“GOD said, ‘It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion.’ So GOD formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion. GOD put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. GOD then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man. The Man said, ‘Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh! Name her Woman for she was made from Man.’ Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh. The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:18-25, MSG).

Most people are aware of the story of Adam naming all the animals, but often we overlook the context. God declared, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone,” then committed to make him a “helper, a companion.” The Hebrew word means “one who helps,” but also—more importantly—“a counterpart possessing neither inferiority nor superiority, but being in all things like and equal.” After this commitment to make a companion, Adam first searched and determined that no other created being was suitable. It was only after God formed Woman that Adam declared he’d “finally!” found the suitable companion. Woman was uniquely created to be the counterpart and companion for man. 

Jesus affirms this as the basis for marriage when He quotes the passage in Matthew 19 and Mark 10. Paul also quotes it in Ephesians 5, where he explains that marriage is a sacred relationship that is meant to demonstrate the spiritual union of Christ and the Church. Throughout the Bible, the unique relationship of marriage between a man and a woman is consistently and unequivocally displayed as God’s intention for the meeting of each person's need for companionship, the basis of the family and society, the means through which God’s promise of Messiah (Salvation) was preserved throughout the generations, and the relationship through which our sexuality is used in its intended purpose. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

This month, as we teach through Healthy Relationships, remember that relationships are primary to every aspect of the Bible, and that every one of our relationships must be submitted to the life we find in the Gospel. Our experience of broken relationships must not be the basis for our beliefs. Rather, our faith in God’s Word and promises for healthy relationships must become the basis for our behaviors.