Jacob raises an important question in his comments about “What is a Marriage?” His asks what is the appropriate role of the state, if any, in determining what makes a marriage binding. He is asking, in effect, do Christians need the state to validate marriage? His unedited comments are posted below. This is the sort of question for which Christians, particularly Christian parents, must have clear, direct answers. Thanks to Jacob for asking this probing question. What is the biblical answer? How would you answer this question for your children? Give it some thought. I will post my response tomorrow.
Yearly Archives: 2009
157 posts
Maine has become the 5th State to change the definition of marriage. On Wednesday, May 5, 2009, Fox News reported the event on its website: The Maine Senate voted 21-13, with one absent, for a bill that authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday. The reasoning behind this law is that any two people have the right to decide for themselves how marriage should be constituted. They believe it is unfair and arbitrary to restrict marriage to one man and one woman. The Fox News story also reports that Republican Sen. Debra Plowman of Hampden argued that the bill was being […]
This post is the last one planned for this series, which is also the lengthiest series to date. I have taken this much time because the issues of lust and unquenchable desires are taking a heavy toll on Christian families. While pornography and teenagers have been the focus in this series, the cravings of the flesh extend to almost every area and every age of life. The fires of lust are fanned when the demands of toddlers are not challenged, but gratified, tolerated or overlooked. Children who are self-focused and allowed to indulge in self-pity become primary targets for sensuality. And, as Don Fields observed in his insightful comment, perhaps many parents are still trying unsuccessfully to free themselves from […]
The phrase learning Christ appears only once in the New Testament. Paul uses this phrase when he contrasts the church and the world. In Ephesians 4:17-19, he describes what people naturally learn because of the desires of their hardened hearts that follow the world (Ephesians 2:1-3). Then, in Ephesians 4:20, he says that the Ephesians did not come learn Christ that way. In the context of verse 20, those who are alienated, separated from the life of God–in other words, the world–learn darkness, not Christ. Thus, sensitivity becomes impossible. That darkness produces futile thinking. Those who think and live like the world are dominated by darkness, futility and sensuality. So Paul says that this is not the way they learned […]
This series of posts is dealing with the impact of lust on Christian families. As we have seen, lust is a sin that impacts all of life. Its demands are relentless, the guilt is dominating, the anticipation and desire for things that will never satisfy is consuming. Lust also attacks relationships, especially between parent and child. Talking about lust is not a favorite topic of conversation between teenagers and parents, but as Proverbs 6:20-24 teaches, the words of parents are key to preventing sexual sin in the lives of children. When you discover that your teenager is viewing Internet pornography, the way you respond is important. We have already looked at one type of response that is not helpful. Here […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reversed a policy decision of the Bush Administration. Seventeen-year=olds will soon be able to buy a “morning after” pill to be used as an emergency contraceptive. Fox News reported the story this way on April 22: WASHINGTON — Seventeen-year-olds will soon be able to buy the “morning after” emergency contraceptive without a doctor’s prescription, after the Food and Drug Administration bowed to a federal judge’s order Wednesday. Reversing a contentious policy of the Bush administration, the FDA said in a brief statement it will not appeal a judge’s order that overturns restrictions limiting over-the-counter sales of “Plan B” to women 18 and older. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled last month in a […]
In the last post we examined the case of a 15-year-son who was caught viewing pornography on the Internet. I described one possible way of addressing this issue and asked what was missing. Jo weighed in with her comment. Her answer – the gospel. She is right, and she offers some helpful thoughts on this problem. But I want to stress that when we say the gospel is needed, that does not mean there is no further work to be done. As Paul worked with great energy to teach what the gospel meant, so parents must also seek God for the wisdom to bring Christ to their children. The schemes of the world are crafty and deceptive (Ephesians 4:14 and […]
The apostle Paul was concerned about the power of lust. In Ephesians 4:11-24 Paul talks about new life in Christ and the essential role that the church plays in the lives of believers as they become more like Christ. In the middle of this section (verse 17) he interjects a strong, emphatic warning that Christians should no longer walk or live like the world. To give an example of being like the world, the Holy Spirit (through Paul) focuses on those who are controlled by lust. The world is dominated by what it wants. Since those wants are evil, deceptive, and at cross purposes with what God wants, then following those wants will lead to hardness of heart, entrapment, and […]
The “lust cycle” is a pattern of thought and behavior that holds many captives in the church. Some are older, respected members of the church and community, while others are teenagers overwhelmed by uncontrolled youthful lusts. In the last post we analyzed the lust cycle in some detail. Understanding this vicious cycle is an important step toward breaking free from its grip. Thus, failure to break free from lust often stems from attacking the wrong part of the cycle, with weapons that are inadequate for the job. Allow me to explain. Remember, what drives lust is anticipation. The act of lust almost never satisfies. Giving in to lustful desires usually produces responses like that of Amnon. Once he had taken […]
Lust is a sin that dominates and never satisfies. This sequence is not random. Dissatisfaction is an intended consequence of lust that was designed by the enemy of your souls. In the last post I asked you to look at 2 Samuel 13 and the story of Amnon. That passage vividly depicts this truth. Amnon was consumed by his sinful desire for Tamar. Yet, after he had acted upon his desire and taken her, instead of being satisfied, he was filled with hatred. The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates verse 2 Samuel 13:15 this way: After this, Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that the hatred he hated her with was greater than the love he had loved her with. […]