Order of Marriage

By MBA Ph.D Nwachuku George

In a world replete with relationship problems, such as divorces, loveless marriages, and disordered relationships, God's order for marriage is being rejected. The Order of God is distinctive, which instantiates and maintains life and ensures the well-being of all in the universe. Humanity has not followed God's order that leads to peaceful

• Language: English
• Publisher: Go To Publish
• Release date: Aug 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781647496814

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I thank my darling wife, Choice Nwachuku, M.Sc., Ph.D., and everyone who helped in the editing and publishing of this work. Most of all, I give all thanks to God Almighty for the successful completion of this book.

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

A. Order

Order is defined as that which is aligned, stacked in a row; - that of a peaceful state, arranged in line to a defined path and plan, - unto a command that is authoritative, producing harmony and symmetry: - of uniformity. ¹ This means a thing or person is ordered when there is a display or appearance of alignment to its purpose of existence, as fashioned. Also, order involves varieties, not contrarieties, as symmetry and harmony are expected. Additionally, order identifies the power within it: - that which is authoritative, displaying an inbuilt rule, a command to functions. In view of the definition, it is that which is ordered and aligned unto goodness, a perfect work that results in peaceful co - existence. The opposite, disorder, results into chaos and unfruitfulness, hence, there is no peace.

Order depicts a systemic beauty unto a designed path and plan. Something is ordered when its appearance agrees with the intents and the will of its maker or creator, as it co - exists with others. Hence, such a being or thing reflects the wishes of its maker. The human is a creature of God, who designed him to reflect His intents and purposes for existence; therefore, the human is an effect, as God is His cause. As it is generally said, the effect carries over and retains something of its cause, perfection. God is Order, who dwells in perfection, and had made the human to be ordered that perfection, peace, and harmony, as wells as fruitfulness may abide always. The design of the human takes into consideration symmetry that harmony may be unleashed. God created the human, male and female, for that fact they are opposite sides of the same being, just like a coin. That they may enjoy completion in fruitfulness, - giving glory to God. In view of the above statement, marriage is in view, and is the ground and avenue for God bringing humans to earth, so that they can live in harmony, among their brethren: - according to God’s path and plan.

Historical Background

Order is a derivative of God. Its origin is found in God who made all things ordered. It is evident that before man came to be that God said the whole earth was barren, because there was no man to till the earth (Gen. 2 : 5). For this reason, He made man in His own image to fully represent Him and reflect Him in doing things that He would love to do. Hence, it is correct to deduce that man, being the image of God, - was to bring beauty and fruitfulness to a barren earth. For purpose is prior to being, as the fashioning of man with five senses pontificates: - ears to hear God’s command; - eyes to see the earth for which man is commanded to till; - hands to till (touch) the ground; - nose to smell the aroma of fruits and vegetation that is pleasing as God is pleased; - and mouth to taste the fruits (goodness of hard work) as in partaking of the proceeds, declaring praise to God. Humans are made for good works that God may have His pleasure in seeing them bring forth righteousness and perfection, ensuring continuity. To this end, God gave humans the sense of community as man must ensure continuity by re - creating families who will call upon the name of God that God’s glory may be displayed. Order must be seen in the activities of His creatures.

Order of things can be said to exist in God’s mind as evidenced philosophically in the Form, a Socratic formulation: - a form from which existential beings must come to be. Every living thing must exist in nature assigned to it, as stipulated by God. The coming to be of things must bring forth order and goodness (they are ordered, because of goodness), as the good is at their core, being created good. They are made good, because God is good, and wants the best for His creatures. Wherever there is a lack of goodness, it is no longer a systemic fault of the Creator, but a deviation from goodness by the creature: - a choice against the will of the Creator. This is called evil work or action. Goodness is the desire of all creatures, for they seek and desire the good – God and His designed plan and purpose.

Order depicts a built - in power to maintain orderliness. In the beginning of the existential life, there was nothing that can yield activity. To that end, God said the earth is without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep (Gen. 1 : 2). This displayed a prevalence of formlessness, emptiness, and lack,- as of the absence of light. God, who is Order, called out Light against the darkness: - living things against formlessness; and beauty and liveliness against that which was void.

In a nutshell, it is order that brought forth things to exist and maintains order in the universe. Existence is a product of intention, and intentionality and planning, a product of a Wise Being, God. In essence, the universe is ordered. Order diffuses and permeates existence unto the good of its inhabitants, leading to the order of being, natures, and their functions. Here order is a rule of being, an instruction which is authoritative. A law, - a mandate that all beings and things must fulfil: - that they should be fruitful in being (godliness) and in activity (output), unto a perfect arrangement and organization, for the benefit of all living in the universe. This is the mandate of the Most High God, the Creator, - the God of the whole earth.

To buttress this point, God made the humans whom He created good to do good works, - works that are perfect. It pontificates that goodness is the ingredient for orderliness, whereby, the good pinpoint a state of perfection, of no corruption. Though, man was created perfect, man fell, and corruption was found in his personality, as well as in his functions. Instead of love towards God (vertical) and others (horizontal), man chose evil (disobedience). The fall of man had damaged God’s image on earth. To that end, God sent forth His Son to the rescue, - the man, Lord Jesus – to recover His mission, earlier given to Adam. To correctly image and reflect God in personality and in functions, - doing His Will that good may come, just as it is in heaven. God had created all to function as fashioned, - unto love. The physical demonstration of that culminates in the love of spouses, for marriage is the epitome of that love. It leads the performer to find spiritual marriage which brings its seeker unto an exotic experience with the divine. For, we see in the Lord Jesus Christ’s deliberation with Judaistic leaders regarding whether it was okay to divorce wives for any reason, the Lord said it was not so in the beginning (not as planned by God): For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife. Though they are two, they shall be one as intended by the Most High and Creator. Man was to cover his wife in marriage that she might be at rest, as the man is at rest in GOD, ordered; not the dispersing of wives abroad (divorce). This issue is not about the giving of reasons for divorce, but of acting in obedience to the dictates of God as ordered, at all costs. It is about gaining the understanding that a wife is fitly joined to her man by God Himself that they may fulfil a function as decreed by God, which pleases God. It is in obedience that the two parties are blessed tremendously, ushering in happiness, health, offspring and peace within the community. This is so, for marriage is that bedrock on which families, societies, and nations are built. To the end that the unity of spouses, which God had ordered should not be rendered asunder (Matthew 19: 2 - 6). Unity of spouses necessarily leads to unity with God, for God is the power that unites spouses. This is so, for God is a unity: - humans must unite with their maker, for it is the reason for existence; that God may be well pleased

It behooves the Lord Jesus to come to earth that He may reconnect the fallen humanity to their God through marriage: that He may save all humans by dying for the sins of His betrothed; bringing sacramentality of the body back to life, - that built - in ability of human body to showcase God’s everlasting love. The Lord Jesus was made to be the first to rise from the dead, with a perfect (incorruptible) body: - that which is immortal, thereby, foreshadowing the resurrection of the saints - the raising of all that will believe in Him (1 Cor. 15: 20). For, just as sinfulness came through the human (Adam), God has made salvation possible, as well as the resurrection of they that died believing, through another, - His express image, the sent Human, - the Lord Jesus. This is so that the humans may be ordered in living in accordance with that designed purpose and plan: being one with their maker, - of oneness. The Lord Jesus came that He may put out all corruption by destroying all works of evil and of wickedness, even death itself; thereby, instituting Love, as was intended by the Most High in the beginning, - in line with His ordered plan. Any wonder why the Lord said to the Jewish leaders that it was not so in the beginning: - wives should not be cut out of their family, for her husband is her source, and cannot divorce her in principle. He allowed divorce only in case of adultery. The Lord reiterated the fact that marriage is honorable before God, the Father, - that He may manifest His Glory without any opposition, the supreme indwelling and controlling facts of life (v. 28).

Christ, then, came as God’s Seed: as the seed, here, - is used by God to produce the Body, - the Church, as afore – planned of God. On the ground that man who has an earthly body when he dies may possess a spiritual body when resurrected, without sin, and perfect (immortal). Hence, the first man, Adam, became a living soul. And the last Adam, the Lord Jesus, became a life – giving Spirit (resurrecting the dead to life): That no corruption or flesh or mortality may inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15: 50). On that note: O death, where is thy victory (sting). For, its sting is sin, and its power is the Law, but the believers have power over sin, and are delivered from the rudiments of the Law. Their faith in what Christ has done is ground for deliverance and salvation. The order of God must be, for it leads His creatures unto that expected life of love, happiness, and wellness, as all lives are ordered and in God, who is Order.

1. God as Order

God is Order, for He had revealed this in His Word, the Scriptures. Apostle Paul stated that God is God of Order and not of disorder (1Cor.14: 33 & 40). God being Order Himself; out of His love, ordered the universe, as well as humanity, to reflect Him. For, an effect takes something of its cause. And a thing is said to be perfect when it reflects its cause. The universe as being ordered reflects God; therefore, human society is created to reflect God, who is Order. God is the creator of all things, seen and unseen, for His Word (Scriptures) teaches so. No wonder, God said: I am the LORD, and there is none else. . . I form the light and create darkness. . . make peace and create evil; I the LORD do all these things. Isaiah added, thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his maker . . . I have made the earth, and created man upon it, I, even, my hands have stretched out the heavens and all their host have I commanded (Isaiah 45: 6 -12) (Psalm 24:1 - 2). God created all things unto a defined goal, a defined purpose. The order that can be detected in created things – universe and humans – is evidence of the order instilled in them by the Creator, who is Order.

Order is known to humans through God’s attributes (characteristics) - as well as - through God’s nature. God’s attributes are as follows: goodness, justice, and unity (three persons in one) (Deut. 6: 4). Other attributes which are everlasting properties of God are as follows: God as Spirit (Jn. 4: 24); personal (Gen. 3: 8 -13) as well as relational. God as Life (John 5: 26); omnipotent (Ps. 115: 3; Jer. 32:17); omniscient (Ps. 147: 5, Acts 4;13), and omnipresent. Additionally, God is Holy (Ex. 15:11; Isa. 6:1- 4), and God is Love (1 Jn. 4: 8). The book of John 4: 24 saw God as first Spirit, which implies that God is not a body. On that, Aquinas stated that bodies that move others tend to have their bodies moved through induction, as single cases pinpoint. Second, God is that mover that cannot be moved, taking from Aristotle. Aquinas added that the ‘First being’ necessarily must be ‘in act’ (actuality); for that which is potentiality only becomes actuality via a kind of actuality. To that end, God as First being has no potentiality, while every – ‘body’ has potentiality. Third, in view of the above, God stands as that Being, which is the noblest.

Furthermore, Aquinas added that a body is known in two ways, nonliving or living; and that a living one is better than nonliving body. Since all bodies are not living, the living lives by means of another. For example, a human body lives, because of the soul; therefore, the soul is nobler than the body. To that end, St. Paul’s vision of Christ’s Body is that of a living and harmonious organism functioning in unity (believing Jews and Gentiles), powered by the life of the Lord (Rom 15: 7-13), unto a designed path & purpose, for an ordered existence.² God cannot be a body, as we call body. God is Spirit, and Life; therefore, gives life to souls, which gives life to bodies, - as that of humans. Additionally, - God is Light, as is depicted in John 1: 4 - 5, for He is the light that shines upon the dark world.

The ordering of creation started with Light. In the beginning of time, God said let there be Light (Gen.1: 3) before anything was created. This Light came into the world to lighten people, being the ‘True Light.’ (John 1: 5; 9). Light depicts of perfection, and darkness, imperfection. It is written that God covers Himself with Lights (Psalm. 104: 2). God’s Son is the Light of this world: it was Him that created all things, the personified Wisdom of God; - but, when He came to this world, the world comprehended Him not (Jn. 1: 5). It is the Lord that lightens His people unto righteousness, holiness, and unto perfection; while those who refused Him, grope in darkness (Christ as the catalyst). God helping His own to walk in the light, in accordance with the Spirit of Truth in line with the designed path and plan of God: - living abundantly in the world, but not of the world (Jn. 15: 19;14: 17). King David said that God’s Word, a catalyst, - is light unto his path as humanity lives in a dark world; and ‘a lamp’ unto his feet (Ps.119: 105). This Spiritual Light of God, the Son, was called - out to take charge of creation before anything was created. Light is the expression of ‘fundamental goodness’ against a dark world. The pre - incarnate Son of God appeared and caused all things to exist, producing the physical light (day) and called the darkness night, demonstrating the superiority of light over darkness. The spiritual Light is represented by mere physical lights – the sun and the moon – taking male representations (likened to the sun of righteousness) (Mal. 14: 2); the sun (male) ruling over the earth (female); and the moon (male) ruling over seas and vegetation (female). The ruler ship of the sun and of the moon physically demonstrating the true ruler ship of the Lord Jesus and that of the Holy Spirit, both representing God who is Male and Light.

The reason for the lights is that they may direct the creatures as how to order themselves (seasons, time, and periods); - for all creatures work towards an end (unity and fruitfulness), even the inanimate ones. They have their natures with them. We have seen that nature acts for the sake of a determinate end by the direction of some superior agent; it is necessary that whatever happens naturally be reduced to God as first cause.³ Even things that lack knowledge, namely natural bodies, act for the sake of some end… they [the rational] achieve their end, not by chance, but by intention…Those things that lack knowledge do not tend towards an end, except under the direction of something with knowledge and intelligence; - and it is God that directs them, the Intelligent Being.⁴ The question, now, is that if God is not a body, but Spirit, - and orders things to their end, how can man know Him, and His nature? Humans know God through that which He had revealed, - of Himself that are in His Word, the Scriptures. Humans know by that which He revealed in nature, as nature of a thing is knowable. To know, - and to be like God is to be perfect; and one can only be perfect by knowing and doing His will. In Hebrews 10: 38, God said to live righteously is to be like the Righteous One He gave, - the Lord Jesus: the Just who lived by faith. This is the only way to live orderly