17. Beginner Bible Course: God's pattern in creation for marriage

EPISODE 17  The simple Bible overview of…GOD’S PATTERN IN CREATION FOR MEN, WOMEN, AND MARRIAGE

In Genesis chapter two, God lays down a pattern for gender, sexuality, and relationships between men and women. Patterns are something I'm familiar with. My mother used to sew clothes. She'd lay a bolt of cloth out on the kitchen table and then pull from a large envelope, a yellowed crinkly, old pattern. She'd pin it to the bolt of cloth and then take out her scissors to this day. I can still hear the snip, snip, snip of her scissors in the kitchen, cutting that bolt of cloth. A pattern provides the standard. It's up to the seamstress, how accurately he or she cuts along the lines. When we looked at Genesis chapter two in the last podcast, we saw that God made clear lines.

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The text says male and female made. He them. The text also told us men and women are partners, suitable helpers of each other, actually managing partners called to rule over creation and tend it. Well God's pattern also said they were to be vulnerable. The text said they were naked and unashamed fully revealed to each other and to God. And the last verse of Genesis two tells us they were to be leaved and cleaved. They were to forsake their primary relationship to their parents and be glued to each other and become one flesh.

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For those that might think God laid down a pattern for then, but not now. Jesus repeats this same principle almost verbatim in Mark chapter 10. And Paul carried along by the Holy spirit in Ephesians five. Repeats that again, this sounds like a prescriptive pattern for all time. One man, one woman glued together for life. It doesn't say for life in the Genesis text, Jesus adds that in the Mark text, what God has joined together as one flesh, let no one tear apart, which brings me to the Pink and blue and glue project. I send my students home with they come back the next day with their pink and blue sheet glued together.

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And then I remind them about God's pattern one, man, one woman glued together for life. Inevitably, they have questions if they don't speak them out loud, remember these are seventh graders. You can read it on their face. Here's the essence of those questions. It's the same ones you probably have. Is it okay for two pinks or two blues? Homosexuality. How about a blue in two pinks? Polygamy? Is it okay for a Pink to transition to blue transgenderism? What about the color purple. Those who are non-binary their questions move on from Pink and blue.

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The glue, some of my students use great glue. Others don't even bother. They use staples or tape or even paper clips, which leads to a seventh grade age appropriate discussion on being a player in cohabitation. I then give them two minutes, a lab, as it were to pull their pink and blue pieces apart. My instructions a prize goes to the one who can take their pink and blue apart doing the least amount of damage to each piece, to some there's no damage at all. Especially those who use paper clips with other students. There's nothing left, but shreds.

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We then have another age appropriate discussion about divorce. All my students have been directly or indirectly impacted by that in their own lives. There's clearly wisdom in Jesus' admonition. What God has joined together. Let no one separate that's God's pattern. I visit with the students about two situations where God said sometimes separating pink and blue is necessary. We'll talk about those in future podcasts today Pink and blue and glue are highly controversial and emotional topics to discuss. I urge us all to show grace and understanding in the new Testament's words, to be quick, to hear and slow to speak when discussing these issues with each other.

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Relatively few of us cut very well along God's pattern in this area, but please don't misunderstand the pattern. God's pattern in creation was one man, one woman glued together for life. Genesis one and two teachers. The God designed a world and it was good and he designed pink and blue and glued them together. And it was very good. So what on earth happened? I'll address that in our next wordpicture.