Marriage: Gospel Picture"

In 2 Corinthians 5:15 Paul gives to us a powerful and convicting overview of the change that takes place in those who have been born again, who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior: “...and He [Christ] died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” Simply put, Paul writes that there has been a great exchange. Before coming to Christ, persons “live for themselves,” yet, after coming to Christ, they live “for Him who, for their sake, died and was raised.” 

 

Perhaps the difficulty of this by-passes us until we apply it to the closest of relationships: Marriage. The closer a person is to us the more we hurt them and they hurt us. The last part of this reality provides unmatched difficulty to relate in a way that puts Jesus Christ and His will first. That moral will commands us to a humble putting of our spouse before self, to consider their needs as more important than our own, to bear with them, to forgive them, to respect them, and to love them as Christ has loved us (Eph. 5:1-2, 21-33; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 3:12-19). Yet, over the course of time, as life happens, kids come along, we get busy, and are often exhausted, we have many days we just can’t find the inspiration to love them in this way. So, where do we find the motivation? 

 

One important answer to that question is that we consider the importance of the message of marriage to our children, our church, our community, our nation, to the world, and to the future. This is found in what God designed marriage to do from the beginning, which is what Paul meant in Ephesians 5:32, when, after speaking of how husbands and wives are to relate in marriage, he wrote: “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” What are some of the truths most important to remember?

 

To Start, just as Jesus was empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit in His mission to love, save, and transform His bride (Isaiah 11:2; 61:1-2; Luke 4:1, 18), so husbands and wives are to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) that they might submit to one another (Eph. 5:21), which will include wives encouraging and following the servant leadership of their husband (Eph. 5:22-24) and husbands leading by loving their wife sacrificially as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25-27). This means that marriage will be best approached when a person is truly a Christian, indwelt and empowered by the Spirit (Rom. 8:9; Titus 3:5-6), and as they trust in the Spirit to work out in them the person, power, presence, and work of Christ that they might love and serve their spouse like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 5:1-2). 

 

Additionally, on those days when you are tempted to give up, throw in the towel, and conclude you deserve to lash back at your spouse, remember that how you respond will either give an illustration of how Jesus Christ and the church beautifully relate to one other or you will communicate to others that there may just not be anything different in Christianity from any other faith system. 

 

Finally, remember that your marriage is bigger than you and your spouse, bigger than whether or not you can be comfortably and easily happy in it, and whether or not your own expectations are met. 

 

There are many ways that a husband and wife can serve Christ and carry out the mission He gives to us. None are more important than giving a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their marriage.

 

Be encouraged, delighted in, and motivated by that purpose!

 

Delighting In Marriage’s Gospel Picture With You As Your Joyful Pastor,

 

Tom

Happy Marriage

In Psalm 1 we read that, “Blessedly happy is the man...[whose] delight in in the Law of the LORD.” Similarly, Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “Blessedly happy...are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” To trust in and obey the true God is the most rewarding and joyful life possible. Since this is the case, when husbands and wives relate to one another in ways that please our Lord, this leads to the happiest of marriages. 

 

Because this is the case, in my next several posts I want to cover what the Bible has to say about how husbands and wives are to relate to one another. The topics I will cover over the next few weeks are these:

1. Remember your marriage gives a picture of the gospel, of Christ and the Church. 

 

2. Keep in mind that you and your spouse are equal but diverse. 

 

3. Rejoice in the reality that you are called by God to help your spouse flourish.

 

4. Never forget that your marriage is a covenant. 

 

5. Husbands, don’t ignore that you are the head of your wife. 

 

6. Husbands, pursue headship as a Christ-like servant-leader who helps your wife flourish.

 

7. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. 

 

8. Husbands, treat your wife as a weaker vessel and fellow heir of the grace of life. 

 

9. Wives, don’t avoid your Christ-like mission to follow your husband’s headship. 

 

8. Wives, delight in your mission to help your husband flourish. 

 

9. Wives, respect your husbands. 

 

10. Wives, win your husbands by your actions.

 

11. Avoid the blame and resentment “game.”

 

Stay tuned for these articles and ask the Lord to work in the marriages of our own church in ways that would bless us all and magnify Jesus Christ. 

 

Pursuing Happy Marriage With You,

Tom

Just War Theory

Given the current U.S. military operation in Iran, I thought it would be good for us briefly to set forth the “Just War Theory.” My goal in doing this is to provide us all with a framework for evaluating war and military operations without stating a conclusion on this current operation. As you will see in what follows, this provides helpful direction for evaluating potential for war or how a war is carried out, but it does not provide an easy framework that removes all difficulty. I have benefited from this for years and I hope you will also. 

 

Though this post was written and received its final form by me, I was aided by AI in bringing together the parts of the article.

 

The Just War theory is a moral framework used by theologians and ethicists to determine when it is permissible to go to war and how it should be conducted. It is rooted in the Judeo-Christian idea that taking human life without just cause is sin, but that governments have a duty to defend justice and their citizens, which means war is sometimes necessary. Romans 13:1-4 reads: 

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (emphasis added)

 

There are mainly two aspects to the theory:  Justice in going to war; and justice during war. 

 

Justice In Going To War

Before a war can be considered "just," it must meet several requirements: 

 

• It must be a just cause: The war must be for a morally upright reason, such as self-defense, protecting the innocent from aggression, or restoring justice.

 

• It must be executed under legitimate authority: Only duly constituted public authorities (like a sovereign government) have the right to declare war.

 

• It must have a right intention: The ultimate goal must be the restoration of peace, not conquest, revenge, or economic gain.

 

• It must be a last resort: All non-violent options—such as diplomacy or sanctions—must have been exhausted before force is used.

 

• There must be a probability of success: Military action should not be taken if there is no reasonable chance of achieving its goals, to avoid pointless loss of life.

 

• There must be proportionality of ends: The expected good results of the war must outweigh the potential destruction and evil it will cause.

 

Justice During War

Once a war has begun, it must be fought ethically: 

• There must be distinction, that is, noncombatant immunity: Military forces must distinguish between combatants and innocent civilians; civilians must never be intentional targets.

 

• There must be proportionality in regard to means: The amount of force used must be limited to what is strictly necessary to achieve victory, avoiding excessive or cruel destruction.

 

• Military Necessity must be practiced: Attacks must be directed toward legitimate military targets to help defeat the enemy.

 

Joyfully Seeking to Apply the Bible To All of Life With You,

 

Tom

"Listening To Sermons"

Since I was on sabbatical this past summer, I had the privilege of sitting under the preaching of the Bible for a significant time. It was a reminder to me that it is not just the preacher who must prepare so the preaching is effective and bears fruit, the hearers must also do some work ahead of time. For your benefit (and that of your children, if you have children), let me share how we can go about this. 

 

There is no better resource for how hearers must carry out that preparation leading up to hearing a sermon than the 90^thquestion and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which has informed me for years. 

 

Having just made the points that Christ grows and preserves us in our faith through the ordinary means or tools (the habits of grace) God has given, which includes the Bible (reading it and especially hearing it preached), prayer, assembling together as the church, and the gospel truth revealed through baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the question is then asked: “How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effective for [our preservation in] salvation?”  

 

The answer given is that, “We must give attention to it” in the following ways: 

 

1. “With diligence:” In Proverbs 8:34, where we read of wisdom personified, it says: “Blessed[ly happy] is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.” There is a joy and great benefit that comes to those who daily search out the Scriptures for wisdom in life. When this is the heart habit with which people come to a sermon (they have been searching for wisdom in the Bible all week), they are far more likely to follow the sermon, work at figuring out how it applies to them, follow it to the end, and take it with them. 

 

2. “With...preparation:” The great enemy of our souls seeks to steal away the seeds of the Word implanted through preaching of the Word (Matthew 13:19) and to cause us to doubt God and His promises in His Word (Eph. 6:16). As such, a person needs regularly to put on and take up all the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) so they can be ready to hear what the Spirit has to say to them through the Word of God (Rev. 2-3). Especially needed is the shield of faith with which the Christian can extinguish the arrows of doubt the enemy shoots. Finally, we must not miss something as simple as getting a good night of sleep before we assemble together with other Christians to hear God’s Word. 

 

3. “With...prayer:” We not only fight against the enemy of our soul but also our own indwelling sin which causes our minds to wander and sometimes it simply leads persons not to understand or see the importance of preaching. Thus, as we read in Psalm 119:18, we must pray: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” This is a prayer request I regularly pray in both reading and hearing the Bible. 

 

Additionally, the catechism reminds us that we must: 

 

1. “Receive [the preaching of the Word] with faith and love:” Psalm 119:111 uncovers the heart attitude that prepares us for hearing God’s word in a way we delight in it and expect it to benefit us: “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.” We should note also that one shaped and grown by the Word is far more likely to have faith that God is a rewarder of one who seeks Him (Heb. 11:6). 

 

2. “Treasure it up in our hearts:” We must not overlook or forget the words Jesus spoke (Luke 11:28): “Blessedly happy...are those who hear the Word of God and guard it so as to keep it.” We understand that true, lasting happiness, as well as blessedly happy and flourishing life come from delighting in and following God’s Word (Psalm 1). In light of this, we delight in God’s Word (Psalm 112:1-2) and memorize Scripture so that we always have it with us and so we follow God (Psalm 119:11). Such persons have much greater ability to understand Bible preaching and teaching whenever they hear it. 

 

3. “Practice it in our lives:” As doers of the Word (James 1:21-25) a greater hunger for God is grown in us, which leads to even greater love of God’s Word (see Psalms 111-112) and for God Himself, and a greater hunger for doing God’s Word. 

 

May we learn to treasure the Word of God in all forms, including hearing it preached, as we remember the words of Proverbs 13:13: “Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.”

 Joyfully Listening With You,

 

Tom

The Tribulation, Part 5

In this final post I will look at the significance behind the reality the tribulation spans the entire New Testament Church age. 

 

Some of you might think, “Tom, why does this really matter? After all, as long as we know Jesus is returning, that is the main thing!” There is some truth to that statement. However, for some people, especially Americans who have experienced a significant level of wealth and comfort in a reasonably friendly environment over the past sixty to seventy years, it has been easy to conclude, “God would surely not let us go through the kind of suffering we read of connected to tribulational texts in particular and Revelation 6-20 in general.” This thinking has been the soil in which another conviction has been planted and grown, namely that if we are engaging in fruitful and effective ministry, we will have positive results almost always, and people (including the world) will like us since we are being loving and positive in our approach. 

 

Now, what this thinking does is to skew the church in an imbalanced direction when it comes to setting out our ministry approach and philosophy. We believe we need to be so positive that all we can do is speak of God’s love, his redemption of our brokenness, and we can never (or rarely) speak of judgment, sin, church discipline, the need for correction, the need to avoid idolatry, or the need to oppose false teaching. So, on the one hand, we avoid conflict and being at odds with others. And, on the other hand, if we find that others are opposing us, we decide we need to change our ministry philosophy and approach, because we have not been “successful.” 

 

This culture that the American church has formed has not only led to preaching a different and diluted gospel, it has also led to a weak and anemic church that is little different than unbelievers around us. And for those who have sought to remain faithful to Scripture and the undiluted gospel, it has resulted in a great wrestling match. After all, such persons can often feel they may be wrong and everyone else who remains inordinately positive and encouraging is right.

 

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that everyone who believes in a tribulation in the future (be it literally seven years long or not) and/or those who believe the church will be removed before it, falls prey to this. They don’t. I am simply saying it has contributed to the formation of a way of thinking that does not appear to square with Scripture. 

 

I believe Christians should be as winsome as we can and think hard about the best ways to teach biblical truth and the undiluted gospel. Yet, the reality is that if we are not sometimes experiencing at least push-back to our teaching and proclamation, we are probably not teaching the right gospel (or at least not the whole gospel). And, as changes take place in our society and in our own community (and they will likely continue to change), the reality of push-back and even persecution for doing the most loving thing in the world—sharing the undiluted gospel so people can know and follow Jesus—will increase. Keep in mind that the most loving and the only sinless, perfect person who ever lived in this world was rejected by most, beaten, ridiculed, and nailed to a cross!  Why do we believe that as we live by, for, and like him it will all be always positive, encouraging, and easy for us? 

 

This is much of what the book of Revelation is about:  How to remain faithful and joyful followers of Jesus, those who live on mission, in the face of the hostile cultures around us. 

 

This is why I have taken the time through these blog posts so we can understand the Tribulation. We need to be aware of the challenges and dangers we face. Yet, we must also be aware of the glorious promises God has made to us as well, so we can face these with courage and boldness. 

 

Living Joyfully, Boldly, And Courageously In Tribulation With You,

 

Tom Barnes

 

The Tribulation, Part Four

In this post I cover the last three reasons why we know that the Tribulation covers the entire Church age. 

 

9. The ninth reason for seeing the tribulation as spanning the entire church age has to do with a follow-up on #8. If we understand the entire message of the book of Daniel, it supports the understanding of Daniel 9:24-27 I just set forth and so provides another reason for seeing the tribulation as I have explained it. 

In the book of Daniel the faithful Israelites serve as a type of the ultimate faithful man/person of God who trusts him, follows him, and remains faithful even in the face of great evil and suffering. As such, they form types of Christ (even to the point of Daniel being sealed for a time in the lion’s pit, i.e. in the realm of death, and being raised and vindicated out of that [ch. 6]), foreshadowing the death and resurrection of Christ. As such, the book of Daniel depicts the faithful as suffering for a time and then being raised and vindicated (see 12:2-3). Such a paradigm looks forward to Christ, the coming Son of Man (cf. 7:13-14), with whom will come “an end to sin,” and who will “atone for iniquity” (9:24). The sense seems to be, however, that all who truly come to God in faith and who seek to follow the Son of Man’s example of living redemptively will suffer, yet will be vindicated in the future through resurrection. What this means is that the suffering of the Jews under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (the little penultimate horn [8:9]) is a type of, i.e. it looks forward to more ultimate suffering of an ultimate horn or opposition to God that precedes the end of the end (cf. 7:24-26). The fact that the saints will be given into the hands of the horn “a time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 7:25 [see also 12:7, 11-12]), most likely is paradigmatic (see also Hos. 6:2)—looking forwad to the ultimate suffering of the Son of Man in behalf of the people of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:4), who would be under the power of death for this time, before vindication. As such, the 3 ½ times x 2 (cf. Mt. 24:21; Rev. 7:14; 11:2, 9 [3.5 days—see Hos. 6:2]; 12:6, 14; 13:5-7) most likely depicts a long time of suffering and desolation—reminiscent of the typological tribulation under Antiocus Epiphanes, as well as the fall of Jerusalem under the Roman, Titus, in AD 70 and following. All of this language, then, suggests that Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the suffering Son of Man, the Son of God, who will be vindicated and those who are united to him also will suffer and be vindicated! Such is especially supported by the same language of Daniel being found in Revelation—to refer to times, time, and half a time, etc. When the best understanding of Daniel 9:20-27 is set forth, it also is seen that the Church is currently in the last three and a half year period of suffering, trials, discipline, and persecution.    

 

10. Given the ground we have covered, we also can say there is an historical reason for using three and a half years (or 3.5 x 2) to speak of tribulation. New Testament scholar, D. A. Carson explains: 

In Israel, the period of time with…mythic power was three and a half years. Two centuries before Christ, there arose one of the most grisly episodes in Jewish history, an episode foreseen by Daniel. In the book of Revelation, the crucial period of time is indicated by four synonymous expressions: forty-two months (based on the ideal month of thirty days), 1,260 days, three and a half years, and time…times…, and a half a time…. For Jewish Christian readers in the first century, this period of immense suffering instantly calls to mind the wretched reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes…. Because that three-and-a-half-year period was such a burning memory in the Jews’ mind from that point on (and they understood it in connection with their interpretation of Daniel), they came to think of three and a half years as a time of severe testing, opposition, and tribulation before God himself gave his people rest again.

 

And so what three and a half years would conjure up in the minds of readers steeped in the Old Testament and/or Jewish history, was something akin to our saying of someone experiencing great loss today, “This was his 9/11 moment!” We all would understand what this signifies in light of the horrific events of September 11, 2001. 

 

11. The final reason given for seeing the tribulation in the manner I have explained in this post has to do with answering another objection by some, who have concluded the tribulation period is primarily a time in which God works with ethnic Jews, to bring them to their true Messiah. They point to Jeremiah 30:7 as proof. This verse is found in a section of Jeremiah that is promising future restoration for Israel and Judah. The verse reads: “Alas!  That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.” The argument from some is that “a time of distress for Jacob” refers ultimately to the tribulation and, if taken literally, would suggest strongly that the tribulation is a time in which God is focusing upon ethnic Israel—and once the church is removed from the earth. The fact that the verse goes on to read, “yet he shall be saved out of it,” leaves room for the tribulation to be a time in which the distress works to bring many in Israel to trust in Jesus Christ. 

Even if we agree that this verse has reference to the future time of tribulation we are addressing in this blog post, there is no reason at all to see this reference as dealing only with ethnic Israel. After all, in Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God promises to make a new covenant with “the house of Israel and the house of Judah,” this has a larger pattern of meaning than referring merely to ethnic Israel, as the New Testament clarifies (Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13). It refers to all who will be part of the true Israel and Judah, be they ethnic Jews or Gentiles! So, there is no reason to think of the tribulation as having to be merely a time of focus upon ethnic Jews. 

 

The Tribulation, Part Three

In my previous two blog posts I set forth five reasons that the tribulation spans the entire New Testament Church age. In this post I cover the next three reasons.

 

6. The use of “tribulation” elsewhere (especially in Mt. 24; Mk. 13) supports it spanning the entire church age. Since we dealt with this thoroughly in the previous reason yesterday, we need not say more here. 

 

7. As we have already explained, the use of language that speaks of three and a half years (in all its forms), makes us lean in the direction that what is being symbolized by it is a time of suffering and persecution for the people of God, a time that is not intended as a literal three and a half year period of time.  

 

8. The astute reader will insert somewhere in this discussion, “Ok, if most of the tribulational numerical language speaks of three and a half years, how do we come up with the idea of seven years for the full tribulational time?  The answer to that comes from Daniel 9:24-27. We want briefly to look at this passage since it not only provides the foundation for the idea of a seven year tribulation that consists of 2 three and a half year periods, but a proper understanding of it also supports the assertion that the tribulation is to be taken figuratively to refer to the entire span of the church age.^[1] In Daniel 9:24-27, as part of the angel Gabriel’s answer to the question of Daniel regarding Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years of captivity for Judah (and so when will the people of God be restored? See Dan. 9:2), we read the following: 

Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

 

Though there are many interpretations of this passage that seek to calculate the number of years and a specific timing of what Gabriel communicates (suggesting a more literal understanding), I believe the best way to understand this passage is figuratively. After all, it is found in the second half of Daniel and in the midst of apocalyptic literature that is steeped in symbolism. Since Daniel has asked about the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy (see Jeremiah 25:12) of a seventy year captivity and judgment for sin and when would Judah be restored, Gabriel offers an answer that builds off of that seventy years and also communicates something that goes well beyond merely a return to their land, but also is meant to show God’s larger purposes: “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness” (Dan. 9:24). 

In other words, in this answer that includes the “seventy weeks,” each week envisioned as seven years (so 490 years), is meant somehow to focus upon Jesus Christ and the ultimate salvation, forgiveness, righteousness, and transformation he brings—which accomplishes what Israel never could on their own. The seventy weeks are divided up as follows: seven weeks until the decree to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem (v. 25), which deals with Daniel’s original question; sixty-two weeks that span that rebuilt city and temple—leading to a time that the city and temple are destroyed again (vv. 25-26); and then finally one week during which time an anointed one (Christ) will make a strong covenant with many, i.e. the Church, which is divided into two segments (v. 27). It is the dividing of this last week (that is seven years) into two segments that forms the foundation for seeing the tribulation as envisioning a seven year period, made up of 2 three and a half year time spans. 

It appears as a strong possibility that the reason “70 weeks” (or 490 years) was chosen as the whole period is that 490 years=10 jubilee periods. In Leviticus 25:8-55 we learn that Israel at the end of every sabbath of years (7x7 years or 49 years) was to recognize a year of jubiliee in which all debts were cancelled and slaves freed. What the angel Gabriel appears to be communicating to Daniel is that not only will God restore Judah to their land after seventy years of captivity, but he will someday bring about through a special anointed one (the Christ) the ultimate and eternal jubilee—the ultimate freedom, cancellation of debts, restortion, and transformation. 

I take all this to mean that the years are not to be calculated in a manner in which we are asking exactly when does this set of years start and when exactly does it end? Rather, we are to look at the overall picture focusing upon the idea of the ultimate jubilee in Christ. 

If this is a correct assessment, then the New Testament Church is currently in the last week of the seventy weeks—and so exists in this long tribulation period. Most likely from this text, the intent is that the first three and a half years lasted until the destruction of Jerusalem and the second three and a half years lasts for the remainder of the church age. Not only has Christ brought freedom and the cancellation of our debts, but someday all of this will be fully consummated in the new heaven and new earth, in our eternal reward (our eternal jubilee)!

 

In our next post I will cover the remaining three reasons.

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[1] For the following summary discussion of Daniel 9:24-27 I am dependent upon Meredith Kline, “The Covenant Of The Seventieth Week,” in The Law And The Prophets: OT Studies In Honor of Oswald T. Allis, ed. John H. Skilton (Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian And Reformed, 1974), 452-469, and also Sam Storms, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative(Christian Focus, Ross-Shire, Scotland, 2013), ch. 3.