Truth and Consequences
by Kathy Brown on October 23rd, 2009 | 0 comments
People act on what they believe to be true, not on what they say is true. If anyone doubts this, try being a counselor for awhile. It is frustrating to watch a person’s whole world fall apart because they have renounced the ideas that lead to a healthy, fulfilling life and act on lies.
One of the most blatant examples of this relates to marriage. Although there still seems to be a romantic notion that marriage should be once and forever, the reality is about half the time that actually happens. Unbelievably, that statistic applies to couples who think they have a Biblical worldview.
What should be different about a real Christian? The Truth is at their disposal, and it has so much to say about all of life, especially the unique institute of marriage.
Here are some Biblical facts that should make a difference:
(1) Marriage illustrates an eternal picture of Jesus and His Bride, the Church (the body of believers He has claimed for Himself)
(2) Jesus describes the reason for divorce as hard-heartedness or being “stiff-necked”
(3) Jesus is the One who meets the deepest inner needs, no one else can do that
(4) Love is a decision
(5) Sex is reserved for marriage because it is the physical picture of a spiritual union
(6) Family (God’s design for advancing His Kingdom and for providing intimate community) is worth suffering for, and this sacrifice will be rewarded
(7) God hates divorce
Some contrasting ideas of the culture are:
(1) Marriage is a ceremony that lasts until two people have irreconcilable differences or grow apart
(2) Divorce is the other person’s fault or there is “no fault”
(3) Having one’s needs met is a critical component of happiness, and a partner must be able to do this or someone else should
(4) Love is a feeling
(5) Sex is meant to express love to anyone at anytime, as long as there is consent
(6) Breaking up a family is only temporarily painful, eventually everyone gets over it and moves on
(7) Jesus sees marital unhappiness and blesses the way out of it
For many, divorce is unwanted. But those who choose infidelity, physical or emotional, do it by a series of decisions based on counsel other than the Word of God. Ideas have consequences, and eventually what we do reveals whether what we claim to be is who we really are.
From the Word of God:
"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands." 2 John: 6
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