You downloaded WHAT?!

The other day I downloaded a new book for my Kindle.

Yeah, it's the book pictured here. The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller.

Say whaaaat?!

Why in the world would I want to read that? Not married. Never been married. Not sure that God has marriage in my future.

But Keller is one of my favorite authors and the premise of this new book grabbed me. You see, whether I get married or not, I firmly believe that the Scriptures portray the union of a man and a woman as the predominant picture of God's relationship with his people.

We have become very cynical about marriage in our culture. The divorce rate...the trend of so many couples living together without the vows...the growing belief (now institutionalized by our government) that a person is free to define marriage however he wants - in so many ways we have let go of the original intent when marriage was ordained by God.

In Genesis it says that a man should leave his father and mother, hold fast to his wife, and they should become one flesh. This was the first picture of how Jesus would leave his father, hold fast to his people the church, and make us all one flesh with him - the body of Christ.

All through the Bible we see God portrayed as the bridegroom and his people as the bride, right up to the culmination of history in Revelation 21. I firmly believe this, as stated beautifully by author G.K. Beale:

As husbands unconditionally love their wives and as wives respond to this liven a faithful manner, they are actors on a redemptive- historical stage performing a play before the onlooking audience of the world. As husbands and wives perform their roles on this stage in the way God has designed, their roles are an object lesson to the watching world that Christ has left his Father to love and become one with his bride, and that those who respond in faith can become part of this corporate bride.

What a beautiful way for a family to tell the story of Jesus.

I definitely look forward to Chapter 7, "Singleness and Marriage." Keller definitely intends for we singles to be part of his audience and I know he'll have a lot to say for me. But even if that chapter were not included, I'd read it anyway. Why? I love the picture of Christ and the church that will be portrayed. It's a portrait of his love for me. And it's a foreshadowing of eternity with our Bridegroom.

 Let's read....

Being different

What makes someone stand out in a crowd?

Back in 2010, my nieces and I went the Alabama-Kentucky game in Lexington. Because we are all such big football fans, we decided to do something crazy. Our game ended at around 3:30, and we did the math. Auburn and Tennessee would be playing in Knoxville about 4 hours later, and there was time to make it. So we jumped in the car, drove south, and watched our second SEC football game in one day. It was awesome!

The interesting thing is that we did not pack for this plan. So there we were, walking into a stadium where the orange and white clad Volunteers were playing the orange and blue clad Tigers. Needless to say, we stood out in our crimson. And yeah, we got a lot of, um, feedback that I can't repeat.

So, as followers of Jesus in a culture where that isn't the norm, what is our crimson? What is it about us that marks us as part of the kingdom of God?

The post referenced below by Michael Kruger makes the case that for the early church, other than their refusal to worship other gods it was one thing: their sexual ethic. Please take the time to read it, as I will make just a couple of points afterwards:

One Trait That Set Apart the Earliest Christians

As Kruger mentions, this is quite an encouragement. As we lived in an oversexed culture that emphasizes freedom of choice and acceptance of all lifestyles, it is not the first time that has been the case. Do you get the feeling that our culture thinks we have suddenly discovered premarital sex, homosexuality, etc? Not true. As the article documents, these lifestyles were rampant in the Roman Empire during the days of the early church, and it was the difference in this area of life that marked disciples of Christ as being different from those around them.

So I don't mind getting ridiculed over the fact that with God's help I am reserving sex for the day if/when I get married. God has designed me for fellowship with him, and if marriage is not his plan for me, neither is the physical aspect that is designed for marriage. I don't mind that people think I'm narrow minded in my views on other forms of sexual expression - sex without a marriage covenant, homosexual behavior, etc. Jesus offers something different, and it's not always popular. It wasn't in the 2nd century (can you imagine if they had Facebook?), and it's not today.

If we are going to offer the world anything, it has to be something different from what they can experience outside of Christ. The fulfillment of a life that practices sex the way God intended is just such a difference-maker. The world tells us to treat other people as things to give us pleasure. Jesus offers us a life where sex is a gift to physically represent the union between Christ and his bride the church in the context of marriage. And he offers a full life of loving God and others for those who have not reached that stage of life.

(Note: This is never a ship that has already sailed. God's grace allows us to turn from our past and begin afresh, reflecting his image from today forward. What you've done in the past doesn't matter.)

If we go along with the culture, we don't have anything different to offer. As Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matthew 5:13a, NASB)

Let's stay salty.

Rant

OK, I'm tired of something...and fortunately for me, I have a blog. So I can get it off my chest. Here goes...

I am tired of "change the subject" arguments when it comes to controversial debates about truth. You know what I mean. You make a statement about a controversial issue such as violence in media, abortion, or God's standards for sexual purity and you get this: "How can you waste your time worrying about that when there is oppression and poverty in the world? Get your priorities straight."

Here's a news flash: It's possible to care about BOTH! God created us human beings with a remarkable capacity of multitasking. And we can multitask obedience to God as well. I can work for social justice, rebuilding the lives of the poor, caring for widows and orphans AND proclaim God's standard for marriage, respect for life, the all-sufficiency of Jesus' death and resurrection and many other issues. All at the same time. Shocking, I know.

Really, this shouldn't surprise us. All through the Hebrew Scriptures (aka, the Old Testament) God told his people to care for the alien, the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the oppressed. And he also told them to tear down idols, worship him only, be sexually pure, tithe, and respect life. They were expected to do it all.

When Israel was taken into captivity, there was tremendous pressure on Daniel and his friends to conform to the new culture.  But just because there was a new government, God hadn't changed. They said in effect, like Martin Luther did centuries later, "Here I stand. I can do no other, so help me God."

Imagine if you came home and your wife asked whether you had picked up milk at the grocery store. "No, honey, but how can you care about that? There is oppression in the world - focus on that rather than me taking care of my family." Would that fly? I don't think so. And it doesn't with God either.

Listen to Jesus:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the the law - justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (Matthew 23:23, NIV, emphasis mine)

Yes, those things are important. As Christ-followers we must invest our time, effort, and resources in reaching out to those who are downtrodden. It's the right thing to do. But we also must reverence the one true God and resist efforts to change our beliefs to fit our culture. The two positions are not mutually exclusive.

So say you disagree with me. Let's have a spirited debate. But let's not change the subject when we do. Justice, mercy, and faithfulness are critical. And so is a right view of God. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Why...as important as what

Then he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

If there's anything clear in Scripture, it's that following Jesus is a matter of the heart. It's not just about doing the right things, but about why we're doing them. He wants to change us from the inside out.

Today I read an article on sexual purity that was a compelling example of this principle. "True love waits" is a noble campaign to encourage purity in young people. But I'm a classic example of the question raised by the article: if the motivation for waiting is the "carrot" of marriage - when the waiting will be over - what is the motivation if marriage isn't in your immediate future? (For example, if you're going to be single into, say, your 50's or beyond.) Since the purity was temporary, until marriage, how do you respond when temporary approaches permanent?

The answer is complicated - like it is for all life questions - but the short version is this: God doesn't want us to be pure just because we're waiting for the day when we don't have to be. He wants us to be pure because we are denying our own selfish desires for a greater joy, fellowship with the Father through Jesus. In other words, future marriage isn't my motivation for purity; my faith is.

So purity in this area is spiritual discipline that will teach us to live Luke 9:23 in all areas. No wonder Jesus says elsewhere (Matthew 5:8) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

The whole article is here:  "True Love Does More than Just Wait" (Relevant Magazine)

If you'll take the time to read it, I think it'll challenge you like it did me.

God's best

I ran across this article (linked below) the other day, and I feel it's one of the best things I've ever seen written on a subject that concerns me greatly. Please take the time to read it - slowly - and let me know your thoughts.

Relevant Magazine: "The Secret Sexual Revolution"

As I read it, it hit me as being dead on. God' plan for marriage has not changed just because so many are waiting later to tie the knot. Premarital abstinence is not just for teenagers, it's for all adults who who are single. I can personally tell you that it is very difficult. I can also personally tell you that it's possible. But just as important, I can tell you that God's grace is big enough to give you a new start.

So I beg my fellow single Christian friends: renew you commitment to follow God's best on this. Whether it's by committing to stay the course on your previous commitment or asking forgiveness and starting a course of "renewed abstinence" today, pray for strength and go for it.