Page 21 - Family Life Student Textbook

very inadequate covering. Only God’s first animal blood sacrifice provided the animal skins which became
their adequate covering.

Ever since the fall, each one of us has been trying to hide our vulnerability from our mate. Our sin causes us
to be insecure and we want to protect ourselves. We are utterly afraid of rejection. Because of sin, we are
uncomfortable in being naked in front of our mate. We also do not want to be naked emotionally in front of
our mate. We shy away from being truly transparent for fear of their rejection. We hide our insecurities in
fear that our mate would no longer love us if they really knew us.

I think verse 25 helps us understand what “becoming one flesh” really means. In addition to physical
intimacy, becoming one flesh means we also have an emotional and spiritual intimacy. In order to mirror
God’s image in the fellowship he enjoys among the persons of the Trinity, we as husband and wife need to
become transparent with one another. We need to overcome our fear of rejection, tear down the walls we
have built behind which we hide, remove the mask from in front of our face, and become intimately
transparent. Our fear of rejection can only be overcome by unconditional love and acceptance. This is how
God loves and accepts us. And this is what God intends for us. As husband-and-wife, we are to
unconditionally love and accept one another, in spite of our weaknesses.

This kind of deep intimacy is the longing of the heart of every husband-and-wife. God created us with this
need. And He created marriage to fulfill this need. But sin has hindered the fulfillment of God’s intention for
intimacy within our marriage. Ever since the fall, becoming one in full transparency and vulnerability is a
constant challenge. But with God’s help, we can overcome that challenge!

What Does it Mean to Leave and Cleave and Become One Flesh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hTpzngdygs

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