"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." -- Matthew 19:4-6 (NIV)The Past
Sharing in the consequences of past sin. She committed sexual sin before they were married. He accepts her child as his. He made some greedy business decisions before he became a Christian. She is careful to budget as they dig out of a deep financial hole. When two people become one, they share the consequence of each other's past sins. Jesus' message would not support an attitude that says, "This is your fault. Why should I have to suffer for what you did?" Instead, it leads to an attitude that says: "We are both forgiven. As Jesus loved me enough to accept the consequences of my sin, so I will love you enough to share the consequences of your sin."
Sharing in the consequences of mistakes and errors in judgment. We all forget to do important things. We all make mistakes in judgment. What my husband forgot to do today, I could just as easily forget tomorrow. We need to extend grace immediately. We have committed ourselves to be one. He forgets to pay a bill, and she gets an angry phone call from the bill collector. She forgets to thaw the meat, and he eats a peanut butter sandwich. But no matter what happens, oneness leaves no room for blaming and being self-righteous. As a wife, I need to freely own up to my mistakes, while never withholding respect from my husband because of his.
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