“And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife…” (Matthew 19:5)

The attitude of a Godly marriage is the Love of God. The proof of this love dwelling in the spirit of the husband and wife is found in the Actions that flow from the Love of God.

First, our text says there must be a leaving and cleaving (Matthew 19:5). You leave, or depart, or disconnect, from one unit to form a new unit; which is made up of a husband and a wife; called marriage. If you leave something, you must cleave (or be joined) to something else. Cleaving suggests more than saying, “I do, for better or worse…” It is more than “moving in a place with a woman.” Cleaving is again the outworking of an attitude (of commitment, of determination, of endurance, of action). Not a one-time action, but a daily, continuous action of love, honor, respect, consideration, and admiration of your marriage mate. So it is an Attitude with Action. It is the inward and outward manifestation of God’s Love working daily in the actions of the man and the woman in marriage. (See 1 John 4:7-21; 3:12-20; John 13:34-35.)

When two people, a man and a woman, cleave to each other, there is a joining by God to be one, one flesh, a whole, a complete unit; a turning to; a leaving all others and becoming completely faithful, devoted, loyal, and single-eyed to each other. It is a road of no return. How can you separate one flesh? If it happens, the unit dies. It cannot exist without the other half. “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6).

Therefore, when a man and woman cleave to each other, it is total and final. It is an institution set up by God Himself.

• It is for a testimony of Christ and His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:32).
• Then it is for the good of mankind.
• It is to replenish the earth.
• It is the moral fabric of society; it brings order to the human society.

The first step in action is “leaving and cleaving.” So it is when one is born of the Spirit of God; you leave the old man and the rulership of sin, to cleave unto Christ and to the rulership of the Savior, Christ; and become one with Christ.

It does not matter the place or circumstances, it matters if you have been joined to Christ; if in your spirit, there has been a leaving of the old man, and a cleaving to Christ and to Him alone.