The true meaning of marriage, according to God’s holy Word, is union with Jesus Christ, whereby, "the two shall become one flesh (Eph 5:31:32)."  In Genesis we read that God took Eve out of Adam and then gave her to Adam... "And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh...(Gen 2:24) ."  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church regarding Jesus Christ, that: "...we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.   This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Eph 5:30-32)."  Here we are given the true meaning of marriage  -  complete union with Jesus Christ.  The Church is to be as Jesus Christ, or as 1st John 4:17 reads, "...as He is, so are we in this world."

This union has an eternal purpose associated with it (Eph 3:10-11), and it is this eternal purpose that has come under attack as of the 1930 and subsequent Lambeth Council decisions. There, the Anglican Church embraced new doctrines (contraception and birth control, most all of which is abortifacient) for the wife of Christ.  From Abraham to Calvary and right up until this time, no Christian denomination had accepted these sorcerous (pharmakia) practices and all the refomers along with the Catholic Church preached admantly against them.

Now to understand the purpose of marriage we need to know why God took Eve out from Adam, or to be more correct, the Church out from Christ.  The answer is: to enlarge or increase Adam, i.e., to glorify and magnify Jesus Christ.  This is the true reason that married women give up their birth names and why Christ admonished His disciples to "do all things in My Name", as the wife is to take on the name of her husband and the offspring are to be named after him.  In Psalm 24:1 we read that "The earth is The Lord’s, and the fullness thereof;...".  When God created the earth, He created it with a definite purpose; to fill it with Jesus Christ.  Colossians 1:16 tells us that ..."all things were created by Him, and for Him."  Notice again, it was created for Him.  Psalm 72:19 says..."let the whole earth be filled with His glory " and again back to Colossians, "...Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27)".  So then, the true purpose of marriage (complete union with Christ) is for the propagation of Jesus Christ, whether by evangelism or raising Christ-like children, until He fills the whole earth, "...until He (Jesus Christ) is all and in all (Col 3:11)."

In the Church there is no room for patriotic nationalism, whether Greek, Jewish, American, or Barbarian, only Christ "all and in all" in the Church.  "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Rev 22:13)".  Here again we see plainly stated that only that which is Christ will survive eternity.  The ultimate and final test of everything and everyone, then, is whether it or we shows forth Christ or not. 

Today, we are being told by many church leaders and family organizations that left wing radicals and homosexual groups are out to destroy marriage.  If we only look on the surface of things, that might very likely be our conclusion.  But, the nuclear bombardment of marriage was the 1930 Angelican and subsequent Lambeth Council decisions, and the propogation of those new and contrary doctrines by the NCCUSA (National Council of Churches USA) here in the USA.  These new doctrines have since spread like leaven causing multitudes to take the Name of our Lord in vain.  When the Church began to reject God's blessing of new life, her purpose was also being rejected (aborted).  "Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees (Matt 16:11-12). "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). 

Now we come to something of the utmost importance regarding the Church, the wife of Christ.  About 600 B.C., Jeremiah said that God was going to create a new thing on the earth, "A woman will surround (encompass) a man (Jer 31:22)."   In Ephesians 1:22 we read that God : "gave him (Christ) to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."  Here the Church is described as the fullness of Him, the bride is the fullness of Christ.  Therefore each and every menber of the Church is to be Christ-like, an expression of Him.  The Church alone (made up of all the true Churches now and throughout the ages), one body, is stated here to be the fullness of Him, Who is to fill all and be in all.  For "..there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12)".  The true Church, then, is the wife (bride) of Christ and she will be found possessing, honoring, reverencing, and seeking to bring fruitful increase to His name.  In loving union with Christ, the true Church will always seek and cherish a full quiver, until Jesus Christ is all and in all and the whole earth is filled with His glory.  Amen!
Brother John+