Articles
Companions
Our marriage relationship, beside our relationship with Christ, is the most cherished relationship.
Marriage was designed by God to answer a problem man had. God saw that man was alone, so He made a helper suitable or comparable to him. He did not make another man for man. He made a woman for man. “For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:8-9). When God gave woman to man, she came with a gift tag: “Handle with care or answer to her Maker.”
God saw it was not good that man should be alone, so He made for him a companion. Companion comes from two Latin words meaning “to eat bread with.” A companion is a person who shares in what another is doing. One who not only shares one's bread, but one's life. The purpose for which woman was created was to be one with whom man would share his life.
She is to be suitable or comparable to man. In what way? Man is a physical being, a mental being, a social being, and a spiritual being. “Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk. 2:52). Woman is comparable to man physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
This does not diminish woman but exalts her. She is the only suitable answer for man’s problem. She is uniquely created to be man’s companion. The husband-wife relationship was not created by God to make two people miserable. It was created to enable man and woman to share life and enjoy each other. God did not bring Eve to Adam and tell him, “Now I know she is going to be a headache, moody, or difficult, but she is the best I could do.” Conversely, God did not give woman to man as his wife and tell her, “Sorry, honey, I know he is going to be a jerk, insensitive, and an ogre. But live with it.” No! God brought her to Adam and Adam said, “This is it!" She is the answer!
It is so sad to see a relationship which God created for man and woman’s good to be turned into a curse for both. A good marriage does not come by accident. Each one will have to be willing to unselfishly sacrifice themselves for the good of the other 100%. Man’s responsibility is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He gave Himself for her. He is to love her as he loves himself. He is to nourish and cherish her. He is to present her as holy, spotless, and without blemish. The responsibility of the wife is to respectfully submit to her husband as the church does to Christ (Eph. 5:22-33). Both serve for the good of the other.
Lemuel’s mother said that the virtuous woman “does her husband good not evil all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:12). How much better we would all be in our companionship with our mates if we both woke up every morning asking, “What can I do that is good for him (her) today?” If we did that, marriage counsellors would be out of a job.
Rickie Jenkins
