis 2-3. When I was just a kid, I fell in love (temporarily, of course) with Julie Andrews. The first movie of hers that I saw was Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins. And when paired up with Dick Van Dyke and his wonderful facial expressions – well, what kid wouldn’t like Mary Poppins as a nanny. Her next film was the musical The Sound of Music, where she played Maria von Trapp. Obviously, a storyline that was a bit more serious and realistic than the fanciful flying nanny of London. Either way, by that time, I was a sucker for Julie Andrews.

The song “Do-Re-Mi” comes to us from The Sound of Music and the first verse goes like this:

Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A B C
When you sing you begin with Do Re Mi
Do Re Mi, Do Re Mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do Re Mi, Do Re Mi
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti
Let’s see if I can make it easier

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, I drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do, oh oh oh

So, what does this have to do with Ephesians 5? Well, the more I studied Ephesians 5:21ff the more I realized that there are certain matters that lie behind Paul’s understanding of marriage. And unless we’re clear concerning those matters, we won’t make much headway over the next week or two. We’re going to start in Genesis 2:15 and read to Genesis 3:7.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Finally, Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (NIV).

“Our God and Father, we pray now that Your Word would be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, that the words which come from my mouth and the thoughts that we have in our minds and the responses of our wills might be in keeping with the wonder of Your grace to us in Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”

As the song says, “When you read you begin with A B C. When you sing you being with Do Re Mi.” When you talk about husbands and wives you need to start at the very beginning – a very good place to start. So, I’ve gathered my thoughts under three phrases.

The Culture’s Corruption

You say, “Well, why begin with such a word as this?” Well, I take it to refer to the state of marriage in our day. Some of you might say, “How about confusion?” Perhaps. Certainly, it’s a more moderate word, a more temperate word, but I’m not sure that confusion really does justice to the state of marriage today. It’s not simply that men and women are confused. It’s not simply that they don’t understand, rather men and women are actually in rebellion. They’re opposed to what they understand. Just witness the increased incidences of divorce, the stories that emerge every day of children being brought up in broken homes. And even when we’ve said all that we want to say about the mitigating factors, much of it lies at the feet of the individuals who find themselves in rebellion against the Bible.

The Bible is quite clear about the nature of these things, and yet marriage is ignored, in increasing numbers, by those who’ve chosen instead to cohabitate. Other people in our culture regard marriage as a cage, a restriction, a human invention, something that’s been put together in order to accommodate circumstances, and the best that they can do is get out of it as quickly as they possibly can.

It’s been redefined in our day and in our nation so as to legalize what God has never designed. And it is absolutely clear from the Bible, no matter what government legislates, that any other relationship other than a monogamous, heterosexual relationship cannot be and is not a marriage before God. You may call it whatever you choose to call it, but it’s not marriage before God as God has constituted men and women and the structure of society from the very beginning. We read just a moment ago, that from the very beginning God ordained marriage as between one man and one woman for life. And He is concerned about all marriage, in all cultures, at all times, because He’s the very designer of the deal.

Moral decay and rottenness, in this respect, are simply another tangible illustration of the fact that we live in the world, and we wage war not as the world wages war, but we wage war, as Paul says in Ephesians 6 (if we ever get there) “not … against flesh and blood, but against … spiritual [wickedness] in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). And that spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places, expressed in so many different ways, is often clearly seen in the agitation on the part of the Evil One to encourage us to take what God has given for our good and for His glory and to pervert it in such a fashion that the beauty and the wholeness and the enjoyment of marriage is then lost in the pursuit of selfish pleasure.

You say, “Now, isn’t that just a little overstated.” Judge for yourselves. I think it’s fairly evident that our country is falling apart when it comes to this. And I’m not surprised. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t say this in a spirit of judgment, as if somehow or another I am able to stand up here at this pulpit and look out on the nation and pronounce judgment on it. No, not at all! What I’m saying is; if I look at the Bible and I look at the culture – if I look at the design of God and if I look at the departure of a culture – it doesn’t look like it’s going the way it should go. And why would it go that way? Because by nature, man is in rebellion against God. By nature, man says, “I’ll do this my own way.” By nature, man says, “I don’t like that idea. I have another idea. I have another plan.” And it’s impossible for man to continue down that road without it actually having an impact in all these ways.

With that said, here’s the bigger deal: the real issue, the real concern – and this is where I found myself stopping during the week – what is most alarming to me is not that this view exists outside the church, but that this view exists (to a greater and greater degree) inside the church. That within the realm of Christendom, those who apparently profess to believe the Bible are now, for whatever reason, prepared to tamper with the Bible – to twist the Bible – in order to accommodate one’s self to the thoughts and values of the day. The real issue, the real question is: Does the church believe the Bible? Or, more pointedly: Does this church believe the Bible? Or, narrowing it down even more: Do you believe the Bible? Or even more so: Do I believe the Bible?

The Bible’s Inspiration

That brings me to my second thought: The Bible’s inspiration. You see, what’s at stake here in this matter of marriage – and it’s not limited to marriage (of course), but marriage is certainly where most of us will come face to face with it – what’s at stake here is the question of the inspiration of the Bible itself. How is it that we have the Bible? What is the Bible? Why is the Bible authoritative? You remember, those of you who were around at the threshold of the new millennium 20 years ago, we said people will challenge the exclusive claims of Jesus, and they continue to; they will challenge the authority and sufficiency of the Bible, and they continue to; and, we said, it will probably be revealed most expressly in the question of human sexuality, in the matter of gender. Few of us understood how prophetic that last observation was. And few of us could ever have anticipated the speed with which the question of gender would monopolize our lives.

Why is it, then, that there’s this retreat within the confines of Christendom on this matter of clarity and authority of the Bible? I think the answer is very simple. It’s blatant disobedience. It’s rebellion. It’s nothing more than making ourselves God – on this issue and several more – and simply saying to ourselves (if not out loud), “On this issue, at this time, I choose not to believe Scripture.”

So, for example: “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.” That little phrase there is like a lightning rod, even in a congregation like this. I can’t see it, but I’m sure it’s happening – certain ladies are sitting up a little higher in their seat. They’re bristling at the very thought of it. “Do people actually believe this kind of thing today?” Saint Augustine said, “If you believe what you like in the gospel, and you reject what you don’t like, it’s not the gospel you believe, it’s yourself.” So, if you believe what you like in the Bible and reject what you dislike in the Bible, then it’s not the Bible you believe, it’s yourself.

Paul, when he writes to Timothy, you remember, in 2 Timothy 3:16, says to him, he says, “Timothy, all Scripture is inspired by God” (paraphrased). Paul wasn’t informing Timothy of something that he didn’t know; Paul was reminding Timothy of what he already knew. Timothy knew what Paul was saying because he’d read the Old Testament: “The word of the Lord came,” and “This is the word of the Lord,” and “This is God’s word,” and so on. Timothy believed that.

In fact, the very verb that Paul uses is a unique verb in the New Testament. Some have even suggested that he coined the verb in order to make the point – the point being that when we talk in terms of the inspiration of the Bible, it’s not something God breathed into, but rather it’s something that God breathed out; that the Scriptures are not a human product infused with divinity, but they’re actually a divine product produced through human instrumentality.

There’s nothing in the world like this book. That’s why we’ve spoken in the past of the dual authorship of Scripture. When God wants a book like Romans to be written, He raises up somebody like Saul of Tarsus in order that he might be the one who is able to write it. Which, of course, God did through Paul.

For the record, I think it’s important for you to know that I believe that every book, chapter, verse, and syllable of the Bible was originally given by the inspiration of God. That’s my own personal conviction. J.C. Ryle, in his book Bible Inspiration: Its Reality and Nature, writes this: “[Inspiration] is the very keel and foundation of Christianity. If Christians have no Divine tool to turn to as the basis of their doctrine and practice, they have no solid ground for present peace or hope, and no right to claim the attention of mankind.”

See, what’s the basis on which we can say to our culture, “Hey, wait a second!” It’s not the fact that we’re annoyed about things, or that we think of ourselves as more righteous or “better than” the next guy. It’s the fact that we believe the Bible! And the message of the Bible is the message of how God comes to repair and to restore that which is broken and destroyed and mangled and messed up. And that the agony of God for a world that has turned its back on Him has gone to the extent of Him sending His Son in order to make an atonement for our sin and rebellion against Him. That, my friends, is at the heart of it all. It’s not simply that we’re annoyed that America isn’t the way that we wanted it. That can come and go.

Now, in saying all of this, I recognize that as with other areas of Christian doctrine, this is difficult. But the fact that it’s difficult doesn’t mean that we simply ignore the issue of the inspiration of Scripture. The fact that you and I don’t know the answer to every question about the inspiration of the Bible doesn’t call in question the Bible’s claim for itself. It is a difficult doctrine, yes. It’s a biblical doctrine, yes. It’s an essential doctrine, yes.

Think about it. What’s the point of me even going into verse 22 and continuing to expound Ephesians chapter 5 if we don’t believe that every word of this book is inspired? What’s the point? There is no point! Why teach the Bible at all, if we don’t believe this is the inspired Word of God? Incidentally, that’s why so many don’t teach the Bible. It’s not that they don’t study. They study. It’s simply because they don’t believe it to be God’s Word! So, if you don’t believe it, why would you teach it? Why not just say pleasant things that will be encouraging to relatively pleasant people, and have everybody go their own way? (Which some do…) No, this is something far greater than that – something far more significant.

The Bible’s Authority

That brings me to my final thought: The Bible’s authority. At the end of the day – when I’ve done all the preaching and teaching that I can do – you’ll only become convinced of the authority of Scripture by the Scripture itself. The witness of the Holy Spirit working by the Word of God and with the word of God in your heart is the only way you’ll be convinced of the authority of the Bible.

It’s reading Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer for the disciples (John 17:17) and hearing Him say, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” It’s hearing Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount and say, “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” (Matthew 5:17). It’s by watching how Jesus chose to fight the temptations of Satan in the wilderness – by quoting Scripture – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). And asking yourself, “If Jesus viewed the Word of God as truth and He spoke about God’s Word in this fashion, then how should I view the Bible?”

(By the way, in case you’ve forgotten, this is an introduction to marriage and Ephesians 5:21ff. I just thought I’d remind you of that.)

Here’s why today’s message is focused on Genesis and the Bible: we’ll never think rightly about marriage until we’re convinced of the divine origin of Scripture. The only other way to approach marriage is like a pragmatist: that there are certain principles here that might be helpful for us, and so on – some ideas, some concepts. I can apply them if I choose, I’ll disregard them if I want. There’s nothing here that’s of divine authority; there’s nothing here that makes me have to do anything at all. I mean, I might see that it’s valuable to love my wife as Christ loved the church, but then again, I don’t really like to do that most of the time, and so why should I? Well, of course, you shouldn’t – unless God’s Word is true.

It’s absolutely vital for the church. It’s vital for our church. This is one of the greatest issues of Christianity today. Listen to me carefully: we cannot, dare not, ever deviate in this matter. The authority and sufficiency and inerrancy of Scripture is absolutely foundational to the ongoing work of God. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he bragged on them; he said, “We thank God constantly for this, that when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Before Paul writes 2 Timothy 3:16, which talks about Scripture being breathed out by God, he writes verses 14-15: “As for you, [Timothy,] continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” That’s all we have.

Folks, if the Bible is not what I’ve been describing, then we’re actually involved in the greatest fabrication that the world has ever seen. If the Bible isn’t the inspired Word of God and fully authoritative for us, then I’ve lied my way through every funeral service I’ve ever conducted by assuring believers in Jesus that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

When I stand at the graveside and read John 14, “Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” on what possible basis can I say that? On the authority and sufficiency of the Bible. Nothing else. I’ve got nothing else! And neither do you.

It’s imperative, before we tackle Ephesians 5:21ff, that we understand that marriage, as God intended it, is between a man and a woman. That due to the effects of sin, we’re all coming to the table on the topic of marriage with stains and scars and perhaps unbiblical expectations. And most importantly, if we truly want to see and hear what God has to say to us (married, single, young, old) concerning the relationship between husbands and wives, then we have to be honest with ourselves about the issue of the Bible’s inspiration and authority.