Marriage - God's "eternal salvation" picture

I came across an article by John Piper that better introduces this.

"Ephesians 5:31 is a quotation from Genesis 2:24, “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.” Then Paul adds in verse 32: “This is a great mystery, and I take it to mean Christ and the church.”

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The union of man and woman in marriage is a mystery because it conceals, as in a parable, a truth about Christ and the church. The divine reality hidden in the metaphor of marriage is that God ordained a permanent union between His Son and the church. Human marriage is the earthly image of this divine plan. As God willed for Christ and the church to become one body (Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 12:13), so He willed for marriage to reflect this pattern—that the husband and wife become one flesh (Gen. 2:24).

It is no accident that human marriage provides language to explain Christ’s relation to the church (2 Cor. 11:2). For human marriage is the copy, not the original. Geoffrey Bromiley is right when he says,

“As God made man in His own image, so He made earthly marriage in the image of His own eternal marriage with His people” (God and Marriage, p. 43)."

God's Original Intention

God's original intention for marriage is one with no divorce options, and it is why Jesus said in Matthew 19:8, when he addressed the subject of divorce that "in the beginning, it was not so"

Matthew 19:8-9 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

There are 2 important things to note from the text above

1. Divorce is an idea from man, because of the hardness of their heart (unforgiving).

2. The offended man was the one who always did the putting away

Many Christians believe earthly marriage should be a place of eternal oneness and unconditional forgiveness but they somehow have been made to believe that their Union with God is a short-term one and without unconditional forgiveness. The devil has successfully sold them the lie that the shadow (earthly marriage) is stronger than the real thing (heavenly marriage).

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

All of the world’s best marriages have 1 similar pillar upholding it, and that pillar is Forgiveness. God, knowing the importance of this, made sure to provide more than enough of it by Christ’s sacrifice. Not just enough till your next shortcoming, but enough to cover all sins and to last a lifetime. In marriage, it is always legally in the favor of the offended to do the putting away. Not the offender, and it is why we find that when someone wants a divorce for selfish reasons, they find somewhere to fault their spouse and use that as a worthy reason to push for a divorce, knowing fully well that the court will not consider hearing the case if there is no offense from the other spouse who is to be divorced. The good news is that God is love, he will never be the offender! If he does not take your offense to heart, there is no legal ground for him to leave you!

Amongst all the things you know about God, you must know that he never demands an action, character, or attitude from us that he is not incredibly excelling at. Man is frail, man is weak, and the strength of a million strong men is nothing compared to the "weakest side of God" (if there is anything like that)

In Matthew 18, Peter asked Jesus an expedient question:

Matt 18:21-22 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Notice that Jesus never says anything about the offender, and that is because, with God, forgiveness is an act centered on the offended more than it is on the offender. If Jesus said 70 x 7 knowing that man is frail and cannot excell at the pristine laws of God, how then do you think your salvation can be broken by some sins? one of the strongest promises of the new covenant is the eternal Forgiveness.

The most frequent reason why people doubt their salvation is because they fear that God is short tempered and a conditional forgiver; they believe that God forgives all sins, but only after the offender apologizes. if you share in this opinion, then you, my friend are insinuating that God is double sided and doesnt practise what he preaches.

If regular confession is what makes our salvation remain intact, then you clearly are saying God is not better than man. If Jesus did not tell peter to only forgive on the condition that the person apologies, how then do you think Gods forgiveness requires constant apology for a generous release?

Confession is okay, because it helps the human heart, but confession of sin, has nothing to do with God giving or the believer recieving God's forgiveness.

In matthew 19, we see that the husband putting away the wife is clearly because, he is unforgiving!!

The church is christ's bride, and he is the groom, the kind that has forgiven unconditionally, the kind that never puts away, the one from whose character love is understood.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, (NIV) "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

It is great truth to agree with scriptures that unlike the earthly Groom, Christ never puts us away because he keeps no records of our wrongs!

Isaiah 54:8-10 [8]In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. [9]For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. [10]For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

If you think teaching that salvation is eternal will cause people to run mad with sin, then we should warn couples to stop saying they are married for better or worse, because it means the same thing! if you do not think the husband loving the wife like christ loves the church will make the wife start sleeping around, why do you think telling believers that in christ, unconditional provision has been made for their forgiveness will make them decide to make a practise of sin?

Eternal Forgiveness

Hebrews 10:14-23 [14]For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. [15]Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, [16]This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; [17]And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. [18]Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. [19]Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20]By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; [21]And having an high priest over the house of God; [22]Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. [23]Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Hebrews 8:9-12 [9]Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. [10]For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: [11]And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. [12]For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Romans 4:1-8, KJV "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

Where there is no imputation of sin, believers can permanently be assured of Gods acceptance of them and Gods unshakeable union with them.

Matthew 19:5-6 [5]And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? [6]Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. & 1 Corinthians 6:16-17 [16]What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. [17]But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Moral is that like the earthly union, 2 flesh become one flesh. But like the heavenly union, 2 becomes one spirit.

Can Salvation Be Broken By Unbelieving?

Some people are of the opinion that since believing in Christ’s sacrifice was what got you saved, if you simply stop believing, you will be unsaved, but I assure you that it is harder than that. When a person becomes born again, beyond the name tag changing from unbeliever to "christian", their old spirit dies and a new spirit is born.

Romans 6:6-13 [6]Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. [7]For he that is dead is freed from sin. [8]Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9]Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10]For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11]Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12]Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13]Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Galatians 2:20 [20]I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

If truly according to scriptures, the old man died, then it is impossible to resurrect it. Saying that unbelieving the gospel would restore your old Sin spirit is saying that the old spirit never truly died and that it co-existed with the spirit of Christ you received. At salvation, the old Sin spirit was not kept safe, it died! Never to be raised to life again because only eternal life raises dead things! If any man believes the gospel, he is a new creature; All that they have now in them is the Spirit of God and that is the only content of their spirit. This is also the reason why the believer can not be possessed; 2 spirits with different natures cannot live in a person. If anybody is ever possessed by a demon, then they are not saved. The best the devil can do to a believer is to oppress or afflict. When Jesus talks about the salvation experience to Nicodemus in John 3, this new birth experience is what he calls "born again", Where your Old sin nature dies and and a new righteous nature is planted in you.

John 3:4-7 [4]Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? [5]Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6]That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7]Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

That which is born in righteousness will always be righteous and that which is born in unrighteousness will always be unrighteous. Gone is gone, dead Is dead, my old man is un-revivable, gone forever. Glory to God. Now I stand a new Man, today and every other day, with no fear of mistakenly or deliberately reverting to my previous nature because of my doing of undoing.

People who teach that salvation can be lost teach it because they want to force people into good conduct with fear, they simply attempt to use a lie to guard the truth and this is bad because what this does is that it robs you, the believer of boldness and courage in this walk of faith. Gods wish is that you live absolutely for his glory, but he doesn’t use fear as the motivation.

Glory to God forevermore.

Referenced Article - https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-metaphor-of-christ-and-the-church