When the world started asking how marriage should be defined, where did you look for answers? The story of the first man and wife in Genesis 2 is rich and revealing, filled with significant details—which help us not only understand marriage between man and wife, but also something more important.
It’s an important time to have this conversation, because we live in a time where there are lots of assumptions being made about gender, marriage, and sexuality, which run contrary to what we find in this text. I’m so thankful to have award-winning author and Bible teacher, Mary Kassian returning, to help us think through what it means to be a woman, living according to God’s design.
We hope this conversation will help you know the true story, share the story, and live the story.
Guest: Mary Kassian
Bible Passage: Genesis 2:5-25
Get your Freebie: The Live Like It’s True Workbook
Recommended Resources: Amazon Storefront for the Genesis Series
Mentioned Resources:
Music: Cade Popkin Music
Mary Kassian
Letting God Define Marriage
In this True Story of the Beginning series, we’re looking at Genesis 1-3, and asking, “How does the origin story in the front of our Bibles counter or correct the false narratives of the world?” And once we’re grasping the true story, we’re then asking, “How can we live like this story is true?”
We live in a world where there are a lot of assumptions being made about marriage and gender and we have to be careful not to make assumptions that we know, just because of what we’ve watched someone else model. We have to let the designer—the one who Created male and female—have the final say.
Should We Put So Much Emphasis on Details?
You might notice that Mary and I are leaning heavily on the details from Genesis 2. Do you wonder if we’re perhaps placing too much emphasis on tiny details? If so, I’m guessing you’re from the West, not the Middle East.
Remember that our Bible was written first in Hebrew, and for the Hebrew people—who used story as a primary way of communicating truth. That might seem strange to us. Here in the west, if we want to say something important, we’d write a paper or a speech or a sermon. We might include illustrations, metaphors, or stories to help support our main ideas, but the story wouldn’t be the main idea. In the middle east, as I understand it, it’s just the opposite. The most important things are communicated through stories, which can be easily remembered, and which have great influence and persuasion.
So as we open our Bibles and talk through Genesis 2, please know that the details of the story matter. It’s not wrong to linger on the way things unfold, and consider what God is trying to communicate, first to the original readers, and now us. It’s actually right and good.
