THE INSTITUTION OF THE COUPLE.
At the end of the sixth day of creation, “God formed man from the dust of the ground. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:17).
Immediately, the Almighty entrusted our first ancestor with a dual mission: to cultivate and keep the Garden of Eden. Along with this task came a strict command. Man was forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, on penalty of death.
Before this, after creating vegetation, the celestial lights, the fish, the birds, and the animals of the earth, God looked upon His work at each stage and “saw that it was good.” But it was not the same for man. The last creation proved to be incomplete, not yet fully capable of fulfilling his mission. God’s dissatisfaction was clear when He declared:
“It is not good for man to be alone.” And with this observation came a resolution: “I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
God is love, and He created man in His image. To perfectly mirror the likeness desired by the Creator, man needed the capacity to love and be loved. This required the existence of a creature both distinct and of the same nature as man—physically, morally, and most importantly, spiritually. Just like the divine Father and His only Son, bound by the mutuality of love.
It is interesting to note that, while still alone, man exercised his dominion over the animals by naming each one, asserting his authority in a manner similar to how parents name their children, or how a pet owner names their dog or cat.
However, the biblical text specifies that among all the creatures paraded before him, man found no helper suitable for him. Recognizing this, God intervened and performed His final act of creation. During the first recorded anesthetic in history, God took one of man’s ribs, closed up the flesh, and formed a woman from the bone. He then brought the two creatures together. Man’s joy was immediate.
At last, he found the likeness he sought in the being whom God had just brought to life: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” And it was man himself who gave her a name: “She shall be called woman,” he said.
The biblical text, divinely inspired, continues without pause: “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
This solemn declaration establishes the formation of human couples in three successive stages:
— Separation: A man will leave his parents.
— Establishment of an exclusive relationship: A man will unite with his wife through the bond of love.
— Physical union: The two will become one flesh.
Notably, the initiative belongs to the man, and the establishment of the emotional bond precedes the physical union. This serves as a prophetic symbol of the salvation plan: Just as Jesus left His Father, loved lost humanity, and formed the single body of the Church with all the redeemed—the bride without flaw or blemish. Divine plans often reveal striking analogies.
The Apostle Paul succinctly summarizes the origin and interdependence of partners in the ideal human couple: “Man was not made from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for woman, but woman for man.” Two conclusions arise from this:
— Man is the glory of God, and woman is the glory of man.
— Man was given authority over his wife from the beginning.
She is his helper, his indispensable complement. The husband demonstrated his authority by naming his companion. Yet Paul adds: “Nevertheless, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.”
Indeed, the two beings united by the Creator are inseparable. One holds the initiative and authority, while the other provides support and the ability to give life. But the power to initiate belongs to the husband. From now on, one cannot exist without the other. A mutual dependence binds them. The survival and flourishing of the human race depend on this. Together, they form a unique unit capable of multiplication: the couple, whose cohesion and vital function derive from love.
Thus formed and united, man and woman were immediately blessed by God, who gave them this command:
“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and over every living creature that moves on the ground. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
A threefold mission was defined:
— Implement fertility: Produce children who will, in turn, produce offspring, until humanity fills all the continents.
— Subdue the earth: Cultivate it in an orderly fashion. By controlling the development of vegetation, plants and seed-bearing trees, properly selected, would provide food suited for human consumption.
— Rule over the animal world: Govern the fish, birds, and land animals
—not to oppress them in any way, but to harmonize them within their natural environment and ensure their well-being. God specified that the animals’ food was “every green plant,” without distinction. Originally, tree fruits were reserved for humans, and animals did not devour one another. A vegetarian diet was the rule for all living creatures.
The Garden of Eden, initially limited, was to gradually expand under human authority to encompass the entire planet. The first couple, the masterpiece of creation, was now ready to fulfill its mission according to God’s plan and for His glory.
The fruit of the tree of life ensured eternal existence for humans, in the image of their Creator, the Eternal One. Perfection was now complete. The Bible briefly expresses God’s complete satisfaction: “He saw that it was very good.” Everything was in place for the harmonious development of paradise on earth. The seventh day, the day of divine rest, began. Man and woman, happy and innocent, felt no shame in their nakedness. Sexuality, at that time, radiated the glory and holiness of all creation.
Man, God’s steward on earth, was not only entrusted with procreation but also with the dual vocation of farmer and guardian. This role of guardian implies the presence of danger, a peril that would soon reveal itself…
This text is an excerpt from the book “They Will Become One Flesh: Bible and Sexual Chaos” written by Henri Gras.
We invite you to read the following article “AWAY WITH SHAME!”.
THE INSTITUTION OF THE COUPLE. THE INSTITUTION OF THE COUPLE. THE INSTITUTION OF THE COUPLE.
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