Friday's Thoughts on Marriage

This is number 8 in a weekly series begun on December 21^st/13 with a post called, “Married Forever?”

So which is it? Is the purpose of marriage to promote the good of family and society? Or is it to enhance the well-being of self? It might surprise you to know that Jesus didn't set marriage up as a choice between one or the other. I know, that's how the world views Biblical marriage - oppression of self-fulfillment. However, like most other things that have to do with Jesus and His teaching, the world is wrong. In reality, God brought marriage into being with the intent of showing that mutual fulfilment could only come through mutual sacrifice for one another.

To set an example for us, Jesus gave up His rights and He died to self to bring us into a healed relationship with Himself and then He said, “Follow Me, be like Me, do in your relationships what I did in My relationships. Submitting to Jesus by submitting to one another in our marriages brings personal fulfilment. A marriage where two people engage in loving surrender to each other drives away fear of abandonment, ends loneliness, and grows us into Christ-likeness. And that is the point of life (Romans 8:29). That is the “good” that God works for in all things for believers; to make us more and more like Jesus. The more you live out the Gospel of Grace toward each other, the closer you become toward each other and to Jesus. That's the secret, or the mystery of which Paul speaks.

Biblical marriage will change your heart and soul.

I heard a comedian once, who said, “No matter how smart you think you are, you're not that smart.” That's true, but so is the Bible which explains, “No matter how good you think you are, you're not that good.” We need to be changed. Society and the world at large needs us to be changed. A Biblical marriage will bring about that inner change unlike anything else. That is because Biblical marriage teaches us what it means to love.

Through expressing the enormous love that Jesus washes over us, we are truly transformed. However, this awareness of who we really are must be brought forth in an atmosphere of love. Without a loving environment, we simply will not hear the truth. In the absence of the certainty of love, men hear criticism as rejection and women hear it as a lack of love. With the certainty of love we not only hear the truth about our sin with which our partner must live, we long to repent of our sin and be changed. God's mercy and grace, freely received can then be freely given.

More on this next Friday

The Gift of Fear

Some people scoff at the idea of allowing fear of eternal damnation to cause you to ask Jesus for forgiveness.

Mm hmm.

How foolish to be afraid of spending eternity in hell.

What can you do? That's how atheists think.

Fear of imminent danger is a gift. Without it humans would not exist. Fear, when properly experienced gives us clarity of thought. Those who reject the normal impulse that comes with fear, an impulse to take corrective action, live in permanent danger of eternal separation of God.

What kind of people would ignore this gift?

Now That Is Funny!

I read again yesterday one of the more humorous aspects of atheism. A girl (young woman?) who was clearly confident in her original and well thought out world view (sarcasm) was mocking someone, anyone actually, who was afraid of spending eternity in hell. The idea that fear should kick-start a commitment to Jesus was, to her, unthinkable, shameful, embarrassing even disgusting. Well, of course. To make any decision just because you fear the consequences is childish and way uncool. A Bright would never make a decision based upon fear. Although -

Stand safely on a tall ladder? Only an addle brained human would not.

Look both ways before you cross the street? Duh!

Dress for rainy weather? It’s up to you, but . . .

Lock your doors at night? It’s the prudent thing to do.

Plan for retirement? How clueless would you have to be to not prepare?

Eat healthy? That’s a no brainer.

Don’t walk down the train track with your ear-buds at full volume? Pfft!

Stay out of burning buildings? Mmm, ya. I think so.

Use a match to test if that smell is natural gas? Not a chance.

Avoid tigers in the jungle? Sure. Makes sense.

Worry about where you’ll spend eternity? Are you crazy? What a stupid thing to do.

People like Hugo are absolutely certain, beyond any doubt that there’s nothing beyond the grave. Why waste one second thinking about it? Fear eternity in hell? What a silly thing to suggest. Accept Jesus’ offer of salvation and avoid eternity in hell? That would mean that I was allowing fear to influence my decision and a Bright would never, ever do that.

Tell me Hugo, I understand your certainties - I can quote them for you if you’ve forgotten what you’ve said - but could I ask, If hell exists, and if what Jesus taught about hell is true - IF - only IF, would you be damned for eternity?