The Church as an Archway

I heard an illustration given one time that the church is like an archway in a garden inscribed with the words “We Preach Christ Crucified.” Overtime, the vines around that archway begin to grow and, as they move upward, they cover part of the writing so that it then says, “We Preach Christ.” The church is still preaching God’s Word but skipping the uncomfortable sections. More time passes by and the vine continues to grow thicker and higher until the sign reads, “We Preach.” The church is teaching how to live a good and moral life, how to raise your children and what to do when decisions must be made but they have forgotten Christ. Time continues to pass and, eventually, the vines cover so much of the archway that all that is left is simply, “We.” Thus, the church has become merely a social club and they have forgotten why they exist.

No one church is immune to this tragic possibility. We must always be on guard. We must never forsake any teaching of Scripture. The churches in Revelation are long gone because there came a time when they allowed worldliness to creep into their doors and take them captive. It is easy for us to separate ourselves from the equation by referring to this church or that church, but we must never forget that we are a part of the church and, ultimately speaking, a part of the problem. There is a plank in our eye if we judge the church for slacking off while at the same time we spend our days watching and listening to immorality. If we desire the church to succeed, then we must strive to be holy in every area of our lives. Where, in our lives, are we willingly giving the world the upper hand?

Lamentations 3:40

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!

Listening Well

The following is a reflection paper I wrote for class.

James grew up in an imperfect family with a perfect brother (Jesus). His book is believed to be the first written epistle of the New Testament. However, we learn something rather unfortunate in John’s Gospel account. In John 7:5 we read that “not even His brothers believed in Him.” Can you imagine how this must have made Jesus feel? His own family—those closest to Him—rejected Him. Since it is likely Jesus was favored above the rest, especially because He never did anything wrong, His brothers lived their lives envious and filled with jealousy because of Him. Though they did not physically harm Him, they acted in a parallel manner to that of the brothers of Joseph some sixteen hundred years earlier.

I have never thought about this before, but I wonder if this is the reason he emphasizes listening above speaking and even spends so much time urging believers to guard their tongues from foolish talk, especially on speaking as an authority on something we know nothing about. The passage in John reveals that Christ’s brothers were antagonizing Him by pressuring Him to walk openly in Judea doing signs and wonders because they knew that the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Like Jacob’s sons and their jealousy of Joseph, this would have been an easy way to get rid of their brother. It is amazing however, to witness the transformation that took place in his life over the next few years.

The Apostle Paul informs us that when Jesus rose from the dead He appeared to James (1Cor. 15:7). The Lord never gave up on this man and the same is true for all of us as well. The ability to listen is a necessary skill to develop and mature in as we walk through this life. James is an example of when the inability to listen and understand was rooted in envy, jealousy and even a hint of hatred. However, not listening can also stem from fear, arrogance, manipulation, and so on—all of which are ultimately birthed from pride.

In my own life, I tend to function from a form of fear and arrogance depending upon both who I am speaking to and what we are talking about. If we are just having a casual conversation then, because of the fear of silence, I am often compelled to be thinking about what I will say next while the other individual is talking. I do not enjoy the awkward moments which many conversations bring, thus I have always tried to prepare myself while the other person is speaking so I can avoid the lulls. This however, presents an issue because at some level I cannot hear everything the other person says and fully contemplate all of the things I want to say without ultimately missing something, whether small or big.

In terms of arrogance, this one is somewhat more revealing of who I am. As an analytical, what I enjoy more than anything is digging down into the details of God’s Word and studying a passage so thoroughly that I am prone to dogmatism. For example, I have probably spent hundreds of hours reading through and studying the first five chapters of Genesis. Caitlin jokes with me that if I ever become a pastor, then our church will never teach out of anything outside the book of Genesis because that is probably where most of my study time goes. The problem however, is not that I love studying, but rather it is because I study so much that when someone says something totally off the wall, I am internally [sometimes externally] blowing up.

I often lose sight of the fact that I too have believed a lot of wrong things and I am still blind to areas where I need to be corrected on. This comes into listening well for me on a personal level. When I am in a small group and I find myself disagreeing with what has been said, I know that the Lord is training me to love them by allowing them to speak and share their thoughts. Yes, there are times when things need to be corrected, but there are also a lot of times when what I need to do is be quiet and entrust the situation and the viewpoints of the people to the Lord who judges wisely.

Concluding Thoughts

All that to say, I am learning to be a better listener in class, small groups, church, in my marriage and really in all realms of life. Ministry is working alongside other people and a big part of that is being a good listener. People do not always need me trying to correct their theology. What they need is for me to love them by listening to them. Listening and hearing them so they feel understood and valued. This will often lead to them later to become more willing to hear me and understand where I am coming from which will present a much larger possibility of winning them to the truth.

Paralleling the Plural Heavens With the Plural God

Genesis chapter one presents the reader with a very big question: Why is the term heavens written in the plural form? At first glance, it is easy to skip over this, however, as with all of Scripture, there is great depth which is worth our study. The addition of this plural suffix is truly a very significant matter.

Some argue that the writer is simply trying to encapsulate the awe he has for the vastness of the universe and how gloriously wonderful God has made it to be. This belief is defended very well within the overall chapter and is more than likely the way the Old Testament readers would have interpreted this passage.

For example:

   1.     The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (vs. 2).

a.   We normally refer to water as water no matter how vast it is as we also do with popcorn and fish. Obviously, this does not prove much since we are English speakers and the writer of Genesis recorded this book in Hebrew, but this point is just to get you to start thinking about what is really going on here.

b.     See also 1:6-7, 9-10, 20, 22

   2.     Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens (vs. 14).

a.   Note that lights are definitely referring to more than one because they represent all of the stars in the sky. However, the term heavens is referring to the vastness of space. Ultimately, there is only one (singular) space.

b.     See also 1:15, 17

   3.     …let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens (vs. 20).

a.     Note, just like lights, birds are obviously referring to more than one. In addition, verse twenty informs us of another area of heavens. This is where the birds fly. Whereas before we were referring to outer space, now we are referring to the area in between the ground and Earth’s exosphere—the outermost region of our atmosphere.

b.     See also 1:26, 28, 30

Now again, in English we do not speak this way. Even when we are referencing the vastness of something specific we do not pluralize the word. We just say, “Wow! Look how vast _______ is!” No one stands on an eastern beach of the United States looking out over the vastness of the sea saying, “Wow! Look at the oceans!” There may be a rare exception to this if they are referring to more than one but, in almost every case, the thing they marvel at is the ocean (singular).

Magnitude & Multiplicity

Hebrew, unlike English, does pluralize certain terms to express a level of depth and awesomeness. In the latter half of the chapter, Moses quotes God using a plural pronoun for Himself (i.e. “Let Us…” in vs. 26). This is one of the ways the Eternal Creator God chose to proclaim His majesty and wonder in this passage. As you have seen, Genesis chapter one has several examples of various terms written in the plural form to better emphasize the incredible size and magnitude of the said object or person.

However, the examples are not all referring to size; some are in fact referring to number. Yes, Genesis 1:2 is an example pointing back to the ocean’s size or magnitude (i.e. “waters”), but Genesis 1:20 is an example of number when referring to “birds.” The context makes clear the fact that both lights and birds are numerically plural—more than one. Is this the same with heavens? Yes! This is seen in the fact that Moses identifies two different domains in which he refers to as the heavens (outer space and the atmosphere). Thus, the plural emphasis addresses both quality and quantity.

None of us would say that any bird is flying around in the heavens (outer space) where the stars are. When was the last time the NASA space station orbited past a flock of seagulls? They have been designed and intended to fly only within the atmospheric heavens which exists just above the earth.

To many of the original readers, the plural form heavens would simply be encapsulating its magnitude. This is exactly what many of the Jews would have emphasized on within this passage if they were to dissect every word. However, especially with progressive revelation, I believe that we would fall short in our exegesis if we remained content with the understanding that the Jews were operating under.

As is evidenced, this section of Scripture reveals both magnitude and multiplicity. Genesis 1:20 helps us to see its magnitude while its multiplicity is seen upon comparing days four and five which reveal the term’s usage of two distinct places. The reason this is so crucial is because the plural form heavens is a direct parallel to the nature of the Triune Godhead.

While Genesis 1:1 used heavens as an overview for both magnitude and multiplicity, so also do we see this same concept with God later in 1:26 when He says, “Let US make…” God uses a plural pronoun. Not only this, but the name “God” all throughout Genesis chapter one is the plural name, Elohim.

It not only reveals God’s majesty and overemphasizes His greatness, but it also shows the Triune nature of the Godhead. The term, heavens, is one word indicating, as we will see, three distinct locations. The word for God, as Scripture reveals throughout progressive revelation, shows three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In the same way that only two of the three heavenly locations are mentioned within this chapter (earth’s atmosphere and outer space), so also are only two Persons of the Godhead directly stated—the Father and the Spirit. For many of us, when we think of Heaven, God’s presence comes to mind. Thus, both His name and the term heavens parallel each other within this chapter.

Earth is written in the singular form because there is only one. Heavens is made plural because it is describing these three distinct locations:

1.     The Sky or the Atmosphere.

2.     The Universe or Outer Space.

3.     Heaven or God’s Dwelling Place.

In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, the apostle Paul informs us that at some point in the past he was "...caught up to the third heaven…." He was brought into the presence of God.  This statement implies there to be a second and a first as well.  Thus, the third Heaven is what we would call "Paradise."

Again, we do not find direct mention of this heaven within the specific passage, but we do find reference to the first and the second:

1.     The Sky or the Atmosphere (1^st Heaven): Genesis 1:8-9, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1, 4; (cf. 1 Kings 14:11)

2.     The Universe or Outer Space (2^nd Heaven): Genesis 1:14-15, 17; 2:1, 4; (cf. Deuteronomy 4:19)

3.    Heaven or God’s Dwelling Place (3^rd Heaven): Genesis 2:1 (cf. Luke 2:13); 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Conclusion

Within the parallel between the plural God and the plural heavens, it is interesting to note that two heavens are spoken of but the third heaven, Paradise, is not directly stated. It is equally intriguing that two Persons of the Godhead are mentioned, but not the One who has been exalted to the highest heavens—Jesus Christ our Lord (Phil. 2:9-11)! Thus, neither the highest of heavens nor the One exalted to them are directly referenced in this chapter. However, as we know from the rest of the revelation, the presence of both are very much implied and even given center stage in this account.

Was it Moses?

Biblical evidence and Jewish tradition both cite Moses as the author of the first five books of the Bible which are together referred to as either the Torah (Hebrew word meaning Law) or the Pentateuch (Greek word meaning five books). It is common for us to combine these terms as the five books of the Law. This categorization is somewhat misleading however, because vast portions of Scripture throughout this section of the Bible are not law at all, but narrative (such as the book of Genesis).

1.                 Genesis

2.                 Exodus

3.                 Leviticus

4.                 Numbers

5.                 Deuteronomy

Internal evidence is as follows:

1.      Israel Had Always Categorized Genesis Within the Law

This point does not necessarily prove the authorship of Moses, but it does add some weight. Just because a book is added to the collection does not always mean it held the same author as the others alongside it. This first point is broader in scope, but Jewish tradition has always logged the first five books as the books of Moses.

2.     The Pentateuch Itself States the Name of Its Author

At this point, we are still not sure whether Moses specifically wrote the book of Genesis because, unlike the four books following, there is no direct reference to the name of the writer. The following examples give strong support for a Mosaic authorship of the other four books:

Ex. 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Lev. 1:1; 4:1; 6:1, 8; Num. 1:1, 19; 33:2; Deut. 1:1; 31:9, 24-26

3.     Other Parts of The Old Testament Declare Moses As the Author of the Law

Josh. 1:7-8; 8:31-34; 22:5; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Chron. 23:18; 34:14; Dan. 9:11, 13; Ezra 3:2; Neh. 8:1; 13:1-3

It is clearly undeniable in Scripture that Moses is the man who recorded the Law which was given by God. Numerous texts throughout both Old and New Testaments attribute this section of God’s Word as the writings of Moses. The debate, however, is over whether Moses authored the book of Genesis.

4.     The New Testament Writers Acknowledged Moses’ Authorship of the Law

Acts 3:22; 26:22-23; 28:23; Rom. 10:5, 19

While Moses is still not specifically named the writer of Genesis, there may be slight implications to this found in Paul’s defense before King Agrippa in Acts 26:22-23. In this passage, the apostle declares that he is only speaking “what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”[1]

-         Genesis 3:15 prophecy’s the coming Savior and His future suffering.

-         Genesis 12:3 predicts the coming Gentile blessing.

-      Genesis 22 pictures both the suffering Christ and His resurrection from the dead.

5.     Jesus Himself Testified That the Law Was Written by Moses

Matt. 8:4; 19:7-8; Mark 7:10; 10:2-9; 12:26; Luke 16:29, 31; 24:44; John 1:45; 5:46; 7:19

While there are several instances when our Lord affirmed Moses’ authorship of the Law, Jesus never directly stated, “Moses is the writer of Genesis.” However, I believe He both implied and attributed Moses as the author.

Mark 10:2-9 is a great example directly from our Lord’s mouth. The Pharisees asked a question regarding divorce and Jesus asked them, “What did Moses command you?”[2] They responded with a verse from Moses, taken out of context, which they had grabbed ahold of to justify their animosity towards other people. Jesus did not however, allow them the opportunity to continue picking and choosing which parts of His Word they would submit to, so I believe He intentionally chose to quote more of Moses for them (Gen. 1:27; 2:24). There are many other great passages in the Old Testament regarding the sanctity of marriage which He could have used, but He purposefully chose these verses from the beginning of Genesis to correct them of Moses’ view on marriage. While the text does not say that Moses authored Genesis, I believe it is implied within the overall conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees.

Conclusion:

Moses, nowhere in Scripture, is directly stated to be the author of the book of Genesis. However, there are some key points we must remember:

-      Moses received & recorded the Law (Ex. 20-23; 35; Lev. 1-27; Num. 1:1;15; 19; 28-30; Deut. 5; 11-26.

-         Jewish tradition has always attributed authorship to Moses.

-         Although Genesis is more narrative it does:

o   Present law (Gen. 2:16-17).

o   Reflect the narrative portions of the Law:

§  Ex. 1-19; 32-33

§  Num. 12-14

§  Deut. 1-4; 6-10; 27-34

o   Lead right into the book of Exodus showing the oppression of Israel and God raising up Moses as a type of savior. A Mosaic authorship of the book of Genesis would make sense in how it summarizes the founding and forming of the nation of Israel. The author seems to carefully speed up to the person of Moses being used by God to rescue His people.

In summary, whether Moses wrote this book or not should ultimately have no impact on our daily walks with the Lord. Jesus Himself affirmed it as inspired Scripture (Mark 10:2-9) which means that each one of us are accountable to the LORD for what it says.

---

[1] ESV Bible, ESV Text Edition: 2011. (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2001)., p. 935.

[2] Ibid., pg. 845-846.

The Problem in Marriage

I was asked in a marriage group a couple weeks ago to give just one piece of advice to both younger married couples and those looking forward to being married relatively soon. At the start, I wondered how I could boil everything down into one singular point, but then it hit me. I turned in my Bible and read a familiar passage to us all, yet one which is rarely seen in this light. The passage was Matthew 19:7-8 which says,

They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so…”[1]

We have all read this passage probably a hundred times and we could spend ample amounts of time on the common things such as when Jesus corrects these guys on the fact that Moses never once commanded for divorce to occur, but merely allowed it to happen under certain circumstances. However, one thing that we usually read over in this passage is who is receiving the rebuke. The interesting thing is that Jesus is not, at least in this passage, rebuking the adulterous spouse. Yes, they have their issues and our Lord will never condone their actions, but He is rebuking the spouse who seeks to file divorce.

This may be hard to wrap our minds [and even harder for our hearts] around this, but it is necessary for us to hear what Jesus is communicating and unhesitatingly apply His unconditional love in our lives towards our spouse. Many of us will get down on the world’s case for suffering and even encouraging so many divorces, but even in the “Christian” circle we do the same things. For how many of us would seek to be released from a wife or a husband who continued breaking our hearts repeatedly? We often say our love is unconditional and we may even get married in a church and recite all the Biblical vows, but I believe it is a shame to the Church of Christ that so many of us believe deep down that love has a limit.

Whether we would vocalize that statement or not, the truth is seen in the fact that so many Christian marriages end in divorce. We may not say it, but we too often believe and live in a way that will not allow another person to hurt us too many times before we take off. However, this is a problem because it is a poor reflection of our Savior and God. We are all eternally grateful that He did not just take off after being hurt so many times. We are all incredibly thankful that He still sticks around even though we continue [present tense continuous action] to rebel against Him. How often do we reject Him and fornicate our lives with idols, yet His love remains? This is the God we are called and commanded to represent appropriately and accurately to the world at large.

We serve the God who commanded His prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute and to remain faithful to her even through her unfaithfulness to him. Why? It is because marriage is to reflect God and His love for His people. Even though Gomer had affair after affair continually breaking Hosea’s heart, he remained. This is love. I admit that marriage is hard and it would bring me to tears, and quite possibly depression, if my wife were to be found unfaithful, but I would never leave her. I would never seek to be released no matter what offense has been taken against me because how I love my wife in my pursuing of her reflects how much I am becoming more and more like my God.

If I would leave, then I would be representing God in a bad light to all people — believers and non-believers. In summary, we must always recognize that our spouse is not the problem — we are. If my wife says something to me or makes a comment which has the potential of causing an unholy reaction in me, then I must at that moment remember that the problem is not with her, but with me. The sinful reaction is not coming from her or her comment, but from my hardness of heart. Yes, my wife has her issues like all of us [though she says they are few and far between], but the Lord in this passage is challenging us personally to view our own hard heart as the reason for the possible sinful response.

So What’s the Secret to a Godly Marriage?

Repentance to God and the sacrificing of self. One author summarized it well when he wrote, “Marriage was not created for our happiness, but for our holiness.” When your spouse sins against you remember that God is working on both of your hearts as He conforms you both into the image of His Son. Remember, your spouse is not the problem. You are.

---

[1] ESV Bible, ESV Text Edition: 2011. (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2001)., p. 824.

A Reflective Essay On The Meaning of Marriage

The following is a reflection paper I wrote for class.

The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller is one of the better marital books which I have read in recent years. I felt that the writer did a good job at presenting both the theology aspect and the practical nature of the subject. I think what intrigued me the most was that, after quoting various psychologists and marriage counselors, one of the main internal reasons why men and women are foregoing marriage today is not because of too much love, but the lack of true Biblical love for the other person.

The author directed a significant portion of this book to the reason why more and more individuals in the United States are likely to forsake the marriage covenant and just simply move in together. One of the main reasons they would give for doing this would be somewhere along the lines of wanting to get to know the person before they are willing to “fully” commit themselves. However, as discussed in this book and evidenced throughout the vast amounts of research, the main underlying reason is so that they can enjoy the benefits of being in a relationship while at the same time managing their lives as an independent single.

This then leads into the fact that, whether they admit to this or not, if someone better comes along then they have no obligation to stay with the former partner. The issue then is that this evidence shows a self-focused view of the relationship. Rather than being life-locked to one person and seeking the benefit and well-being of the other individual no matter what may happen, this view has distorted the concepts of both attraction and attachment by making them about what I can do for me. What this shows is that this form of relationship is not a love of anyone but self. The partner is self-seeking in their pursuits.

Biblical love stands in stark contrast to this shallow concept of how the world views love.  As Christians, we are to be an exact copy of the Godhead in every area of our lives. People often wonder why God has not revealed Himself visibly to us in the twenty-first century, but they miss the fact that God is revealing Himself through His Church right now. This truth is meant to be both exciting and somewhat frightening as we begin to contemplate its meaning and application throughout our daily lives.

As God is generous, so we too are to be generous. Yet how often do we struggle with greed, materialism, and seeking to hoard everything to ourselves? As God is kind, so we too are to be kind. Yet how often do we attack people on social media and speak poorly of them when they are not around? Finally, as God expresses [present tense continuous action] His love for His people, so too are we to express this kind of love for our spouses. This becomes scary when we begin to think about all the ways we fall short of accurately proclaiming the glory of God in and through our lives towards other people.

Marriage Advice

I was asked in a marriage group a couple weeks ago to give just one piece of advice to both younger married couples and those looking forward to being married relatively soon. At the start I wondered how I could boil everything down into one singular point, but then it hit me. I turned in my Bible and read a familiar passage to us all, yet one which is rarely seen in this light. The passage was Matthew 19:7-8 which says,

They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so…”[1]

We have all read this passage probably a hundred times and we could spend ample amounts of time on the common things such as when Jesus corrects these guys on the fact that Moses never once commanded for divorce to occur, but merely allowed it to happen under certain circumstances. However, one thing that we usually read over in this passage is who is receiving the rebuke. The interesting thing is that Jesus is not, at least in this passage, rebuking the adulterous spouse. Yes, they have their issues and our Lord will never condone their actions, but He is rebuking the spouse who seeks to file divorce.

This may be hard to wrap our minds [and even harder for our hearts] around this but it is necessary for us to hear what Jesus is communicating and unhesitatingly apply His unconditional love in our lives towards our spouse. Many of us will get down on the world’s case for suffering and even encouraging so many divorces, but even in the “Christian” circle we do the same things. For how many of us would seek to be released from a wife or a husband who continued breaking our hearts repeatedly? We often say our love is unconditional and we may even get married in a church and recite all the Biblical vows, but I believe it is a shame to the Church of Christ that so many of us believe deep down that love has a limit.

Whether we would vocalize that statement or not, the truth is seen in the fact that so many Christian marriages end in divorce. We may not say it, but we too often believe and live in a way that will not allow another person to hurt us too many times before we take off. However, this is a problem because it is a poor reflection of our Savior and God. We are all eternally grateful that He did not just take off after being hurt so many times. We are all incredibly thankful that He still sticks around even though we continue [present tense continuous action] to rebel against Him. How often do we reject Him and fornicate our lives with idols, yet His love remains? This is the God we are called and commanded to represent appropriately and accurately to the world at large.

We serve the God who commanded His prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute and to remain faithful to her even through her unfaithfulness to him. Why? It is because marriage is to reflect God and His love for His people. Even though Gomer had affair after affair continually breaking Hosea’s heart, he remained. This is love. I admit that marriage is hard and it would bring me to tears, and quite possibly depression, if my wife were to be found unfaithful, but I would never leave her. I would never seek to be released no matter what offense has been taken against me because how I love my wife in my pursuing of her reflects how much I am becoming more and more like my God.

If I would leave then I would be representing God in a bad light to all people — believers and non-believers. To summarize this main point which I shared in the marriage group a couple weeks ago, I must always recognize that my spouse is not the problem — I am. If my wife says something to me or makes a comment which has the potential of causing an unholy reaction in me, then I must at that moment remember that the problem is not with her, but with me. The sinful reaction is not coming from her or her comment, but from my hardness of heart. Yes, my wife has her issues like all of us, but the Lord in this passage is challenging me personally to view my own hard heart as the reason for the possible sinful response.

Marriage is the Beginning & End of Biblical Revelation

Something I had not previously thought about was the fact that the entire Bible is centered upon marriage. This is another reason why is it so crucial to remain faithfully committed to our marriages because we are representing not only God and His love for His chosen people, but also the relevance and applicable nature of the Word of God. Timothy Keller speaks of this truth when he says,

At the climax of the Genesis account of creation we see God bringing a woman and a man together to unite them in marriage. The Bible begins with a wedding (Adam and Eve) and ends in the book of Revelation with a wedding (of Christ and the Church). Marriage is God’s idea. It is certainly also a human institution, and it reflects the character of the particular human culture in which it is embedded. But the concept and roots of human marriage are in God’s own action, and therefore what the Bible says about God’s design for marriage is crucial.[2]

Therefore, since God has such a high view of marriage, how much more am I to maintain a high regard for marriage? The marriage covenant between a man and a woman is something much greater than myself and is also a thing which will not last forever, at least between mortal man and mortal woman. The human marriage has always been a picture of reflecting the Bridegroom and the Bride — Christ and the Church. It is a construct of eternal implications in which we take part in while we remain in this world. This is to affect me both personally and as a leader.

On a personal level, this helps me to have a better view of my marriage with Caitlin. I am able to see into every single conversation we have, action we take, and even my thoughts that I have about her and see how they are either related or unrelated to the Godhead. If unrelated, then I know I need to change. If related, then, I know that even though whatever it is may be small, I am confident that I am in line with God’s will for my marriage and am walking obediently to His commands.

As a leader, and more specifically a pastor, holding a high esteem for marriage will be of tremendous benefit to all those in the congregation I someday lead. The reason it will be a benefit is because my wife and I will maintain a healthy and godly marriage for others to look up to and learn from while at the same time the marital content of my preaching will be driven by great joy and delight which will exalt the love of God in our lives to those who hear. This exaltation of God will result in more and more people being challenged and encouraged to walk with and trust God in their marriages and to seek to glorify Him in all things. Maintaining a passionate joy in preaching the Gospel and proclaiming the goodness of God has some amazing side effects in the lives of other people.

She as My Helpmate

       Finally, Timothy Keller makes one more point in which I would like to highlight. He wrote,

So here is Adam, created by God and put into the garden of paradise, and yet his aloneness is “not good.” The Genesis narrative is implying that our intense relational capacity, created and given to us by God, was not fulfilled completely by our “vertical” relationship with Him. God designed us to need “horizontal” relationships with other human beings. That is why even in paradise, loneliness was a terrible thing.[3]

Within the last month, my wife and I have been apart more combined days than ever before in our entire marriage. Although I love my wife very much, my first thought was that I would be able to get so much more done than normal because I would be able to just sit at the computer and quickly type up all my papers. However, what I found out was that when she is gone I am less productive. Last month I came to the realization that I really do need her in my life. I need her love and support and, like Adam, I need her companionship.

I must admit that I do much better with her here at my side and this paper is actually evidence of that fact. I took a whole weekend trying to write this paper while she was gone and got nowhere. Today, however, I sat down with her in the same room and was able to crank out every word. I am even more thankful to the Lord for her and now see her as an even greater blessing in my life. The Lord knew what He was doing when He brought me Caitlin and I am forever grateful.

As a leader my love for and value I place on my wife will have much impact on the men and women we serve. I pray every single day that the Lord will make our marriage to be the truest reflection of His love in this world and I believe He is raising us up to have an eternal impact in the lives of His saints. We do not yet know where He will take us or to whom we will have the joy of serving while in pastoral ministry, but I am confident that a godly and mature marriage can only bring blessing to any body of believers because people will have greater trust in my leadership, it bodes well for having godly children who love and seek the Lord, and when people see the Christ-likeness in our marriage they will crave for the work of God to happen in their lives. This will bring them to us and we will then drive them to the Cross.

---

[1] ESV Bible, ESV Text Edition: 2011. (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2001)., p. 824.

[2] Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (New York: Dutton, 2011)., p. 13.

[3] Ibid., p. 111.