INTRODUCTION: When a man and woman marry, they are not joined together physically the way Siamese twins are joined. This means, obviously, that a married man and a married woman are the same biological individuals that they were when they were single. But they are covenantally united—and capable of physical separation. Not only are they …
Marriage As Manifest Glory XXIV
INTRODUCTION: The family that eats together stays together. But this requires further development. THE TEXTS: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and …
The Cross and Eschatology
Many Christians veer into one of two errors in their view of future history. Either they plunge into a very exciting study of the “end times,” and become consumed with the book of Revelation and newspaper reports about the European Union, killer bees, trouble in the Middle East, and so forth, or they dismiss the …
The Cultural Mandate
Genesis is the book of beginning — this is too often neglected by Christians. Here we see the beginning of the world, obviously, but also the beginning of marriage, of work, of rest, of music, and of many other of God’s good gifts. In short, the book of Genesis provides us with a basic understanding …
Marriage As Manifest Glory XXIII
INTRODUCTION: James tells us that the tongue is an unruly member. If we can control the tongue, he says, we can control anything. At the same time, the Bible teaches that the tongue has tremendous power for good. We destroy with our words. We build with our words. THE TEXTS: The wise in heart shall …
Marriage As Manifest Glory XXII
Introduction: Husbands are commanded to love, and we are taught that the kind of love they are to render is the kind that bestows loveliness. But wives are not encouraged by this to simply be passive recipients—they are given a command as well. They are to be subject to their husbands (v. 24), and they …
Marriage as Manifest Glory XXI
INTRODUCTION: The central command given to husbands as husbands in the New Testament is the command to love. The central command given to wives as wives is the command to honor and respect. We will consider the first in detail this week, and the second next week. THE TEXTS: For the husband is the head …
Marriage as Manifest Glory XIX
Introduction: Learning is awkward. Even assuming good motives, and a desire to learn, and no rebellion against God’s pattern, there are still difficulties. G.K. Chesterton once said that the “chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.” Couple this with the fact that what we must unlearn is frequently what …
And Not As the Scribes
As we come to the conclusion of Christ’s great sermon, we should consider these words of His to be the capstone. Without a proper understanding of application, all that has been said up to this point is useless. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise …
Marriage As Manifest Glory XVIII
INTRODUCTION: Being a married Christian is a function of being a Christian. In other words, we should not expect to find a set of marital “techniques” that are unrelated to the task of living as a Christian generally. For the unmarried, the best preparation for future duties is a pleasant embrace of current duties. For …