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