The Naked Truth (Part 1)

Having a biblical worldview means:

•   We believe the Bible is God’s story. It’s inspired, and it’s protected.
•   We know where we came from. We know how God created the Earth, and what He created it for.
•   We understand God gave us a perfect world and guidelines for living as we were designed.
•   We realize that when we live outside of our design, there are consequences.
•   We see the world became a broken place when we decided we knew better than God, and of course, the devil helped us come to our different conclusions.

Jesus and Marriage:
Matthew 19:3–10 (NIV) 3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” 4“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” 10The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

•  Notice: He pointed people back to the Old Testament for His view on sex and marriage.
  •   “The creator … said” (vs. 4)

• •   Jesus tells us the Word of God (scripture, which came from God and has authority.)

Genesis 1:27–28 (NIV) 27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

•  Notice: Man and woman were created in the image of God. Both had a soul, were free to choose, would live forever, etc. They were created with equal value and different roles.

• •  complementarian versus egalitarian

•   Notice: He gave humans a special role to play on Earth.
  •   He gave them the job of filling the Earth, to multiply, to procreate.
  •   God is creator and ruler. He gave humans the role of subduing and ruling for Him on Earth.
•   Notice: God made them male and female.

Genesis 2:18 (NIV) The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Genesis 2:20–25 (NIV) 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

•   Notice: The permanence of the relationship. They’re united, and one.
•   Notice: Marriage comes from verse 24: they leave and “become one flesh.” God instituted the act of marriage, then becoming one flesh
•   Notice: They were naked and felt no shame. They were united, unafraid of one another, side by side/rib.

• •  God created woman from man as a suitable helper:

1. 1. 1. “EZER” – helper
      2. “KENEGDO” – suitable

Malachi 2:13–16

•  Notice: The purpose of marriage was not just procreation, but also the raising of children.
  •   God’s plan was that a child would be influenced by the couple. They each bring something needed to their offspring.

• •   A model of marriage: love, respect, and working together.

Ephesians 5:21–33

•  What happened?? Sin, rebellion, and a broken world.

Genesis 3:9–20 (NIV) 9But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 20Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

The Key to Life: surrendering to the Creator and go back to the beginning. His way is right, and it’s best for us.

Discussion questions for home, or Life Group:

Passages to look at: Genesis 1-2; Matthew 19:1-12; Ephesians 5:1-21; Ephesians 5:21-6:4

1. Discuss how God made mankind and the purposes He gave them. What does it mean to you to be “made in God’s image both male and female” (Genesis 1:27)?
2. A) Share what you heard about men and women being of equal value. B) Talk about what you heard about different roles men and women get to have. C) Anything else you heard that stood out to you?
3. Think about how you view gender, roles, and sexuality. How have differing worldviews and perspectives impacted your view on gender, roles, and sexuality?
4. How does your view of gender, roles, and sexuality impact your relationship with God, with marriage/singleness, with your spouse, with others?
5. How can you let God shape your view (or refine your view) of male, female, roles, and sexuality? What would be your next step in taking action to think and live according to God’s design?