God is the Master Architect. His blueprint for relationships is ONENESS (see John 17): Spirit Oneness, Soul Oneness, and Body Oneness. Body Oneness is physical pleasure with personal meaning. Personal meaning in God's world depends on participation in God's purposes. Physical pleasure alone will never satisfy our deepest need for personal intimacy when it is absent of personal meaning.
We must choose between the good and the best:
- The Good - To achieve a level of compatibility that leads to mutual enjoyment.
- The Best - To achieve ALL that God provides in the marriage relationship.
"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12Whether you are single, engaged, or married, God's best starts with Spirit Oneness: Dependence upon God for your needs of security (to be loved) and significance (to be valued). Soul Oneness cannot grow without Spirit Oneness.
As the Spirit acts upon the Soul, the Soul, in turn, expresses itself through the Body. The potential to realize God's complete purpose of intimacy in our marriage relationships is when both levels of Oneness (Spirit & Soul) are present. Body Oneness is then possible.
The slides from today's lesson are below. Next week will continue with The Marriage Builder-Part 2 (Building the Foundation).
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