Bible Symbolism

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  Genesis 1:27

It is a very important fact that God created man in His own image.  It shows that there is a unique connection between man and God, even from birth.

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."  John 3:5-6

Jesus points out that there are two kinds of birth, one physical and one spiritual.  Being born physically obviously makes a person human.  Being born spiritually makes a person holy, or part of the Holy Church.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  Genesis 2:22-24

This is the creation of woman.  She was formed from man, and just as it says, when the two become married they become "one flesh".  From one and returning into one.  Also, as you can see from the sequence in Gen 1:27, God made man and woman, starting with man and then woman.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."  (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)  Revelation 19:7-8

The Church is pictured as the Bride of Christ.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.  1Corinthians 12:12

The Church is pictured as the Body of Christ.  The Bride of Christ is married to Christ and the two become one flesh, just as what is written about a man and his wife (Gen 2:24).

Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.  1Corinthians 11:3

Man is given authority over woman, just as Christ is given authority over man, or the Church.  Thus the picture of man and wife, with man as the head of his wife, is a reflection of Christ and the Church, with Christ as the head of His Church.

So there are two things we see: the physical and the spiritual.  The physical is the creation of man, the birth of man, and the unification of man and woman (marriage).  The physical is a reflection, or a picture, of the spiritual reality.  We were made by God in creation, which is our physical life, but spiritually we came from Christ, just as Eve came from Adam.  When we are born again we are born of Christ, which means we came from Him.  We are also united with Christ, just as Eve was united with Adam.  So the spiritual reality, or the meaning of being born again, is that we came from Christ to be united with Christ.

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him...."  John 6:53-56