Marriage: God’s Plan - Part 1

Welcome back to my blog, and thank you for visiting. Today, we start an important dialogue about traditional marriage.

 

God’s plan for marriage encompasses several key aspects:

1. Reflecting His image: Marriage is meant to reflect God’s image. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect unity, a husband and wife are called to be united as one.
2. Raising godly children: Marriage provides the foundation for raising children in a godly environment. Parents are entrusted with nurturing their children’s faith and character.
3. Establishing and building His kingdom: Married couples work together to advance God’s kingdom. They serve others, share the gospel, and contribute to the well-being of society.
4. Maturing as Christians: Marriage challenges us to grow and mature. It reveals our weaknesses, teaches us patience, and refines our character.
5. Submission and forgiveness: Both spouses submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. They confront sin in their own hearts before addressing it in each other, and they extend forgiveness as often as needed.
6. Modeling our relationship with Christ: The relationship between Christ and the Church serves as a model for marriage. Husbands are called to sacrificially love their wives, and wives are called to respect and submit to their husbands.

Remember that God’s plan for marriage is beautiful and purposeful, and it’s a journey of growth, grace, and love.

 

As important as these attributes are regarding marriage, spiritually, it is even more important. The Bible describes the main purpose of Christian marriage as demonstrating to society the precious relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:21-33). Stated another way, marriage is primarily an evangelical tool!

 

Marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church.

 

Wow! Why is this, considering all the other important reasons for marriage? Please consider the following:

• God’s goals – God’s plans are greater than our own and His plan is to sum up all history in Christ (Ephesians 1:10-11). Consequently, viewing marriage and its purpose within the overall construct of God’s plan is important and appropriate. God wants all people to come to know Him and so marriage is primarily evangelical as we demonstrate Christ’s loving relationship to the church.
• Importance to us – Although marriage as a witness to society, it is also vital to our own marriage relationship, as it reminds us that we were married for God’s purposes and not primarily for our own desires such as: sex, a wonderful marriage ceremony, and having children (as wonderful as they are). Remembering God’s goal in marriage also minimizes whatever expectations for marriage we might hold such as the responsibility for household tasks and interactions with extended family.
• God defines the relationship – Knowing that the purpose of marriage is to reflect Christ and the church reminds us that we primarily serve Christ and our spouse. When we leave and cleave from our prior families our priorities are clearly to be toward our marriage partner and God (Ephesians 5:31-32).

 

How then does marriage reflect the relationship between Christ and the church?

• The love between a man and a woman reflects the love Christ and the church have for each other.
• The love of the husband, and his complete devotion to his wife, reflects the love and devotion of Christ to the church.
• The submission of the wife to her husband reflects the submission of the church to Christ. The prescribed order of people and institutions in the Bible is important not only for the function of society, but for the church and family as well (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Romans 13:1-7; Colossians 3:18ff, 1 Peter 2:13-20; Ephesians 6:1-9). It is within the confines of order that the gospel best goes forward to bring people to Christ.
• This combination of order, love, and devotion provides a productive, caring picture to society of what Christ does for the church. Marriage should attract people to the gospel.

 

Marriage is a wonderful institution that God has ordained and provides marvelous benefits to the church, society and individuals. However, at its highest purpose is an evangelical tool that God uses to attract people to the gospel.In summary, traditional marriage, rooted in biblical principles, is a sacred institution designed by God. It serves as a reflection of His love, unity, and purpose for humanity. 

 

Thanks very much for joining me today. Join me next time as we discuss the scientific benefits of marriage, or read more at https://teleiosresearch.com/marriage-gods-plan/. 

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

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Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Godly Thinking: Part 3

As we have discussed in past blogs, Christians have been regenerated through the power of the Holy Spirit into new individuals with the capacity to change ourselves to take positive and biblical actions.

 

However, to behave in a scriptural manner we first must know how to think correctly. Unfortunately, non-biblical thinking may incite destructive speech and actions which can hurt and adversely influence others.

 

Christianity is a religion of facts and understanding (Colossians 1:9-10; Ephesians 1:17). Scriptural thinking is productive and healing. How then do we do it? Below is a biblically based process to help change how we think, and ultimately how we act.

 

In the past several blogs we began to address in sequence: basis of biblical thinking and attitude in our thinking. Now let’s try to put our thinking into action by covering principles of biblical thinking.

 

Principles

 

A key verse regarding this process is: 

 

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

 

The word ‘prove’ in Greek (the original language of the Bible) is δοκιμάζω (dokimazo), meaning to examine or prove, denoting a positive inference. It was used to describe a tested warrior in battle. Otherwise, God’s word is truth and so we can depend on it to work in our lives. As we lean on the Bible and see it function, we grow in confidence to trust it and enjoy the good fruits from living obedient and faithful lives.

 

What is biblical thinking? 

 

Use the acronym ‘4 P’s’:

·       Pondering the word – As stated in Romans 12:1 we should transform our thinking based on biblical knowledge. We should ponder these things not just to correct our thinking but also to cause ourselves to know God better in transforming how we communicate with others. This is an active, prospective process, not just when we have problems and need to correct ourselves; it is a daily habit of healthy thinking (1 Timothy 4:16, Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 3:1).

·       Praise – Keep a habit of commending and thanking God. He deserves it (Hebrews 13:15)! Also, praise keeps us from having unreasonable expectations of others and thinking too highly of ourselves. We should remember God’s goals are above our own (Romans 12:1-2).

·       Prayer – We should have a mindset of going to God for all our needs (Hebrews 4:14-16). Instead of complaining or ruminating over situations we should turn instantly to prayer and have a faithful attitude that God will help us (1 Peter 4:12).

·       Positive subjects – This perspective is imperative to force our minds to think about things that are positive, true, just, lovely pure, full of praise and wholesome (Philippians 4:8). Remembering healthy thoughts will keep us from becoming discouraged and help us to see the good and the potential in all situations and people. Further, the things we think are ultimately what we speak and thus help us encourage other people. 

 

Renewing our minds to change how we think is a constant challenge as we battle to drive our thoughts to be consistent with the Bible. This process will change how we look at life and others and ultimately how we speak to others. It also provides an opportunity to see God’s Spirit working in our lives to bear fruit as we allow Him to transform us while we seek God through His word. Give it a try!

 

Summary – Indeed, our thinking processes are the basis of a healthy mindset as well as a fruitful relationship with others and with God.

 

Thank you for visiting my blog! Join us again next time as we continue our vital discussion on developing a biblical mindset. Share this important blog with your friends and family!

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/

 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.