MARKDALE BAPTIST CHURCH
  • Home
  • Jesus?
    • Tell Me More >
      • Who is Jesus?
      • Becoming a Christian
      • What is Christianity All About?
      • The Big Bible Story
      • FAQ
  • Announcements
  • About
    • Baptism and Membership
    • Beliefs
    • Donate
    • History
    • Missions
    • Photos
    • Programs >
      • Barnabas
      • Fabulous Fridays
      • King's Kids
      • Ladies Coffee Hour
      • Life Group Questions
      • Titus Tea Time
    • Virtual Tour
  • Services
    • What to Expect
    • LIVE Stream
    • Phone In
    • Sermons >
      • Coming Sermons
      • Past Sermons
      • Past 5MMs
  • Who's Who
    • Leaders
    • Our Pastor
    • Drippings from the Honeycomb >
      • Memory Verse Songs
  • Contact Us

DRIPPINGS

​Stewart McLean had two rules for his Vinyl Cafe "Story Exchange": 1) the stories had to be true, and 2) they had to be short; after that it's up to you. My blog seeks to offer Biblical reflections ("drippings from the honeycomb," Ps 19:10) in a similar fashion. Here you'll find answers to people's questions, reflections on the Bible, my studies and current events, etc; all creatively Chris. My prayer is that they will prove edifying for all who read them.
S
Picture

Genesis 3:16

12/16/2019

 
In the midst of a very busy chapter that is Genesis 3 there is a curious verse which reads: 

Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

What is this verse saying? It could be misread a number of different ways and begs all kinds of questions.

Firstly, it must be understood in its context, which is the Fall of mankind from a state of grace that makes up the entire chapter. If we rewind to the time before the Fall we see a picture of a marriage relationship very different from that of Gen 3:16 (NB: marriage was God’s only intended expression of an intimate relationship between a man and a woman; all other forms fall under the heading “sexual immorality or fornication”). In Gen 2:24 we read the definition of the intended marriage state between one man and one woman. This is the same verse that Jesus, and also Paul, later quote in the New Testament. It reads: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Before sin entered the world a marriage was designed to reflect God’s complementary design which pervades the opening chapter of Genesis, equality in essence (Gen 1:27) but complementarity in roles. The husband has special responsibility for lovingly leading, providing for and protecting his wife. The wife was to be to him a helper. Together they were to form a team. 

Gen 3:16 describes how sin came to affect God’s design for marriage. Since the Fall wives are tempted to be insubordinate and disrespect their husband’s leadership (“desire for your husband”)—in fact they desire that role for themselves,  and the husband is tempted to abuse his leadership for selfish gain (“rule over your”)—or even shirk it. This abuse of our intended roles lies at the heart of most marriage (and pseudo marriage) conflict. Wives seek to usurp a position not rightfully theirs and husbands grossly abuse, or fail to step into the role given them by God. Gen 3:16 lies at the heart of all marriage troubles. How ironic is it that men are actually looking for what society says is beneath women (submission and respect), and women are looking for exactly the opposite of what culture encourages men to be (macho vs. loving, kind and strong). God knows best!

In the New Testament we see pictures of what an ideal, restored, marriage relationship ought to look like. In Ephesians 5:22–33 and  1 Peter 2:13–17 we see words such as “submit” and “obey” used for the wife, while the husband is not to be domineering, but the loving servant leader (the weight in Ephesians at least heavily falls upon the husband and not the wife). In the Bible “submission” and “obedience” are usually put forward as virtues, ways in which we are to honour God’s will and order for His Creation. It is a call for relationships to return to the pre-Fall harmony God intended, and Gospel power to effect that change. Christians are called to submit to Christ, governments, one another, church elders, employers, wives to husbands, etc. Through the Gospel God desires to restore all things to their proper design. Such restorations affirm the glory and power of the Gospel, and adorn it with great beauty.  May the Holy Spirit transform marriage relationships to this great end!
The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,
Chris


Comments are closed.

    Author:
    ​
    Chris Crocker

    Pastor, historian and beekeeper.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019

    Categories

    All
    Acedia
    Age
    Apologetics
    Apostacy
    Apostasy
    Armour Of God
    Atonement
    Baptist
    Bible
    Bible Study
    Book Recommendation
    Books
    Canada
    Challenges
    Charismatic
    Children
    Christian Basics
    Christian Living
    Christ In The Old Testament
    Christmas
    Christ's Return
    Church
    Church Health
    Church Life
    Communication
    Communion
    Community
    Conformity
    Contemporary
    Contentment
    Context
    Contrasts
    Conversation Starter
    Conversion
    Counselling
    Covid
    Creation
    Cross
    Culture
    Darkness
    Death
    Definitions
    Delight
    Devotional
    Dilemmas
    Discernment
    Discipleship
    Doctrine
    Doubt
    Enjoyment
    Error
    Eschatology
    Evangelism
    Faith
    False Christianity
    False Religion
    False Teachers
    FAQ
    Fasting
    Fear
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Gathering
    Gender
    Giving
    God's Word
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Government
    Grace
    Grey Gables
    Grief
    Hard Passages
    Heresy
    Hermeneutics
    History
    Holidays
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Hospitality
    Humility
    Idolatry
    Jesus
    Job
    Knowing God
    Leadership
    Liberalism
    Licentiousness
    Local Church
    Love
    Love Of God
    Marriage
    Men's Breakfast
    Ministry
    Mission
    Missions
    Moral
    Moral Failure
    Moses
    New Age
    New Covenant
    News
    Nominalism
    Objectivity
    Observation
    Old Testament
    Open Letter
    Orthodoxy
    Other Sermons
    Outreach
    Passover
    Past Sermons
    Paul
    Pentecostalism
    Personal
    Politics
    Post-Covid
    Prayer
    Preaching
    Pride
    Public Holidays
    Questions
    Reading The Bible
    Real Christianity
    Recommended
    Reflection
    Reflections
    Regeneration
    Relationships
    Relevance
    Religion
    Resurrection
    Righteousness
    Saint
    Salvation
    Sanctification
    Sexuality
    Sin
    Sinner
    Smallness
    Sovereignty
    Speech
    Spiritual
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Spirituality
    Spiritual Warfare
    Standing Firm
    Statistics
    Stewardship
    Subjectivity
    Submission
    Substances
    Suffering
    Talks
    The Christian Life
    The Cross
    The Lord's Day
    Theology
    Theology 101
    Tithing
    Truth
    Vanity
    World Affairs
    Worldliness
    Worship

Location

PO Box 73,
144 Lorne Street,
​Markdale N0C 1H0
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Picture

Sunday Service Times
Morning @ 10:00 a.m.
Evening @ 6:00 p.m.
​
Contact Us

P- 519-986-4372
E- contact@markdalebaptist.org


dONATE
  • Home
  • Jesus?
    • Tell Me More >
      • Who is Jesus?
      • Becoming a Christian
      • What is Christianity All About?
      • The Big Bible Story
      • FAQ
  • Announcements
  • About
    • Baptism and Membership
    • Beliefs
    • Donate
    • History
    • Missions
    • Photos
    • Programs >
      • Barnabas
      • Fabulous Fridays
      • King's Kids
      • Ladies Coffee Hour
      • Life Group Questions
      • Titus Tea Time
    • Virtual Tour
  • Services
    • What to Expect
    • LIVE Stream
    • Phone In
    • Sermons >
      • Coming Sermons
      • Past Sermons
      • Past 5MMs
  • Who's Who
    • Leaders
    • Our Pastor
    • Drippings from the Honeycomb >
      • Memory Verse Songs
  • Contact Us