The two shall become one – The mystery
THERE IS NO COPYRIGHT ON THIS TEACHING. YOU ARE WELCOME TO MAKE COPIES OF THIS
The mystery concerning Christ and the church
F du Toit
2019
The challenge for many a spouse is to be brave enough to love their partner in such a manner as to present their spirit being in spite of their spouse being hostile. Christ loved the individual even while they were still sinners. He loved us with all of His being. This is how we should strive to be. Fortunately we are not the source of that love and boldness. The Spirit of God within us gives us the power to love. You need to position yourself to receive that power. That is one of the reasons why we need to worship in spirit and in truth.
Index
- The union between man and a woman is the prototype of the union between God and a human spirit.
- The design and abilities of the born again human spirit
- Sit at my table
- Unbelieving spouse counted righteous when entering the temple
- The heavenly design for union: Entering His rest
The union between man and a woman is the model of the union between God and a human spirit.
Ephesians 5: 22 – 32
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife love himself.
For no one ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become flesh”
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
In the above passage Paul presents a profound truth. The relationship between God and His Bride is compared to the relationship between a husband and his wife. This holy covenant relationship between a man and wife has been the target of Lucifer since the days in the Garden of Eden. To the extent that a man and wife succeed in restoring their covenant relationship with the Lord and between themselves, they will individually and/or corporately experience the new life IN Christ.
Although the marriage relationship is a representation of this full restoration In Christ it does not mean that those who are not married cannot individually live in the fullness of Christ. Marriage is only God’s way to show us how this divine relationship between Him and man should work.
Self Love
Ephesians 5: 28
“So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife love himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”
The first step to restore a marriage is self-love. This is in line with the commandment of God when He said:
Luke 10:27
“Love the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your soul and with all your strength and with your entire mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Self-love makes it possible for your spirit-soul to present him/her-self to either God or another person. There are several reasons why you might not love yourself. The root of self-hate is self-judgement. Once you receive the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ you will realize that because God does not judge you anymore you should also let go of your self-judgement. Please read the two articles on the Fire of God and self-love that is also available on the website.
Three dimensions of Union
For a man and a woman to become one there needs to be unity in all three dimensions of their human being; body, soul and spirit. Lust or the mere pleasure of sex will lead to a unity in the bodies between a man and a woman, however there needs to exist some kind of a relationship between the man and the woman to enter into the next dimension which is the soul of both individuals. Aspects of a friendship relationship will include mutual interests, mutual understanding for each other’s personalities and unique characteristics. The moment one of the two individuals experiences a breakdown on the friendship connection because of an argument or selfishness, the bodily connection between the individuals also suffer.
The restoration of the soulish connection is not a perquisite for sex. Unfortunately to many marriage relationships spend weeks and months together without the soulish connection and it results in either the man or wife seeking this soulish connection outside the marriage.
The ultimate union between a man and woman is when there is union in body, soul and spirit. This is indeed possible for the born again Christian. Both man and woman have a spirit that is alive, in the Light and filled with the Love of God. When the object of light enter the sphere of each other’s light the intensity of that light increases. When light enters the presence of darkness it will drive all darkness away; there is no unity between light and darkness. Therefor the unity between an unbeliever and born again Christian is not possible in the spirit dimension.
There is grace though for the unsaved spirit-soul in a marriage relationship with a born again Christian. This will be discussed later in this passage.
When two born again spirit-souls come together one of the following scenarios can present itself.
- When both human spirit-souls have been hurt and have trust issues neither of them will present themselves during the fellowship of the couple, whether it is in praying together or in a mere conversation or the act of sex. Because few of us know that union is also possible in the spiritual dimension, they never desire it or realise that it is amiss.
- When one member of the couple is established in self–love and the second is not then the spirit-soul of the one established in love may bring healing to the wounded spirit-soul of their spouse. This I believe was the original design for inner healing; the ability of a spirit-soul to love another spirit-soul that comes into his/her presence would allow the life of God to restore the brokenness it comes in contact with. The Bible refers to these incidents as events where a person would touch the clothing of Christ and they were healed (Luk 8:44) or when the shadow of Peter would touch someone next to the street when he passed by and they were healed (Acts 5:15). In the Old Testament the prophet Elijah went to lie on the body of a dead boy and the boy came back to life (1 King 17:17-24).
- When both human spirit-souls have the boldness to enter each other’s presence during prayer there is unity.
- Matthew 18:19-20 says that God’s presence is there with them that gather together in full agreement and in His name. This unity between the spirit-souls of two believers and the Holy Spirit releases a measure of faith to ask for anything and it will be granted them by The Father in heaven. When this unity takes place in a marriage relationship there is an exchange of spiritual truth and a manifestation of glory in the spirit of the individuals. They become a covering for each other in the spirit; the woman becomes the covering of glory for her husband and he becomes the covering of glory for his wife. Through out the scripture this is described as an act of being clothed.
Isaiah 61:10
“ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegrooms decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.”
Ezekiel 16:10
“I clothed you also with embroidered cloth…”
1 Corinthians 11:7
“…for man…is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man”
Hosea 9:11
“…their glory will fly away like a bird – No birth, no pregnancy and no conception!”
The design and abilities of the born again human spirit
Because God so loved the world He chose to send His Son Jesus Christ to redeem every spirit-soul that would call upon His name (Romans 10:13). The act of redemption done by Jesus Christ made it lawful to remove the human spirit from a place of death and darkness and place it in a new design of light and life (1 Peter 2:9). The process to move from darkness to light is called being born again. The old DNA is destroyed in baptism and the individual rises as a new creation in Christ (Romans 6:3 and Colossian 2:12). The law of sin and death (old man / old DNA) is replaced with the law of the Spirit (new DNA / new nature / new man) [Romans 8:2]. Although young, everything we should be was place within us.
Ephesians 5:8 states that believers should become what they already are. That sounds like growing up or maturing. Just as a baby boy needs to mature into manhood. Everything he was going to be had been placed inside of him the moment conception took place and he was born some time later.
The Spirit of a man that is born-again has been given tremendous abilities. As the
spirit-soul matures he can experience, in different measures, one or more of the following:
- Drawing closer into the presence of God, eventually passing through the fail. James 4:8
- Hearing the voice of God and receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God.
- John 10:27-28
- Knowing the power that raised Christ from the dead. Romans 6:10-11
- Interacting with the heavenly beings in the kingdom of Light. Luke 4:10; Luke 1:19; Hebrews 1:14
- Operate in die gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:1 -12
- Be appointed in the kingdom of God e.g. as a teacher of Evangelist.
- Ephesians 4:11-13
- Worship God in spirit and in truth. John 4:24
- Manifest as a son of God that is led by the Spirit of God. Romans 8:19; John 1:12
The spirit that has been born-again carries within itself a design that has the ability to receive revelation of truth, and in doing so becomes a vessel of honor. 2 Timothy 2:21
It has a design that makes it possible for that spirit to contain and keep what has been reveal to it and communicating it to the soul dimension.
The spirit has the ability to release God given life from his spirit into the soul and body of the individual as the spirit is edified when worshiping in the spirit. 1 Corinthians 14:4
The spirit may sense the spiritual and natural world and become aware of more than meets the eye.
In the spirit there is a knowing that can be transferred to the soul as an understanding. It is therefore imperative for the bride of Christ to understand their spirit dimension.
Sit at my table
In the following scriptures the act of eating a meal is an image given to explain a spiritual truth. As food becomes part of the whole body, even to the smallest of cells and intracellular organelles, so also will the coming together of your spirit and the Holy Spirit permeate every part of your spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he who unites himself with the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
Food also nourishes and speaks of bringing satisfaction – being enough or everything the body needs. Eating a meal together is also a symbol of making a covenant with the other person. In the same way your spirit is nourished in the presence of the Spirit of God. He says that He is the bread of life. Scripture also says that the Holy Spirit has been given to those who are born again to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13
When Revelation 3:20 thus gives the picture of union between Jesus Christ and a new believer as entering through a door and then having a meal together it is using habits from our natural world to explain what is happening in the spiritual word. Christ makes covenant with the human spirit-soul when entering his house (body) to unite in His spirit with the spirit of the human. Romans 8:16 says “…and the Holy Spirit testifies together with my spirit that I am a child of God…”
When my spouse eats at my table:
When a man and a woman makes covenant they agree that their spouse can also come and eat at their table. That means that my spirit agrees to present itself to my spouse and allows him/her to receive the life and light that I carry as a spirit-soul.
This is the profound design behind the words of Peter when he said that a wife should minister to her husband without being his teacher.
1 Petrus 3:1-6
“Likewise wives be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and putting on of gold, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious…”
The challenge for many a spouse is to be brave enough to love their partner in such a manner as to present their spirit being in spite of their spouse being hostile. Christ loved the individual even while they were still sinners. He loved us with all of His being. This is how we should strive to be. Fortunately we are not the source of that love and boldness. The Spirit of God within us gives us the power to love. You need to position yourself to receive that power. That is one of the reasons why we need to worship in spirit and in truth.
Unbelieving spouse counted righteous when entering the temple
1 Corinthians 7: 14, 16
“For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”
“How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?”
In order to understand the above scripture it is important to first know the design of the temple. In the outer court (representing the body) there is an altar where the animals were sacrificed. The blood of the animal would cover the sins of the person bringing the sacrifice. It was only after the blood covered the sins of a man that priest then could enter into the next part of the Temple on his behalf. The holy part of the temple represents the soul of the human. Following the holy place was the holy of holies and it represented the spirit of a human.
When an unbelieving man wants to enter the temple(body) of his believing wife he would indeed defile (affect her spiritual right standing with God), however God announced that for the sake of the believing spouse he will declare the unbelieving spouse as clean when he would have sexual intercourse with his believing wife. The sanctification is not for the sake of the unbelieving spouse but rather it is for the believing wife. This call for a closer look at what is happening during sexual intercourse. The spouse is indeed entering his/her partner’s whole being on three dimensions: body, soul and spirit
The heavenly design for union
In the book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8:1-16 and 44:7) you will read about how the temple was defiled by the presence of statues and Images on the inside of the temple. When an object of image of an idol is brought into the temple it brought with it a demonic spirit. (1 Corinthians 10:19-20). The presence of God left the temple as the presence of those demonic spirits defiled the place where God met with His people. But if His people started bringing in other spirits into His presence His Spirit left. There is no communion between light and darkness.
In the same way when a unbeliever and believing couple comes together in marriage there might be union in body and soul, (and for that reason God declares the unbeliever to be holy in that moment of sexual intercourse) but there can be no union in their spirits. It is only when the unbelieving partner is born again that it would be possible for the married couple to have complete union in all three their dimensions. Then it is possible but not a given. Sanctification of the body, soul and spirit is called for, not only for our relationship with our married partner but also for our union with our heavenly Bridegroom.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
“ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged – consecrated to Him – set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Entering His rest.
It is fitting to also have a short reference to the concept of entering God’s rest. In the book of Hebrews there are several verses referring to the rest that remains for the children of God. The Jews are asking questions about the Sabbath rest and how
they should respond to the commandment of the seventh day. This was deeply ingrained into the Jewish believe system and they are hesitant to change their ways lest they transgress the law. In the book of Hebrews Paul explains that the spiritual meaning of the concept of rest is no longer associated with a twenty four hour day, but rather with a position in Christ. The position is found through faith and it is found today! (Hebrew 4:7-9)
Hebrews 4:3 “… For we who have believed do enter that rest…”
Should one continue the theme of a marriage relationship as a way to compare the union between the born-again believer and the living God then it is a fact that the sexual union between a man and woman ends with a time when both partners rest in their unity. Therefore entering into Gods rest speaks to the time the spirit of God unites with the spirit of a born again believer. The time spend to worship in spirit and truth, as well as the taking of communion, leads to times of union between the born again spirit-soul of man and the Spirit of God.
Not much is said about these times of rest between a man and a woman. It is best experienced than explained. The same is true for these holy moments between the spirit of God and the born again spirit-soul of man.
THERE IS NO COPYRIGHT ON THIS TEACHING. YOU ARE WELCOME TO MAKE COPIES OF THIS TEACHING IN ORDER TO SHARE IT WITH THE BODY OF CHRIST