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Now we come to the part which was not fully clear to us
before. "For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his
wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband.
Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are
holy" (verse 14).
The conversion of either partner in a marriage which was
consummated before conversion sanctifies -- sets apart in God's
favor -- the unconverted who is willing to live in peace with the
converted mate. The conversion of one makes the children holy,
where they had been "unclean" before (so far as Godly relation
goes).
This can mean nothing else than that GOD has entered into the
marriage and the FAMILY with the conversion of ONE, either husband
or wife! This brings up a TREMENDOUS NEW POINT!
Marriage was ordained of God. The LAWS respecting marriage
were set by GOD. And WHEN?
This is IMPORTANT!! God ordained the marriage institution
PRIOR to man's rejection of God's Laws and God's institutions. And
when man cut himself off from God, and from God's LAWS (including
His marriage law, mentioned in Romans 7:1-3 and elsewhere), he no
longer took God into such relationships as marriage, or business
relationships, or government, or education. This world's
institutions -- government, science, commerce, industry, society,
religion, education -- all exclude God, except the god of this
world.
WHEN God Ordained Marriage
God ordained the marriage and family relationship PRIOR to
Satan's temptation and Adam's rejection of God and His knowledge
and His Laws and ways.
God actually ordained marriage and family relationship at, and
immediately upon, the creation of man. Notice: "So God created
man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto
them, [His very first words to man] 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth...'"(Gen. 1:27-28).
Then, again, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his
mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh" (Gen. 2:24).
Then, in the third chapter comes the report of Satan's
temptation and man's rejection of God and of God's part in his
life.
Satan the GOD of This World
Even since Adam rejected God's rule over his life, man has
gone his own way, swayed and deceived by Satan. This world became