“LOVE IS THE FOUNDATION”

The Bible reveals that the marriage relationship is from God. He designed it for man’s benefit. The purpose is seen from Genesis 2:18, 22-24 where it is stated, “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man’. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Yet marriage is not desired by many. If God created the marriage relationship for man’s good, why is this so? Why do we find such abuse within that relationship? Stable marriages make for stable societies. The Bible shows repeatedly that the stability of any society is in direct proportion to the stability of the marriage relationships within that society. In connection with this, we read in Psalms 11:3, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” This is true of any institution. When thinking about our society, our homes, or our government, what can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed? Has God’s foundation for marriage been destroyed? What is a foundation and what is God’s foundation for marriage?

Foundations consist of those things that give support. Houses are placed upon foundations to give them strength and stability. Relationships must have a good foundation in order to meet hard times. For marriage to be the relationship that provides man the benefit that God intended, it must likewise be built upon a solid foundation. A proper foundation will provide support for those who enter a marriage relationship. God has laid the foundation for the marriage relationship. That foundation is love. Love is also from God, for God loved man first. God made man capable of loving Him and one another. The greatest evidence of love is sacrifice. God’s love for man is seen in the sacrifice of His Son. It provided the greatest benefit known to man. The apostle Paul explained it as follows: “For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:7-10).

Because of this, we can learn from God how to show our love in the marriage relationship. It will be in the sacrifices made between the husband and his wife. The love that will provide a solid foundation for marriage is seen from the love that Christ had for the church. His sacrifice for the church is seen in Acts 20:28. He gave His life (shed His blood) for the church. It is further illustrated in Ephesians 5:22-33 where we find, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Such a foundation will make the marriage relationship what God intended it to be. Our happiness in this life is greatly affected by how successful we are in our marriage relationships. However, when this godly foundation is destroyed, what remains? Society suffers when relationships are fostered through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17).

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” In a society wherein the marriage bond is about as treasured as Esau treasured his birthright, what can those who have respect for God’s view of marriage do? We can exemplify the blessings of our marriages by having the same love for our spouse like as Christ had for man and for the church. We can respect and fulfill our God-given roles in the marriage relationship: “Wives be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord…in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it.” (Ephesians 5:22, 24-25). When we stay within the boundaries prescribed, and build upon God’s foundation, then we will truly have a “marriage made in heaven”.

2/28/21

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“GOD’S TESTIMONY: INCREDIBLE OR CREDIBLE?”

When anything is said to be incredible, it means that it is hard to believe.  Something qualifies as incredible when it is so extraordinary that it seems impossible. For many, the Creation account from the Bible qualifies as incredible. They think it incredible that life could be brought into existence from nothing by a being that has always existed. Yet the Bible declares this very thing in Genesis 1. It is parallel with another statement from the Bible surrounding whether or not this same being (God) could raise the dead back to life. There were many who thought of that as incredible (Acts 26:8).

Life being raised from death or life being created from nothing are both things that can only be accepted by faith. As it pertained to Jesus, He had been in a grave for 3 days. Could it be possible that He raised Himself? Certainly not! How then is it that Luke records of Him, “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3)? Credible or incredible? No one had ever been known to raise himself. How is it then that Jesus was alive after dying? No one was present in the tomb with Jesus when he arose.

The eye-witness testimony was not that His resurrection was literally witnessed, rather that He was seen alive by them after being buried in a tomb for 3 days. Yet it was still deemed incredible by many, even among those who had initially obeyed the gospel (Acts 13:46; 1 Corinthians 1:2). In this epistle, the apostle Paul asked the Corinthians, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12). It certainly required faith to accept the testimony of those who proclaimed His resurrection from death. Paul repeatedly warned Christians in 1 Corinthians 10 not to repeat the faithless behavior of the Israelites.

Hebrews 4:1-2 contains a similar warning: “Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith.” The eye-witness testimony of Jesus’ resurrection is made credible because Jesus’ resurrection is credible. Luke testified that it was necessary for Jesus to enter into His glory (Luke 24:26). This is why Jesus’ resurrection is credible. Paul was most explicit in explaining the consequences of viewing the eye-witness testimony of resurrection as incredible rather than credible. He said, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-19).

The truth in regard to the beginning of life rests upon a testimony. Whenever and however we want to refer to ‘the beginning’, regardless if we attribute it to evolution or to a Supreme Intelligence, both possibilities must be accepted by faith. The simple reason is, no one was present. The Creation record in the Bible is by Moses whose own birth is recorded and which occurred several generations after another incredible story, the Flood. The Flood of course occurred several generations after the Creation, according to the Bible. Moses’ record must therefore be accepted by faith. This is also true of other writers of the Bible who mention the nature of the Creation. None of them were alive to personally witness what they wrote about. They affirmed that what they wrote was by inspiration of the Spirit of God. Their affirmation must also be accepted by faith. We read in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “…no prophecy of scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Likewise in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God…”. The prophet Amos acknowledged, “Certainly the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret plan to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7).

This being the case, their divine guidance and testimony must be accepted by faith. These prophets declared what God wanted to be known, not only about Himself, but about why He brought things into existence. The church of Christ in Thessalonica demonstrated the attitude that we should have toward the testimony of God’s messengers. Paul wrote to them these words: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

2/21/21

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"THE LOVE OF GOD IS GREATER FAR..."

Notice how God showed His love for Israel and what His love accomplished within the nation:

Psalm 78:

12 He performed wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, and He made the waters stand up like a heap.

14 Then He led them with the cloud by day

and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.

16 He brought forth streams from the rock and made waters run down like rivers.

17 Yet they still continued to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

18 And in their heart they put God to the test by asking for food that suited their taste.

19 Then they spoke against God; they said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, and streams were overflowing; Can He also provide bread? Will He prepare meat for His people?”

21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also mounted against Israel,

22 Because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation.

23 Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven;

24 He rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them food from heaven.

25 Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

26 He made the east wind blow in the sky and by His power He directed the south wind.

27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust, even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,

28 He let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.

29 So they ate and were well filled, and He satisfied their longing.

30 Yet before they had abandoned their longing, while their food was in their mouths,

31 The anger of God rose against them and killed some of their strongest ones, and subdued the choice men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this they still sinned and did not believe in His wonderful works.

33 So He brought their days to an end in futility, and their years to an end in sudden terror.

34 WHEN HE KILLED THEM, THEN THEY SOUGHT HIM, AND THEY RETURNED AND SEARCHED DILIGENTLY FOR GOD;

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer.

2/13/21

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"LOVE IS THE FOUNDATION"

The Bible declares that the marriage relationship is from God. He designed it for man’s benefit. The purpose is seen from Genesis 2:18, 22-24 where it is stated, “Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

If God created the marriage relationship for man’s good, why is the marriage relationship not desirable? Why do we find such abuse within that relationship? How would you describe the stability within the marriage relationship today? Stable marriages make for stable societies. The Bible shows repeatedly that the stability of any society is in direct proportion to the stability of the marriage relationships within that society. In connection with this, we read in Psalms 11:3, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” This is true of any institution. When thinking about our society, our homes, or our government, what can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed? Has God’s foundation for marriage been destroyed? What is a foundation and what is God’s foundation for marriage?

Foundations consist of those things that give support. Houses are placed upon foundations to give them strength and stability. Relationships must have a good foundation in order to meet hard times. For marriage to be the relationship that provides man the benefit that God intended, it must be likewise be built upon a solid foundation. A proper foundation will provide support for those who enter a marriage relationship. God has laid the ‘foundation’ for the marriage relationship. That foundation is love. Love is also of God, for God loved man first. How do we know this? We know it because God showed His great love to man. The greatest evidence of love is sacrifice. God’s love for man is seen in the sacrifice of His Son (John 3:16). Thus we can learn from God, how to show our love in the marriage relationship. It will be in the sacrifice made between the husband and his wife. The love that will provide a solid foundation for marriage is seen from the love that Christ had for the church. His sacrifice for the church is seen in Acts 20:28, He gave His life (shed His blood) for the church. It is further illustrated in Ephesians 5:22-33 where we find:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Such a foundation will make the marriage relationship what God intended it to be. Our happiness in this life is greatly affected by how successful we are in our marriage relationships. However, when this godly foundation is destroyed, what remains? Society suffers when relationships are fostered thru the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? (1 John 2:15-17). “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

In a society wherein the marriage bond is about as treasured as Esau treasured his birthright, what can those who respect God’s view of marriage do? We can exemplify the happiness within our marriages by having the same love for our spouse like as Christ had for man and for the church. We can respect and fulfill our God-given role in the marriage relationship: “Wives be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord…in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it.” (Ephesians 5:22, 24-25). When we stay within the boundaries prescribed, and build upon God’s foundation, then we will truly have a “marriage made in heaven”.

2/13/21

rdb

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