The Oneness Factor

August 09, 2021

Pastor Ken Brown Jr

Hi this is pastor Ken and this is my Monday Marriage Message…The Oneness Factor Genesis 1:26,27 reads; Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. In Genesis chapter one we read each of the day’s events of the very first week of the existence of all that we know. It was not the beginning of time so to speak. God is timeless and His word indicates quite clearly that He has always been and will forever be. Psalm 90:2 says, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. However, this first chapter of the book of Genesis does lay out for us the events as they occurred during creation week. Verses 26 and 27 above speak of the events of the sixth day of that week. There are some important theological truths contained in these verses and the ones that follow. I will spend the next several weeks of this podcast covering each of those truths and unpacking how they are important in practical ways as it relates to your marriage. The very first truth I want to extract from this scripture is the following; – God said, “Let Us…”. This is the first indication of the Holy Trinity. Later scripture goes on to indicate that the “Us” spoken of here is referring to God the Father, God the Son, and The Holy Spirit…the three in One. This triune Oneness experienced and illustrated by God is intended to become the pattern for every marriage going forward. Chapter 17 in the Gospel of John is the scripture reference where we read what Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. In John 17:20-23 we read the portion of Jesus’ prayer that is prayed for all believers yet to come…for you and I; “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. This is an important scripture because the Greek word used in this scripture to indicate the ‘oneness’ that exists between Jesus and the Father, and that is the noted desire for us to experience with Jesus and the Father (and by association, the Holy Spirit), is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 19:6 when He spoke of the ‘oneness’ of a marriage between a man and a woman. This Greek word, Hen in fact does translate into English as the word One, but it has further connotation of something that is homogenized or mixed so thoroughly that it is unable to be separated again. Consider the analogy of the bread I offered in last Monday’s podcast entitled “The Right Questions” Oneness is foundational to marriage. We must first accept that as truth in order to experience the value of the oneness in our own marriages. Our ‘oneness’ experience will not be perfect until we taste of it with Christ in heaven, however, our marriage is intended to help us know of its goodness. God the Father, God the Son and The Holy Spirit have existed always and always will exist in total and perfect Oneness. They are different in their functions yet completely united in their purpose. They “do” differing things, but always toward a common goal and with perfect intention and motive. Wouldn’t you enjoy a marriage like that? Actually, it has always been the design that your marriage would be like that. Can it be? Not perfectly so. Can it get better and better at resembling it? It can, and it will if you recognize your God given oneness to be a crucial component of your marriage and you make it your goal to acknowledge and foster it. Marriage is not simply a picture of the relationship God wants to have with you. Marriage is the practice field where you learn the necessary components of a meaningful relationship with God and perfect them through repetition with your spouse. Our marriages (our oneness) is where we practice faithfulness, forsaking all others, love, respect, total honesty, transparency, devotion, etc. All components of a fruitful and rewarding relationship with God. Our marriages provide the practice so we can perform our best on gameday! Questions to Answer: 1. Considering the oneness of the Trinity, how could you and your spouse experience oneness better in your marriage? 2. Is oneness something you think you are experiencing in your marriage? 3. How is oneness different than agreement? Actions to Take: 1. Each of you choose one aspect (only one for now) where you would like to see increased oneness exhibited in your marriage. 2. Pray for God’s insight as to what He wants oneness to look like for the two of you. 3. Ask Him to show you where He wants to develop oneness and where He wants to see it improve. 4. Commit to share with your spouse any areas God asks you to do your part to improve the oneness in your marriage. So now, learning what it means to walk in the oneness God intends for your marriage to exhibit…go be awesome!