Side-By-Side

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:21-24 (KJV)

The Bible tells us that woman came from man’s rib, or his side. God took a rib from Adam’s side and built a woman. Adam declared that the woman was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. He called her woman because she came from man. They were both equal, yet different. The man and woman are to leave parents and cleave to one another with the purpose of becoming one flesh.

 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:34 (KJV)

As the Bride of Christ, we are to become one with Him as well. Eve came out of Adam’s side, just as the Bride of Christ symbolically came out of Christ’s side. Adam and Eve were to be side-by-side, and we are to be side-by-side with the Bridegroom, Christ. We are all now one. Blood shows the cutting of a new covenant, and the water speaks of us being washed by His Word. Christ cut covenant at the cross to birth His new creation, like God made Adam, His creation. Just as a mohter’s water breaks to birth a baby, the water burst forth us as Christ’s side was pierced.

Marriage is to reflect Christ’s relationship with the church.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:25-30 (KJV)

Just as Adam said of Eve, “She is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, “ we come out of Christ and we are of His flesh, bone, and blood. We are to leave our old life and cleave to Christ. He becomes our life. We become one with Him and walk in oneness with Christ. We are to be side-by-side with Christ, close to Him. He is close to us, never leaving us. Eve came out of the side of Adam to be one with him, and we came out of the side of Jesus Christ to be One with Him forever.