Christians are the Israel of God. (Gal. 6: 15, 16)

Building Marriage And Community

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”¹

Eve, the first woman (implicitly a virgin) on earth, is referenced as an example of a natural and pure woman, having an acceptable marriage with the male Adam through coitus, meeting the purity requirements of both the new and old covenants. She did not have an ervat davar (uncleanness), defilement or reason to be divorced.

When she married Adam, through having sex and uniting physically and spiritually, her intellect and mentality changed, she obtained and possessed a one-male cognizance. Of course, the male who became intimate with her was Adam, the only other human being on earth. Intellectually, he became more than co-existent, he became one with her. They were a clean and undefiled, marital entity, a united body, each became part of the other, one flesh (Gn. 2:24), and they fulfilled the marriage institution, social and psychological adherence and oneness commandment: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh”.

Once the marriage is established and the one flesh becomes a narrative instead of the way a single person might live, the couple needs to maintain a love relationship and tweak it when problems arise when both members don't fully agree how to deal with them. A marriage is a fragile institution of God, requiring psychological unity among both participants, husband and wife. Any emotional break-up requires attention before it gets out of hand and gives opportunity for something worse to occur.

Marriage can not only get out of hand between husband and wife, but with the children. Therefore, love must be the means to teach and direct the wife and children.

Whipping a child may be permitted according to the theology of some; however, if this is the case, it should be done in love and to prevent the young one from doing something that could hurt himself or herself much more. Nevertheless, it should never be done in a hateful or brutal way.

In my opinion, after a young one is old enough to understand through talking and listening, then the parental dependence on the obedience or failure thereof should not invoke punishment through physical means such as whipping. The same goes for any one in the family of age to understand, that includes the wife. So, wife-beating and abuse is never acceptable, and divorce can easily be prevented and should never be necessary.

Therefore, when reward or lack of reward (as God will judge us: 2 Cor. 5:10) is necessary, it should be noticeable through love. Terror of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11) is also noticed among Christians and a child should have the respect and proper fear not to displease his parent, knowing there will be a cost for not doing something right. A child can recognize love, and on the other hand, disappointment or a disciplinary rule of the parent demonstrating loss to the child. So with the wife. Discipline and future obedience can be taught and expected through reason, gentleness and love. Enabling of sin or discouragement of righteousness should be avoided.

The Christian Community

The community must be built upon knowledge and virtue. Christian friends are members and they should have a respect for God's love and needed discipline. When children of good parents seek a mate of equal yoke, it should be easy for a relationship to be established through the parents (men who are able to be qualified guarantors) of both children if they decide to marry. Love can be multiplied through husband and wife, and community.