Genesis 2:24-25 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”

Marriage by God’s design happens when a man and woman are drawn together by a strong attraction that serves to glue together mind, body and soul. This attraction led to Adam’s exclamation, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” when he first set eyes on Eve. The resultant consummation of that union in physical intimacy is what the bible refers to as “one flesh”.

Critical to the perpetuation of this union, even when the initial excitement and strong attraction fades away with time is the “being naked and not ashamed”. This nakedness must transcend just the physical, and become the mental, emotional and spiritual transparency between husband and wife that ensures that nothing is hidden between the two. It is marked by total openness and honesty to each other – no pretense, no hidden cards, no secret dealings. 

Today it is increasingly the norm for married couples to safeguard their individual interests by keeping certain things secret from their spouses; where wives open secret bank accounts, and husbands ensure their wives have no idea how much they earn. God’s design for marriage was for couples to perpetuate their oneness through openness and mutual friendship – this is true intimacy.