God/ "Relationships" /Man

By Jerry Olson
jerrydeanolson@yahoo.com

What is a relationship? How do they come about? Are relationships important? These questions have come into my mind and seem to me that a review of this issue is in order. Let us first start our investigation about relationships with what Webster gives us as the definition of relationships: connection, having to do with, as by origin, marriage, kinship, relative.

I can not think of anything that is more lasting than are our relationships. First of course is our relationship with God, both God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. Then comes our relationship with our spouse either husband or wife. Then comes our children and then our neighbor, in other words, all of mankind, all of any race, color or ancestral background whatsoever.

When we leave this physical life on earth behind at the death of our physical bodies, the only thing we take with us is our relationships that we have developed while living our lives. We can take nothing else with us at all. We leave absolutely everything behind.

Therefore these relationships are important to consider, whether they be with God our Father, Jesus our Savior or family members or brothers and sisters of the church body.

Relationships:
God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son

God and Man

Man and Woman

Man and Man

These relationships listed here above are important to consider. These should be in our daily minds for consideration. Understanding these relationships is without comparison in this life. If and only if these relationships are understood and cultivated with great care and much effort, can our lives be full and can we have joy everlasting, both now and in our next life as spirit members of the family of God.

God and Jesus:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John1:1

He was in the beginning with God. John 1:2

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:3

In Him was life, and life was the light of men. John 1:4


“I and My Father are One.” John 10:30

“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand“. John 3:35

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

“But I know Him, for I Am from Him, and He sent Me.” John7:29

Jesus said to them,

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34

“And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.” John 12:45

But Jesus answered them,

” My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” John 5:17

Most assuredly, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” John 8:29

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

“And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” John 12:49-50.

God and Man:
These relationships started back when God said, let Us make man in Our image.

Genesis 1: 26-28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 6:5-6 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.

The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:9 Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations.

 Noah walked with God.

Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. :19 And he blessed him and said:

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies
Into your hand.”

Genesis 17:5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.”

:6 “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you and your descendants after you.”

:7 “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your generations after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

:9 And God said to Abraham; “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.”

Abraham’s son of promise was Isaac

Isaac’s son that received the promise was Jacob, who’s name was changed to Israel.

Israel had twelve sons, however Joseph received the covenant blessing.

Genesis 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph.

Genesis 48:13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.

:14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the first born.

:15-16 And he blessed Joseph, and said:
The God who has fed me
All my life long to this day,
The Angel who has redeemed me
From all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let my name be named upon them,
And let them grow into a multitude
In the midst of the earth.

A man after God’s own heart.
I Samuel 17:21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.

:24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, (Goliath) fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.

:26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?

For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

To be a disciple for Christ Jesus:
Luke 14: 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:27 “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Tim 1:8-9

Husband and Wife:
God created the heavens and the earth, and man and said that it was good, but it was not good that man was alone. So He put man to sleep and took a rib from man and created woman and brought her to the man.

Woman    Was created from the rib of man
She was not made
From his head
To top him
Nor from his feet
To be trampled on
She was made
From his side
To be his help meet
From under his arm
To be protected by him
From near his heart
To be loved by him

Marriage
God ordained marriage

Jesus speaking; Mark 10: 6 ” But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. :7 ‘for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, :8 and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. :9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

Back at the time of the Levitical priesthood, the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies once a year, he would literally crawl under the veil in the temple to be with God, in the Holy of Holies. Out in the courtyard of the temple, blood from goat, sheep and cattle was sprinkled by the High Priest for the atonement for the people, of their sin, this practice was part of the second however an inferior covenant and priestly practices at that time. Animal blood was only a prelude, to what Jesus was going to bring to man.

Covenants are often instituted with blood.

When a man and woman choose to marry, it is said that they are going to share in a covenant with each other, they pledge to have no other, to honor each other, to love each other, until death they do part. This is the vow and promise made by bride and groom in marriage. Often the woman is wearing a white veil, symbolizing purity and virginity. However the marriage is not actually consummated until they come together during sexual intercourse. The male penetrating the veil in the woman’s body with his body breaking her physical membrane, entry into the holy of holies in one form, an area very special for man and created for man by his Creator, producing a release of blood and eliminating the virgin designation.

Now they are one flesh in the eyes of God.

The very first covenant that was established was the marriage covenant, where blood was sacrificed, when Adam and Eve came together and became one flesh in the eyes of God. Eve allowed her veil to be sacrificed so that her relationship to her head could be established.

Did not Jesus make the blood sacrifice for His covenant relationship with His bride?

Now the marriage we just went over is done by consenting adults, no one has put a gun so to speak to either party’s head forcing anyone beyond their own will, we freely choose our intended mate in most cases, we need to choose wisely because God hates divorce, and we should hate it as well. It is not of God, it is a by-product of a fleshly human nature, with me in mind. Jesus told the Pharisees, who came to Jesus, testing Jesus with their poor attitude on marriage, “because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Mark 10:2-8 Therefore you young people who might happen on this teaching, be informed, know the person you are marrying and taking to your bed very well in the Lord. This seems on the surface to be only marginally important because at the time our hormones are fighting against a sound mind. But make no mistake about it getting a good wife or husband is extremely important and will affect you in a major way all of your natural life, and furthermore, this relationship established with God, will produce offspring and seed that will give you joy for a lifetime.

When Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple, was ripped in two, from top to bottom, this act which He freely took, ushered in a better covenant not with blood of animals but the precious blood of our Savior, Christ Jesus. We no longer need the priesthood to make intercession for our sins, we can now go directly to our Mediator and Advocate to the Father through Jesus our Lord.

Mat 26:27-28 “Drink from this cup, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the many for the remission of sins.”

Mat 1:21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins”

Mat 1:25 “and Joseph did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn. And he called His name Jesus.”

This is referring to sexual intercourse between Joseph and Mary. Joseph was told by God to not have relations with Mary until after Jesus was born, which He did. There were other children that came after Jesus, to Mary and Joseph-in a physical union. Both sons and daughters were born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus.

Consider this, marriage is not made complete or consummated until the veil is broken and the man goes into the woman. Therefore Joseph and Mary were not yet officially married until after Jesus was born. The Holy Spirit informed Joseph not to have sexual relations with his wife to be until after the birth of Jesus. The purity of the union between the Holy Spirit of God and Mary was maintained until after this special birth took place, further her Holy of Holies was not breached until Jesus was born, through this special relationship.

Man and Mankind:
When it is all said and done in this physical life we each live here on earth, the relationships we form and develop with people we come to know and love, are very important. In fact they are along with knowledge the only thing that we leave this life with. We take nothing more with us to the grave where we will be until our Lord raises us up at His return. We can not take any gold or silver with us, or anything else for that matter. We should make our relationships a high priority while blood is still coursing through our veins here on this earth. The scripture teaches us that keeping a brother is important and worthwhile, relationships are fragile, never be too prideful to say you are sorry. But when a friend asks for your opinion, give him the truth, do not try and sugar coat it, a good friend will always tell you the truth, even if it hurts to hear it. Your enemy will tell you what you want to hear, whisper sweet nothings in your ear. A friend will tell you how it is and is of great value in your life.

Matthew 18:15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”

The scriptures show us, I am my brother’s keeper (see Genesis 4:9-12).

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you also once walked when you lived in them. But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:5-17

Are we not all brothers and sisters in the Lord?

May the peace of God always be with you!
Jerry Olsen
jerrydeanolson@yahoo.com

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