Topical Studies Power Point Show
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 13:4-7
BIBLE QUESTION BOX
June 2004
Intro.
1. 1 Cor. 13:4-7: Love never fails…because it never gives up!
2. Every marriage is in need of this kind of love – the love Christ shows us.
#1: Please do a lesson on the importance of the marriage relationship.
1. Marriage in America is in decline.
2. Widespread pessimism about marriage (“The Decline of Marriage”, Rodger Doyle).
3. Matt. 19:6 – Christ’s admonition is profoundly relevant.
-Marriage is important because…
1. It is from God & honors God – Gen. 2:18-25.
a. Relationship God ordained that satisfies mankind. (Prov. 18:22)
b. God is the witness of your covenant; Hates divorce – Mal. 2:14, 16.
c. God joins husband & wife together: Do not put asunder – Matt. 19:6.
d. Honorable: “precious…as of great price, held in honour, esteemed, especially dear” (OLB Greek Lexicon) – Heb. 13:4.
2. It lasts for a lifetime – Rom. 7:1-2; cf. Matt. 19:4-5:
a. Permanency of marriage is the essential foundation.
b. Commitment is the glue that bonds the husband & wife together.
c. Union is the result.
d. Problem: American divorce rate, 4.95/1,000; Marriage rate, 9.8/1,000 (nationmaster.com)
3. It is the foundation of a stable society – Gen. 2:24 (Psa. 127:1).
a. Intact family structure gives stability to society – Psa. 127:3-5; Prov. 4:1-4.
1) Marriage is the basis for parenthood, Gen. 1:27-28.
2) Same-sex “marriages”, etc. damage parenthood & society. (“Death of marriage in Scandinavia”, Stanley Kurtz, The Boston Globe, 3/10/04)
3) “Chart 2: Children Living in Intact Families”, The Positive Effects of Marriage: A Book of Charts, The Heritage Foundation.
4) Broken homes…broken society (“Marriage: What Social Science Says and Doesn’t Say”, Jennifer Marshall, The Heritage Foundation).
b. Provides occasion for moral constancy – Heb. 13:4.
c. Training ground for next generation to serve God – Psa. 78:4-7; Eph. 5:33-6:4.
4. It protects against immorality – 1 Cor. 7:1-5 (cf. 6:12-13, 18).
a. God expects us to keep our bodies morally pure – 1 Ths. 4:3-8 (Rom. 13:12-14; Eph. 5:3, 11-12).
b. Husband & wife have responsibility to communicate & fulfill sexual needs of each other – 1 Cor. 7:3-4.
c. To turn to other sources/means of sexual fulfillment hinders marital fulfillment; frustrates trust & love & leads to the defilement of the marriage bed.
5. It exemplifies Christ & His church – Eph. 5:22-33.
a. Christ, the head & church submissive; Husband the head & wife submissive.
b. For husbands to take the lead sounds outrageous to today’s culture.
c. “Do modern societies, in which marriage is often a tragedy or a joke, really offer a better model?” (Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone, cited by Richard N. Ostling, AP Religion Writer, in "Give St. Paul a Break on Women and Slavery, Scholarly Defenders Say", The Skagit Valley Herald, 5/29/04, C3).
-Single-parent homes, living, same-sex marriages, etc.; the Scandinavian model.
6. In marriage, God teaches us the virtue of loving someone else more than self – SS. 6:3; 7:10; 8:6.
a. Love must be learned before it can be lived; Marriage is such a place.
b. Leave & cleave expresses love’s devotion – Gen. 2:24.
c. In marriage, love is learned & lived – 1 Co. 13:4-7; Eph. 5:25-29.
-“A marriage lives... upon those almost impossible times when it is perfectly clear to the two partners that nothing else but pure sacrificial love can hold them together.” (Mike Mason, The Mystery of Marriage, cited by Rob Moll, “No One Told Me Marriage Was Like This”, www.growthtrac.com)
d. Wives: Keep right spirit, a submissive heart & life; Husbands: By learning to understand your wife & so, honor her – 1 Pet. 3:5-7.
Conclusion
1. Such questions have moral & ethical ramifications.
2. Must always respect life; live by faith; not sin against self or others.
3. If you are still in sin, you are dead & need life that Christ gives (Jno. 11:25-27; 14:6).
Bibliography
Doyle, Rodger, “The Decline of Marriage”, Scientific American, 12/20/99
Fagan, Patrick, et al., “Chart 2: Children Living in Intact Families”, The Positive Effects of Marriage: A Book of Charts, The Heritage Foundation
Hagelin, Rebecca, “Was God Wrong?”, The Heritage Foundation
Kurtz, Stanley, “Death of marriage in Scandinavia”, The Boston Globe, 3/10/04
Marshall, Jennifer, “Marriage: What Social Science Says and Doesn’t Say”, The Heritage Foundation
Mason, Mike, The Mystery of Marriage, cited by Rob Moll, “No One Told Me Marriage Was Like This”, growthtrac.com
_____Nationmaster.com
_____Online Bible Greek Lexicon
Wright, Tom, Paul for Everyone, cited by Richard N. Ostling, AP Religion Writer, in "Give St. Paul a Break on Women and Slavery, Scholarly Defenders Say", The Skagit Valley Herald, 5/29/04, C3
