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MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE (Part Three) By Bob Myhan
here are five possible states, relative to marriage and the marriage bond: (1) unmarried and unbound, (2) married and bound, (3) unmarried but bound, (4) married but bound and (5) married but unbound.
ne is unmarried and unbound (a) if he or she has never been married, (b) if he or she has put away previous spouse for fornication and never remarried, (c) if he or she has never been scripturally married but has had to end an unscriptural marriage or (d) if his or her spouse has died and he or she has not remarried. One is married and bound to the same person if he or she is in a scriptural marriage. One is unmarried but bound (a) if he or she was put away for any reason and has not remarried, or (b) if he or she put away a spouse for some reason other than fornication and has not remarried. One is married to one person but bound to another (a) if he or she has remarried after having been put away, or (b) if he or she has remarried after putting away a spouse for some reason other than fornication. One is married but unbound if he or she is in a first marriage with someone who is ineligible for marriage; the other, of course, would also be married but unbound.
ecause marriage is intended by God to be a permanent relationship, it should not be entered into lightly. Nor should it lightly be ended. Each party to a scriptural marriage should be fully committed thereto. In view of this important element, marriage should be viewed as a covenant relationship between two committed people and God.
oth husband and wife have been given responsibilities in keeping with the order and purpose of their respective roles. The husband is to be the decision maker, inasmuch as "Adam was formed first, then Eve" (1 Tim. 2:13), and Eve was created as "a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:18). This does not mean Adam was in any way superior to Eve, only that he was to have authority over her. He was to lead; she was to follow. She was “not made out of his head to rule over him, or out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved” (Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, p. 7).
aul wrote, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:22-26). He also wrote, "The head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3). Man was given authority over woman. If she wrests it from him, she sins against him and against God. [It is unfortunate that most husbands do not seem to realize that headship involves responsibility. His authority over his wife is similar to that of Christ over the church. Christ acted responsibly in giving himself for the church.]
otice the extent to which a husband is to love his wife: "So ought men to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church." "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife as himself" (Eph. 5:28-33). His love for her should resemble that of Christ for His church. When it is obvious to the wife that he loves her thus, it will be easy for her to "reverence her husband" (Eph. 5:33). He needs her support and she needs his concern. She demonstrates her support by being affectionate and managing the house (Titus 2:3-5; 1 Tim. 5:14); he demonstrates his concern by providing for and honoring her (1 Tim. 5:8; 1 Peter 3:7). & THE LORD’S SUPPER: A TIME TO LOOK By Bob Myhan
he approved example in Acts 20:7 authorizes each local church to set aside a time and place on the first day of the week for its members to come together to eat the Lord’s Supper.
he time set aside for the Lord’s Supper is not only a time to eat but is also a time to look. By “look,” I mean, “to direct one’s attention mentally upon something.”
hile eating the unleavened bread and drinking the fruit of the vine Christian’s should look:
pward (1 Cor. 11:23). That is, we should direct our attention upward to heaven where Christ who instituted it is partaking of it with us (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25). We should also direct our attention upward to the Father, giving thanks for the bread and fruit of the vine (Matt. 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-23). And we should direct our attention upward to the Son, giving thanks in His name (Col. 3:17).
ackward (1 Cor. 11:24-25). That is, we should look back to the physical suffering He endured for our sakes: the repeated slaps on His face, the scourging, which left his back lacerated and bleeding, the crown of thorns placed upon His head, the walk to Calvary carrying His own cross, the nailing of His hands and feet to the cross, the piercing of His side with the spear. We should also look back to the mental anguish He bore: in the garden (Matt. 26:36-44; Mark 14:32-36; Luke 22:39-44), and on the cross (Luke 23:35-39; Matt. 27:46). Finally, we should look back at the awful price that was paid for the sins of the world, including yours and mine (1 Peter 1:17-19; 2:20-25).
orward (1 Cor. 11:26). That is, we should eat in anticipation of Jesus Christ’s return (Acts 1:9-11), the resurrection unto life (John 5:28-29), receiving our inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5) and being with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13-17).
nward (1 Cor. 11:27-29), examining self, to make sure we are looking upward, backward and forward. & CAN I DEFEND “THE FAITH”? (Jude 3; 1 Peter 3:14-15) By Kenneth E. Thomas
Can I really defend
“the faith”,
Am I able to “prove all
things”,
Would Jesus be proud of
me,
(Eph. 6:10-19; 1 Thess.
5:21)
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