The fourth phenomenon of Christology
emphasizes the Christ’s covenant is sacred, for Christ is äμωμος (amomos)
without spot, faultless. Christianity’s marital covenant is holy, pure, and
undefined. Bridegroom illustrates as Christ, Bride portrays as church, and it
requires commitment and faithfulness to keep unity as one in all aspects:
sacredly, ethically, and morally.
All divorce breaks the covenant (promise) made at the time of marriage, and
remarriage violates the pattern God established at creation when He made only
one wife for Adam. Such high moral requisition and demands made
Christianity’s marital covenant divine, integrity and uprightness. (By Rev.
Katherine Liu Bruce, 2015)
In Greek αγιος (hagios,
hag-ee-os) means “sacred”, “blameless”, in physical sense means “pure”. In religious
sense means “holy”, “Holy One”, “saints”. “In Scripture in its moral and
spiritual significance, it signifies separated from sin and therefore
consecrated to God, sacred. It is predicated of God as the absolutely Holy One
in His purity, majesty and glory.” [1] Christ
is äμωμος
(amomos) spotless, faultless and there was in Him no spot or blemish. He is holy,
blameless, and pure.
In
Greek “αμιαντος”(amiantos)
literally interprets as “undefiled”, “free from contamination”[2] and
is used of Christ. “Such a high priest meets our need one who is holy,
blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Heb.7:26).
“…He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”(Heb.7:27).
Christ offered better sacrifices which accomplished for us an eternal
redemption and the better blood of Christ. He, as High Priest offered a better
covenant, the eternal son of the living God, and in the greater and more
perfect tabernacle. The one who partakes Christ’s covenant must set apart for
service, or worship of deity, and worthy of veneration. For the Lord’s covenant
is sacred and undefiled.
Figuratively, in a religious, moral and
marriage sense “αμιαντος”
(amiantos) means “pure”[3]. In
Chinese literally translates as “聖 潔” (ShengˋJie´). In English literally
interprets as “free from moral fault”. Christianity’s marital covenant must
keep holy, pure, and undefiled, for Bridegroom symbolizes the Christ, and Bride
portrays as Body of Christ (church). Christianity’s marriage is holy covenant; the
marriage bed is required to be free from unlawful sexual intercourse.
(Heb.13:4). The covenant requires not only in “oneness” and “unity”, it also
demands faithfulness, and commitment to live in a life of worthy to be called
sons of God or daughters of God.
In ancient’s
day, during the 450 - 400 B.C. a prophet, Malachi indicated that the Lord’s
covenant with Levites was the covenant of life and peace in Mal.2:5-9. And
Levites were assigned by the Lord as priests also messenger of the Lord to
teach the law of truth, yet, the Lord discovered their false lips and lies, and
it caused people to stumble at the law. Therefore, the Lord made Levites to be
despised and humiliated before all the people. The Lord said,
“My covenant
was with him a covenant of life and peace. And I gave them to him; this called
for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction
was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in
peace and uprightness and turned many from sin... But you have turned from the
way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble, you Levi.” says the Lord
Almighty. So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the
people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in
matters of the law.”
In other words, the prophet Malachi implied that Levites’
“unfaithfulness”, false lips and lies was the reason caused them lost the covenant
of blessing.
According to the Jewish ritual, once
Israelites married, they cannot break the covenant of marriage, for it breaks
faith. Some Israelites divorced wives were taken in youth, Levites was not faithful
to the wife of their youth and violated their marriage covenant. The Lord urged
them to be faithful, for the Lord hates devoice and against adulterers. He
instructed, “Have
we not all one father? hath not one God created us? Why do we profane (violate) the covenant of our
fathers by breaking faith with one another ?” (Mal.2:10).
“The LORD is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is
your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.” (Mal.2:14).
The
Lord instructed the purpose of marital covenant: two become one, why one? For the
Lord seeks Godly offspring. Divorce removed the wife’s protection and all divorce breaks the covenant
(promise) made at the time of marriage, and remarriage violates the pattern God
established at creation when He made only one wife (Eve) for Adam. The
Lord says,
“Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and
spirit they are his, and why one? Because
he was seeking Godly offspring, so guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your
youth. “I hate divorce” says the Lord God of Israel, and I hate man’s covering
himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit and do not
break faith.”(Mal.2:15-16).
In Book of Hosea, during the 750-715 B.C. God
told Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer, Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea, and
Hosea divorced his wife, but God told him to marry her again and urged her to
be faithful. This narrative illustrates the pain God himself felt about his
people: “for like an adulterous wife, this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to
the Lord” (Hosea1:2). Israel is unfaithful against the Lord (Hosea13:9), God
call them repented and returned to God, and he would restore to them all that
had been destroyed. Israel need only return …to the Lord your God (Hosea13:9).
And God will again love them freely (Hosea14:4). Both prophets Malachi and
Hosea indicate that faithfulness
is the key element to gain the Lord’s covenant of life and peace.
In New Testament, Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah explicitly stated the covenant of marriage in Matt.19:8-9; Luke16:18; Mark10: 2-12 and Matt.19:4-6. He said,
“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.” (Matt.19:4-6).
Concerning
divorce and remarriage, Jesus commanded as follows,
“It has been
said, ‘anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital
unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries
the divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matt.5:31). “Moses permitted you to
divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from
the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife except for marital
unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matt.19:8-9;
Luke16:18; Mark10:2-12).
Jesus’ lecture of marital covenant was emphasis on the commitment, faithfulness, oneness, unity, holiness, pure, and undefined. He, furthermore, instructs, “You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt.5:27-28). Such high moral requisition and demands made Christianity’s marital covenant divine and uprightness. Jesus’ rituals developed Christianity a doctrinal marriage covenant in the early church age that Bridegroom illustrated as Christ and Bride portrayed as church (the Body of Christ). The church as bride of Christ, “the church comes out of Christ, as Eve came out of Adam. (Gen.2-21-22). it has the same life and nature as Christ, and it becomes one with Him as His counterparts, as Eve became one flesh with Adam (Gen.2:24).”[4] In Jesus’ day, apostle Paul carried on the legacy of Christ Jesus, he presented his perspective of marital covenant as follows,
“Husbands must love wives as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things but that she would be holy and without blemish.” (Eph5:25-27). “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and the bed undefiled; fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Heb.13:4).
The Bride and Bridegroom marital covenant from
ancient’s day to Jesus’ era had laid significant precepts for his people to
follow. And these precepts develops fourth phenomenon of Christology to this
era to glimpse the Christ’s covenant is sacred, for Christ is äμωμος
(amomos) without spot, faultless. Christianity’s marital
covenant is holy, pure, undefiled, αμιαντος
(amiantos),
and 聖 潔(shengˋJie´). For Bridegroom
illustrates as Christ, Bride portrays as church, it requires commitment and
faithfulness to keep unity as one in all aspects: sacredly, ethically, and
morally. A single person,
who decide to partake Bride and Bridegroom ’s marital covenant, he or she must
fully commit and keep covenant with love and divine light without spot or blemish. Faithfulness is key point to gain the
covenant of life and peace. For “the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him and
His righteousness with their children’s children and with those who keep His
covenant and remember to obey His precepts.” (Ps.103:17-18). All divorce breaks the covenant
(promise) made at the time of marriage, and remarriage violates the pattern God
established at creation when He made only one wife for Adam. This is reason, we
need to re-educate people in this era to embrace the phenomenon of Christology,
for it leads our new generation into the sense of divine commitment in all aspects:
ethically, morally and sacredly.
[1] James Strong. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010),3.
[2]
Ibid,,
17.
[3] Timothy Friberg,
Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Analytical Ledicon of the Greek New Testament 1 st
ed. Victoria, BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005
[4]
Witness Lee, The New Testament
(R.V.) (Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry,1985), 886.
