The Bible teaches that God had multiple purposes in creating marital intimacy. One of the best safeguards against the many perversions of marital intimacy in the world is to understand and appreciate the Bible’s teaching on God’s gift of marriage.
My dear friend and brother is having more bad days than good days now. He’s finding it harder to talk, remembering less, and often tired.
Last night, I sang for Jeff my dad’s favourite hymn, which we sang (at dad’s request) at his funeral. It was new to Jeff, but by the time I finished, he was singing as if he had known it for years. We praised the Lord together for the sure promise of eternal life with our Saviour. Jeff is often enthusiastic over the Scriptures and the wonderful hymns God’s people have written, but this drew more response from him than any other I’ve sung with him in the last few weeks. I know many who love Jeff read this blog, so I thought I’d share with you today what was filling his heart last night. (Music at Cyberhymnal)
Sweet is the hope that is thrilling my soul—
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
Then what if the dark clouds of sin o’er me roll,
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
Chorus:
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
What a joy it will be
When His face I shall see,
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
Though I must travel by faith, not by sight,
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
No evil can harm me, no foe can affright!
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
Darkness is gathering, but hope shines within,
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
What joy when He comes to wipe out every sin;
I know I’ll see Jesus some day!
Avis M. Christiansen
Music: Scott Lawrence
You may not be as aware of the gathering darkness as my brother Jeff is right now, but it certainly is gathering, for mortality comes to all. Does hope shine in you the way it shines out of him when I see him? Do you know you’ll see Jesus some day, as the Scriptures say we can know? Are you ready and rejoicing to see the Saviour, or ashamed and afraid?
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 20:31
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
I John 5:11-13
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
I John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Some of my readers are children, including some whose parents are very careful about what their children see. This post is for those parents.
After the Church of Scotland chose to allow the ordination of homosexuals, I was asked to teach on this. I began by teaching on the God-given purposes of marital intimacy. Lord willing, in the coming week I will have a series of posts based on those lessons.
I believe in treating God’s gift of marriage reverently, and in teaching the whole counsel of God. Those two things are compatible. This material, treated rightly, is profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16), suitable for public teaching, and not harmful but helpful to protect believers (including young people) against modern idolatrous philosophies and behaviour. But this is an area where parents are rightly very careful, so I wanted to give parents advance notice accordingly.
If you have concerns, please view the blog before your children for a few days. If that is difficult, use my contact page (or my email if you have it) and I will send you a preview of the articles.
Also: Why I Say “Marital Intimacy”
Follow-up posts:
The Purposes of Marital Intimacy
Psalm 45, “Greatly Desire Thy Beauty,” and Marital Intimacy
Proverbs 5:19, “Ravished Always,” and Marital Intimacy
Homosexuality and the Purposes of Marital Intimacy
If you as a Christian don’t like the death penalty, it may just mean your heart is near to your Lord’s.
We’ve looked at the clear Scriptural teaching on capital punishment, the safeguards God intended, and His stated purposes for the death penalty. There’s really no question of what the Bible says, and yet many Christians don’t like it, and find it hard to accept. In this final post on the death penalty, we’ll look at the reasons for this — there are aspects of God’s work in us that make it difficult for us to feel happy about the death penalty.
Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.
– Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society.A rocket will never be able to leave the earth’s atmosphere.
– New York Times, 1920.Space travel is bunk.
– Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Astronomer Royal, two weeks before SputnikLouis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.
– Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872.The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.
– Sir John Eric Ericksen, Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen VictoriaAirplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.
– Marechal Ferdinand FochStocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.
– Irving Fisher, Yale University, 1929.There is practically no chance communications space satellites will be used to provide better telephone, telegraph, television, or radio service inside the Unided States.
– T. Craven, FCC Commissioner, 1961It will be years — not in my time — before a woman will become Prime Minister.
– Margaret Thatcher, 1974.There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.
– Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
***********************************************************************
II Peter 3:3-4
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
The Evangelical Alliance surveyed 1800 “evangelicals” in the UK.
The survey found that biblical truth is vital to evangelical Christians, with 99 per cent agreeing that a church should faithfully teach the Bible as the true word of God.
If the “Bible is the true Word of God,” these evangelicals would accept this:
I Timothy 2:12
But I suffer (permit) not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
If the Bible is true, that verse must be true. Women aren’t to be teaching or in authority over men in the church. So whence this?
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents agreed women should hold senior positions in the church, with 80% agreeing women should preach or teach.
Which is it? Is the Bible true, or should women have senior positions, preach, and teach? You can’t have it both ways….
99% want a church that faithfully teaches the Bible, but most aren’t getting that teaching, or they would know what it says. “Evangelical” churches have adopted political correctness, watering down any Scriptures which make it uncomfortable to fit in with a godless society. Many evangelicals give lip service to Biblical truth but seem to have no clue how far their thinking has drifted from the Scriptures.
Anyone who really believes it is God’s Word, and is true, should take responsibility to learn what it says. British evangelicals need to start reading and studying God’s Word, and be alert to the pervasive political correctness in “evangelical” churches in the UK.
Why do I say “marital intimacy” when counselling couples, or teaching on God’s gift to husbands and wives? Perhaps I sound old-fashioned. Actually, I AM old-fashioned. 🙂 But that isn’t the reason I prefer “marital intimacy” or “physical intimacy in marriage” rather than the expression commonly used in society today.
Mind Renewers 