GENESIS 2:18-25
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.
TEN POINTS TO PONDER
God knew about Adam’s problem before Adam did, and God solved Adam’s problem in a way that Adam never could have. We can trust Him because He knows better than we do what we really need.
Adam had everything. He was safe and secure, he had meaningful work, he even had a relationship with God. But God said there was something missing. We can have it all, but it all means nothing if we are on our own.
Humanity has created many “new” designs for what marriage can be, but only God’s design is capable of multiplying healthy families and building healthy communities.
God’s design for marriage is simply one man and one woman who are committed to one another for life.
Adam and Eve’s sin wrecked everything. Nothing in this world works the way it should, which means that marriages are impacted, relationships are impacted, sexuality is impacted, and much more. We should never be surprised when people don’t act the way we think they should. Sin’s impact doesn’t make sense.
In a world full of broken relationships, marriage isn’t always the pathway to being fully known. But when life doesn’t go as we hoped, Jesus meets us in the spaces where connections are lacking.
Sometimes connection requires separation. In Genesis 2:24, the man must leave his parents in order to become one with his wife. Sometimes, in our pursuit of godly connection, we must be willing to let go of past hurts and future expectations.
Spiritual connection requires us to be open with others so that we can experience grace and acceptance from them. Correspondingly, we must be gracious and accepting so that others will be open with us.
Even though we were designed to connect with other humans, because of sin, human connection will always fail us. But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Jesus models the exact type of grace and forgiveness that is necessary for every relationship to thrive. If He could forgive the people who were killing Him, there is nothing that we cannot forgive.
CONNECTED CHRISTIANS GIVE GRACE BECAUSE THEY HAVE RECEIVED GRACE
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Why do you need grace?
If you are married, you likely need grace from your spouse at least once a day. If you are a parent, you likely need grace from your children once a day. If you are an employee, you probably need grace from your boss on a regular basis.
We all have times in our lives when we our errors or mistakes leave us in need of grace from someone.
Why do you need grace from God?
Read and Contemplate Ephesians 2:1-10.
What do you think it means to be “dead in sins?”
The first three verses of this passage describe us as being formerly (before Christ) disobedient, full of wrath and immature. Our lifelessness in the past simply means we were completely unable to make ourselves right with God (spiritual life).
“But God, being rich in mercy…by grace you have been saved.”
Despite the sad state we were in, God extended his gift of grace to change our lives forever. He did not have to offer His son for our sins. He did not have to give us eternal life. He did not have to provide a means for us to be reconciled to Him. He chose to do all this, because He is a gracious God and Father.
Verse 10 suggests the result of God’s grace in our life is a new-found ability to accomplish good things. He has shown us grace so we can show grace to others.
God’s grace changes our life.
Consider how you have been made alive by God’s grace in your life. Consider how God has shown you grace even when you didn’t deserve it. What can you do to pass that gift along?
Today: Take five minutes and give thanks to God for His grace in your life. Consider how you can pass that grace along to others.
Click on the image to download the DiscipleQuest PDF
The DiscipleQuest PDF includes 7 days of verse study prompts. You can use these seven studies to dig deeper into what the Bible teaches about our relationships with others (this week we’ll focus mainly on what Proverbs says about “brothers”):
- Proverbs 6:19
- Proverbs 17:17
- Proverbs 18:19
- Proverbs 16:28
- Proverbs 27:10
- Proverbs 18:24
- Proverbs 27:6
Use these questions as journal prompts or as conversation starters with a group of friends or a Bible study group:
Make a list of the world’s best “combination foods”. (any food that successfully combines two or more key ingredients. Examples would be Oreos or Reece’s)
Make a list of food combinations that don’t work.
It seems people are often like food. Some people work well together and others seem to be like water and oil. What are some characteristics of a good relationship (marriage, friendship, job, etc.)? What are some characteristics of a bad relationship?
What do you think are the greatest struggles that most married couples face (if you’re in a “non-married” group, talk about the relational struggles people deal with most often)?
Read Genesis 2:20-25. Then read Genesis 3:8-13. Notice the difference in relationship when Adam and Eve were focused on one another (Gen.2) and when they were focusing on themselves (Gen.3).
What keeps people from being open with others? What keeps people from being gracious and accepting of others?
How does self-centeredness impact a relationship?
How can you do a better job of focusing your attention on your others?
How do you think Adam and Eve’s relationship with God impacted their relationship with each other?
In your experience, can husbands and wives (or friends) deepen their relationship with each other by deepening their relationship with God? How would you suggest they do this?
What changes do you need to make in your life this week? How can this group help you?
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