The Diamond Marriage Course Our focus here has been the Bible Tale about Marriage, not the Fairy Tale Marriage. Clearly, from this brief survey of what the Bible teaches about the subject, we can see that marriage matters very much to God. Marriage is not just the stuff of fairly tales. Marriage is a human enterprise, which God presides over, and through which God gives eloquent testimony to the world of his eternal purposes! Indeed, as the Church of England Book of Common Prayer advises, not only is the marriage service something which is conducted in the sight of God, but, [it] is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men’s carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding, but reverently, discreetly advisedly, soberly and in the fear of God duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained. According to the Prayer Book, marriage is ordained by God, for the procreation of children, for a remedy against sin and for the mutual help and comfort of the partners. One should assume, in the light of this brief survey, that Christian couples have a responsibility to foster such a marriage relationship which will give a living picture of the kind of relationship which Christ has fostered with his bride, the church. It is because I believe that this is a very important theme in the Bible that I have developed a course to help Christian couples live by these principles. The course is called ‘The Diamond Marriage’, and will be outlined in the rest of this book. Horizontal Implications The purpose of the sixweek course is to enable Christian couples to develop an understanding of marriage which appreciates both its created intention, and which fosters and maintains joy. Initially, I have discovered, many couples look upon their marriage purely in terms of a ‘horizontal’ relationship. Vertical Implications However, as we shall come to see, there are a number of biblical passages which encourage us to perceive marriage as a triangle, with the Lord as the inextricable third party to a healthy Christian marriage. Eternal Implications Ultimately, however, we will see that the complete biblical picture of marriage is not a triangle, but rather a diamond. This diagram illustrates the fact that marriage is to be viewed, not just horizontally and vertically, but also, eternally. By understanding more of the eternal purpose of marriage, couples should be able to use their marriage to relate to the world as God intended. It is my hope that we shall move towards an appreciation of Christian marriage as a diamond. The diamond marriage is one where husband, wife, the Lord and the witness of the marriage to the world, are held together in order to show God’s ultimate purpose to unite all things in the glorification of his Son. If this perspective on marriage is grasped, I believe that it will help a couple arrive at their diamond wedding, not only still married—but joyful! This is no fairy tale. And so we turn to the details of the story … Vibert, S. (2005). The Diamond Marriage: Have Ultimate Purpose in Your Marriage (33–39). Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 04:37:20 +0000
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