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The Marriage Metaphor: The Adulterous Bride

June 26, 2019 by Patti Brown Leave a Comment

All this month on the blog, we’ll be exploring the marriage metaphor found in Scripture. Check out previous posts in this series.

The wedding march plays, the flower petals are thrown, the bride walks up the aisle… most weddings begin with joyful expectation, just as most marriages do. The bride and groom and those who love them are filled with hope for a bright future, for a loving relationship that lasts, for a family.

Rare is the marriage that starts as bleakly as Hosea’s did, with this command from God:

“Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” Hosea 1:2

It is a startling command, and sets the tone for an uncomfortable book, just two verses in. Gomer later bears Hosea’s children, who are named Jezreel, No Mercy, and Not My People. Ouch.

The Adulterous Bride

God wants us to be uncomfortable with the story of Hosea and Gomer! As we have seen, God’s use of the marriage metaphor for His covenant relationship with us has powerful implications… and the possibility of adultery is one of them.

God uses adultery as a metaphor for idolatry, the violation of one of the ten commandments:

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2

As the Bride of Christ, we are called to have eyes only for the Lord.

Looking for Satisfaction Elsewhere

When a married person looks for satisfaction outside of their marriage, they commit adultery. Love doesn’t have to be the motivator – a choice to break the covenant of marriage is adultery, no matter the reason. Often lust is the primary motivator for adulterous behavior.

How often do we turn away from God, lusting after things of the world? When we look for satisfaction apart from God, it is like looking for satisfaction outside of our marriages.

God Knows Our Tendencies

God knew idolatry was coming. He told Moses:

For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. Deuteronomy 31:20

How painful it is to know that our natural tendencies are toward lust, both in earthly relationships, and in our relationship with God!

God’s Love Redeems

But God in His mercy loves us ever so much more than we deserve. In Hosea 3, God commands Hosea to redeem his unfaithful wife:

And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” Hosea 3:1-3

Despite our sin and our constantly wavering gaze, God adores His people.

My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
Hosea 11:9-10

When we are unfaithful to our Holy God, we deserve the ultimate punishment. Instead He says “I will have mercy,” and “You are my people.”

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord… And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” Hosea 2:19-20,23

When God sent His son Jesus Christ for us, He redeemed us. He loves us so deeply, that despite our wandering ways He has made a straight path back to His arms!

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace Ephesians 1:7

Prone to Wander

I will leave you with my favorite verse from the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
– Robert Robinson

Are you prone to wander? Ask God to help you to shift your gaze back to Him when your eyes begin to stray.

Are you prone to wander? God redeems His adulterous people. #TheMarriageMetaphor

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Does the story of Hosea and Gomer make you uncomfortable? It is supposed to! #TheMarriageMetaphor

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Unity in Marriage Points to Jesus

June 20, 2019 by Kelli LaFram Leave a Comment

All this month on the blog, we’ll be exploring the marriage metaphor found in Scripture. Check out previous posts in this series.

Lighting a unity candle is a relatively new tradition in Christian weddings. It symbolizes two individuals joining together in one relationship. The bride and the groom each take their own tapers and together light a third candle, usually a pillar. Once their flames have been united and the pillar is lit, they each extinguish their individual tapers. They are no longer two, but united as one.

Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. ~Genesis 2:24.

The unity a man and wife share in one flesh is a reflection — albeit a dim reflection — of the unity we have with Jesus. According to the Apostle Paul, because the marriage is a metaphor for the relationship between Christ and the Church, wives are to submit to their husband and husbands are to love their wives as they love themselves.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. ~Ephesians 5:22-30

Could you imagine the trust your husband would have in you if you submitted to and trusted him the way the Church is to submit to and trust Jesus? Could you imagine how fearlessly you would live if you knew that your husband loved you and would protect you the way Jesus does for his Bride? I try but I don’t think my mind can fully grasp how freeing this would be for both me and my husband. I can only begin to imagine what we could accomplish together in this life if we fully loved, submitted to, and trust each other the way God intends us to.

Now, remember that a Christian marriage is a picture for Christ and his bride the Church. What do you think He wants to accomplish through His relationship with His bride? What do you think could happen if she fully submitted to Him? What do you think could happen if she fully understood His love for her? When she fully respected His authority? When she knew that she was utterly cherished and completely protected?

I’ll tell you! Amazing things, that’s what! Christ’s Bride would reflect his glory, people would be drawn to the remarkable power of the gospel, and old, dead lives would be made knew.

When we see couples that are truly united, when they have let go of being individuals and are fully committed to being “one flesh” we notice. There is something special about their marriage that is intriguing. We recognize her respect for him and his love for her and we go, “I want that, too!” That is also the purpose of the oneness of Christ and His Bride.

Jesus is sanctifying her and cleansing her with the washing of water with the word. He is making His Bride glorious — without spot, wrinkle, or blemish — so that others notice. Her beauty is a reflection of His love her and is intended to make others say “I want that, too! I want to know that love. I want to be cherished the way you are. I want to know your Jesus. Please tell me the Gospel.”

The Gospel.

That is it.

When it’s all boiled down, our unity in marriage is meant to point others to Jesus and the Gospel — the good news that we sinner, who deserve eternal separation from God, are loved with His great love and can enjoy life in Christ for eternity.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ~Ephesians 2:4-7

Whether or not a Christian couple lights a unity candle together during their wedding they are beginning a beautiful relationship that reflects the stunning love that Jesus has for us. Though husband and wife will make mistakes and continue to sin as they walk this earth together, they can rest in the knowledge that they are cherished by Jesus and he loves them as He loves Himself.

The Marriage Metaphor: God’s Invitation to Spiritual Intimacy

June 19, 2019 by Cheli Sigler Leave a Comment

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:2-3)

These verses of scripture beautifully capture the purpose behind God’s use of the marriage metaphor throughout scripture. He created us to be in relationship with Him where He is the only one who matters, and we reflect His glory. While earthbound, God invites us to experience spiritual intimacy with Him, knowing it is only an inkling of our relationship with Him in Heaven.

Created for Spiritual Intimacy with God

God designed Christian marriage to be a true, exclusive, and protective relationship between a man and a woman. When these characteristics are in place, love and intimacy can grow, God’s plan can be realized. Even better, these attributes are available to us in God without fail. It is in the context of these characteristics that our relationship with God deepens. Because God is true, we can trust every word (Psalm 119:160). God is exclusive; we do not fear being abandoned (Deuteronomy 31:8). God protects me; we are always safe in God’s care (Psalm 91:4). God has established the perfect environment for a close, intimate relationship with Him to grow.

Experience Spiritual Intimacy with God

In order to experience spiritual intimacy with God we increase our proximity to Him, believe, and obey. Distance threatens relationships. God wants us close. Drawing near to God, gets us a front-row-seat to everything He is doing in our lives. The psalmist wrote, “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds” (Psalm 73:28). Of course, we have no relationship with God unless we believe that Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Having believed, the storehouses of God’s spiritual blessings are available to us. There is so much to explore! As we mature in faith, God makes clear the path to greater intimacy with Him is through obedience.

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. (John 14:21)

We obey God in the environment of trust, safety, and love He has created, and the more we obey the more we understand about God, the more we trust Him, the more we love Him.

Spiritual Intimacy is the Work of God in Our Lives

The deepening of our relationship with God is a mystery— so hard to put into words, but as I am trained by obedience, I see more and more the work of God in my life. In a deepening, more intimate relationship with God, I am consumed, yielded and transformed. Some of the most beautiful times in my life are times when I am alone with the Lord. I have often repeated in prayer the words of the psalmist, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you” (Psalm 63:3). Let’s look at more of Psalm 63. Overwhelmed and consumed by God’s love, words of devotion pour from the psalmist…

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:2-8)

As God continues to give me more of Himself, I want to yield more of myself to Him. I want His ways to be my ways. I want His will to become my own. I want these words of the apostle Paul to be my own, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. . .” (Philippians 3:8). In the end, my relationship with God in Christ, leaves me transformed. We can’t be in a relationship with God and not be changed. In an intimate relationship with God, He is shaping us more and more into the likeness of His son, Jesus.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)

Pursue Spiritual Intimacy with God

God is so good to invite us and make a way to be in relationship with Him despite our sin! Right now He is preparing us now for our spiritual future— the day when we see Him face-to-face. The relationship we have with God now, will be eclipsed by everything we will experience in Heaven. Until then, may Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3, be your prayer as well.

I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit – not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength – that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:16-20, MSG)

Do You Live Up to Your Name?

June 13, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 14 Comments

When I dreamed of marrying Jeff, I practiced writing what my new name would look like: Mrs. Lisa Burgess. When a bride takes on her husband’s name, it’s symbolic of a oneness like no other.

What about when the church, the bride of Christ, takes on His name?

Are we wearing His name well?

What’s in a Name?

We were on our way to Paris last Friday. I’d looked up attractions. The Eiffel Tower was listed as a “must-see.”

We pulled up around noon. And there it was. The Eiffel Tower. With the red cowboy hat on top. Just as promised on the Roadside America webpage.

It was what I expected. We were in Texas, after all. Paris, Texas. Of course it had an Eiffel Tower.

Just like someone named Joy is usually full of joy. And someone named Grace is graceful. Faith is faithful.

And Christians? Aren’t we to be full of Christ?

The Name Christian

Don’t take a poll. You’ll be disappointed. Our ratings as Christians are poor. For too long we’ve been a bad taste in the mouth of the world. Many may like our Christ, but not everybody likes His followers.

Are we not living up to our name?

Disciples of Jesus didn’t start out with the name “Christians.” It took awhile. And when they finally were called Christians, was it making fun? Was it a compliment? Was it just a neutral label?

We still don’t know the original intent. It happened in the city of Antioch, the first Gentile church. The grace of God was visible there (Acts 11:22-23). And Luke drops the fact with no explanation: “And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).

Only two more times in the New Testament do we see the word Christian:

(1) Acts 26:28 when King Agrippa asks Paul, “You think you can make me a Christian” and
(2) 1 Peter 4:16 when Peter says if anybody suffers as a Christian, don’t be ashamed; glorify God in the name.

Christian means “of Christ” or “belonging to Christ.”

But what does it really mean?

Union of Grace

Who can live up to the name of Christ? We know we can’t be perfect like Him.

We’re still learners. That’s what being a disciple means. We don’t have to be defensive when we get things wrong (and we WILL get things wrong). We can agree with others that we need help. Our actions often illustrate our humanity, even though our souls have been sanctified and saved.

But we can show others that when we fall, we get back up because Christ has our back. We’re one. We don’t have to be hard on ourselves because God gives us grace.

Grace makes a beautiful union.

The grace we receive can then be passed on to others when they too fall down. Never withhold grace from those who need it the most. (And those who need it the most may claim they need it the least.)

Wear the Name Proudly

Even though Christians don’t live up to the reputation of our bridegroom, we can still wear the name proudly and point others to Christ.

Love is how others know who we follow (John 13:35). Love will draw others to Him. Not our doctrinal positions. Not our cultural stands. Not our holier-than-thou attitudes.

Don’t let His name go to waste. Be generous with it. Give away all the grace you can. It multiples when you share it.

I took this photo of Jeff in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas. We enjoyed it because we knew this tower wasn’t supposed to be exactly like the real one in Paris.

There is only one original.

But seeing the replica increased my desire to see the original.

When others see Christians, may it increase their desire to see Christ.

Does the church give Christ a bad reputation? #TheMarriageMetaphor

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Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Jealousy and the Marriage Metaphor

June 11, 2019 by Jaime Hilton Leave a Comment

Jealousy is not a trait I like to be associated with. It’s not something I want to foster in my children and certainly not something I want to define my relationship with my husband. Jealousy is heavy. Sickening. The green-eyed monster is an apt description. It is powerful and all consuming.

A tranquil heart is life to the body but jealousy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:30

It is resentment, envy, characterized by fear or suspicion. It is the feeling of covetousness and lust. So why does God calls Himself a jealous God?

(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
Exodus 34:14

In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul writes passionately to the church saying,

“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband — to present a pure virgin to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 11:2

What is godly jealousy? Can such a thing even exist?

The short answer is, yes. Jealousy is a character trait of the God who made us in His image, powerful, overwhelming emotion has an important purpose in deepening our relationship with Him.

Jealousy in the Proper Context is not a Sin

When it comes from a place of wanting what is not rightfully ours, jealousy is a sin. Galatians 5:20 calls it a work of the flesh, opposed to the fruit of the Sprit (verses 22 – 23). But in Paul’s example to the Corinthians, he indicates that it is right, even godly, in the context of a marital relationship. A husband and wife belong to one another in a way that is unique from every other relationship. Faithfulness and exclusivity is expected so when the attention reserved for a spouse is given to someone else jealousy is justified.

God’s jealousy for our affection is pure and right because He is the only One worthy of our worship. (Revelations 4:11) We are His bride. We belong to Him. His jealousy is an indication of the depth of His feelings for us.

Jealousy reveals where our affection lies

In fact, the hot fire of jealousy burns away everything except what is truly important to us. There is a common theme in storytelling where the character will purposely do something to rouse the other’s jealousy to test the depth of their feelings (that would not be an example of godly jealousy, though it is something I’m sure we can all relate to!).

God’s jealousy is an expression of His passionate and righteous longing to be in relationship with us. It’s mind boggling when you think of it like that. God’s desire is for us. His feeling for us is deep, driving Him to act on our behalf.

How do we respond to this passionate love?

The Bible is pretty clear about what we do to rouse God’s jealousy (Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 5:9, Deuteronomy 32:21) But, once we understand that His jealousy is perfect and justified, what can we do to assuage it?

If we consider our relationship with God to be like a marriage (which you can read about here), then we must recognize we have some responsibility in developing and protecting that relationship. When a man and a woman become husband and wife they each agree to invest significantly in loving, cherishing, honoring, “forsaking all others” (according to traditional wedding vows). It is a covenant relationship, with each party contributing in some way. I like how Got Questions explains our role in the new covenant relationship established by Jesus,

Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).
GotQuestions.org

God wants our hearts. He deserves our worship. He is rightly jealous for our attention. What else can we do but give it to Him?

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Psalm 29:2

How Christ Loves His Bride

June 6, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

How does Christ, as the Bridegroom love us, His bride? And what can we learn from that? In today’s post in our Marriage Metaphor series, we’ll be looking to Scripture for answers.

A Waiting Bride

The New Testament refers to Believers as the Bride of Christ. There is much to learn about Christ from this metaphor, and much to learn about ourselves!

It’s interesting to note that the current church age is in a stage of waiting. Like an engaged couple prior to their ceremony, the official “marriage supper of the Lamb (See Revelation 19:6-9 and this article) has not taken place yet. So, we “betrothed” (those who have a saving faith in Jesus) wait eagerly, as a bride waits for her groom!

I love this description from GotQuestions.org regarding the waiting period:

Just as there was a betrothal period in biblical times during which the bride and groom were separated until the wedding, so is the bride of Christ separate from her Bridegroom during the church age. Her responsibility during the betrothal period is to be faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:24).
GotQuestions.org

What the Bible Says

Here are a few passages that give us a better picture of the metaphor of the Church* being Christ’s bride.

*Note: in this post, the “Church” refers to the universal body of Christians.

John the Baptist is the first person in the New Testament that refers to this “marriage” when he says of Jesus,

“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.”
(John 3:29)

Paul expounds on the relationship of Jesus to the Church while instructing the early Believers in Ephesians 5:22-32, explaining that earthly marriage is the copy of Christ’s relationship with His people.

22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of his body. 31“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
(Ephesians 5:22-32)

Jesus refers to Himself as the Bridegroom in this metaphor in Matthew 9:15:

15And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:15)

John, while exiled to the island of Patmos saw the marriage supper of the Lamb and described it as follows:

6Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our Godthe Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 19:6-9a)

What can we learn from all of these passages?

How the Bridegroom Sees His Bride

When Christ looks at us, He sees a spotless virgin, made blameless and holy, though we are sinners. How can this be? Only because His very own blood purifies us.

Our Savior is fully devoted to us! He is both our servant (serving us with what is best for our souls, see Mark 10:45) and our faithful leader. Jesus loves us passionately, sacrificially, selflessly, purely, permanently, eternally, protectively, intimately (He knows our hearts better than we do!), completely, honorably, perfectly, and in a way that strengthens and empowers us.

Wow!

So What Does That Really Mean?

Because of how He loves us, we can trust and serve Him. We learn that submission to Him is not only good for us, but it is best.

We can trust in His comfort and guidance, knowing He will never leave us, hurt us, nor lead us astray. Our hearts can be open completely (because He knows them anyway!) and He will gently and powerfully care for every need and every concern we have!

In this beautiful bride-bridegroom relationship, we get to be His partner and helpmeet, being useful to Him as we do His will. We get the honor and privilege of being His hands and feet (His body) and sharing the Gospel in a dark and hurting world.

How We Can Model the Picture of Perfect Love?

Earthly marriage is only a copy of the original picture in which Christ unites Himself eternally to the church. Jesus gave His life to ransom us and is wholly dedicated and purely devoted to His people.

How can we model that?

Read back through that list of descriptors of how Jesus loves us. It’s pretty amazing, but a pretty lofty goal for us mere creatures.

The good news is that we have the Holy Spirit who will help us to do better than we ever thought possible!

And if we don’t make the conscious effort to follow Jesus’ command to “love one another as I have loved you,” then we’ll never even come close!

Remember, Christian mean “little Christ.” As we go about our days, let’s aim to be like Him and love others as He loves us, His beautiful bride!

Blessings!
Ali

To read more about being the Bride of Christ, click here.
To read more about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, click here.

How does Christ, as the Bridegroom love us, His bride? And what can we learn from that? Read more at DoNotDepart.com #TheMarriageMetaphor

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Earthly marriage is only a copy of the original picture in which Christ unites Himself eternally to the church. Christ Loves His Bride! How can we model that? #TheMarriageMetaphor

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The Marriage Metaphor of Scripture

June 4, 2019 by Ali Shaw 1 Comment

All this month on the blog, we’ll be exploring the marriage metaphor found in Scripture.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding ceremony of two young Believers. It was a joy to celebrate such a happy occasion! And one of the best parts? The sweet ceremony, beautiful decor, and wonderful music couldn’t even come close in comparison to the looks of love, hope, and joy on the bride and groom’s faces.

Thinking about how they declared their love and promises to one another, reminds me that we are the Bride of Christ. A faithful bridegroom, Jesus cares for this world with a sacrificial, undying love.

We find marriage metaphors throughout Scripture. Yes, we Christians are called the “Bride of Christ,” but that isn’t the first time this general type of metaphor is used in the Bible. Wording in the Old Testament describes Israel’s relationship with God through a marriage metaphor. When they disobeyed Him and committed idolatry, God said that they had in fact committed “adultery.”

Looking at these marriage metaphors in God’s Word will help us in a few ways:

We will gain a better understanding of how God sees us.
We’ll better understand our relationship with Him and what a proper response to that relationship is.
We will inadvertently learn more about what earthly marriage is, since it is a picture of the divine “marriage” of Christ to the church.

As John Piper says here :

“The divine reality hidden in the metaphor of marriage is that God ordained a permanent union between His Son and the church. Human marriage is the earthly image of this divine plan.”
John Piper

We hope you’ll join us for the month of June as we look intently at the Marriage Metaphor of Scripture.

Blessings!
Ali

The Fruit of the Spirit – Wrap Up

May 31, 2019 by Patti Brown 1 Comment

As followers of Jesus Christ, we can expect to be changed. Jesus works on us from the inside out, and that transformation can be seen in the fruit our lives bear.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

We have spent this month taking a deeper look at the Fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5. Here are all of the posts:

Love – In Ali’s post on love, she wrote, “If I follow only my feelings, those same feelings that lead me to loving well can lead me into not loving at all. Instead of following only feelings, I need to choose to follow God.”

Joy – I shared that “Happiness is not a fruit of the Spirit. So how is joy different from happiness? Joy does not depend on the circumstances around us.”

Peace – In her post about four ways to find peace, Lisa wrote, “Whether or not you are feeling at peace today, thank God anyway that peace has been planted deep inside you.”

Patience – Jaime shared, “Exercising patience, accepting trouble without getting angry, can only be done when we let go of control.”

Kindness – In her post on kindness, Jaime wrote, “The kindness developed through our time with the Spirit has the power to ease pain, heal wounds, bridge gaps, and restore relationships.”

Goodness – Cheli wrote, “God wants His goodness to be born in us, so others might see and experience Him.”

Faithfulness – Cheli explained that “Faithfulness, as a Fruit of the Spirit, is found in someone who steadfastly holds to the truth about God and acts on it, always pointing others to the same truth.”

Gentleness – Ali gave us a definition of Biblical gentleness. “Gentleness: mildness with strength. A powerful humility that has a divine origin and can only operate through faith. It starts and finishes by God’s direction and empowerment”

Self-Control – Cheli reminded us that “In a world that sees self-control as shackles, God’s purpose for self-control is life-giving freedom.“

As we cling to Jesus Christ, our heavenly gardener, He will bring this fruit to maturity in our lives!

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The Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control

May 30, 2019 by Cheli Sigler Leave a Comment

Selfies, self-help, and self-consciousness are all the rage today. Pervasive is the phrase, “What’s in it for me?” Contrary to our culture’s obsession with the gratification of self, is another “self” word. Self-control. In a world that sees self-control as shackles, God’s purpose for self-control is life-giving freedom.

All this month at Do Not Depart we’ve been focused on the Fruit of the Spirit, and now we’ve come to the last one.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Definition

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines “self-control” (temperance, moderation, self-restraint are synonyms) as “the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially sensual appetites.” This definition makes me think of “will power” and “self-denial,” and I know that left to control myself, I fail miserably. We can’t keep our desires and passions in check on our own. That’s why God gave us Jesus, and why it takes the Holy Spirit working in our lives to create self-control.

Self-Control Comes by the Holy Spirit

Having been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, who alone conquered sin and death; we have the Holy Spirit living in us to form us in the likeness of Christ. God doesn’t ask us to try to be like Jesus in our own power or striving, He gives us the Holy Spirit, the Helper.

. . .that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. . . . (Ephesians 3:16)

The Holy Spirit is our power source. He alone equips us with what we need to exercise self-control. The benefits, or fruit, of Spirit-directed self-control are many. Let’s look at a few.

Self-Control Defends and Protects

Equipped by the Holy Spirit, self-control defends and protects us. Proverbs says a person without self-control is “. . .like a city broken into without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Our lives can be wrecked by poor judgment and choices. Our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health are at risk of being compromised when we yield to our own desires instead of God’s. Self-control creates a fortress against the bombarding messages of self-gratification. Temperance in opinions, speech and habits keeps us from over-stepping boundaries meant to protect others and foster healthy relationships.

Self-Control Leads to Life

A life of self-control in accordance with the Holy Spirit yields life-giving freedom. Before our new lives in Christ, we were “slaves to sin” (Romans 6:20), but now under the Spirit’s direction we are free to experience life as God intends:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22, NIV)

Free from sin and death and free to experience all the riches of God’s grace and glory, this is real life:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:1-4, NLT)

The world sees self-control as inhibiting freedom, but in Christ it leads to true freedom and abundant life. Known for their self-control, the apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Christians:

One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3, MSG)

As Christians, we need to embrace self-control with joy, because although difficult, it brings life. When people see the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in us, when they see us living our “real lives” to the fullest, they will see Jesus.

Fruit for Thought

As you go through your day, ask God to increase your self-control. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, listening and watching for opportunities to yield to the Spirit’s will. Be willing to live under the Holy Spirit’s direction with joy, so that others will be see it and be drawn to Jesus.

Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

May 29, 2019 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

In today’s post, we’re looking at this characteristic of the Spirit’s fruit: gentleness. Do you know what gentleness really is?

Gentleness – A Word Study

Recently, God has shown me bold strength in the quality of gentleness. At first glance, the two almost seem inconsistent, don’t they?

Once upon a time, I thought that gentleness was simply defined as a soft touch or ation. God has shown me that spiritual gentleness isn’t this, but is something unique.

Looking back through my life, I’ve realized that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing several people that I’d classify as powerfully gentle. I’ve admired them greatly and the Lord has used them in my life to show me a better picture of what gentleness, as a fruit of the Spirit, truly is.

The Greek word for “gentleness” used in Galatians 5:23 is prautés (Srong’s #4240) which comes from praus, which means “mildness” and implies humility and meekness. Interestingly, the word emphasizes the divine origin of that meekness.

The definition uses the word meekness. Do you have a good understanding of meekness? I looked it up to make sure I did. Meekness isn’t a cowed, weak, passive, nor timid quality. Instead, Biblical meekness is a “gentle strength” or “power with reserve and gentleness.”

“It begins with the Lord’s inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It’s a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith.”
(HELPS Word studies)

Do you see how the the words “meekness” and “gentleness” are used in defining one another? Gentleness implies meekness and meekness is power with gentleness. The word “humility” is important in these definitions. They certainly all go together, don’t they? So, how can we get a good understanding of Biblical gentleness? Maybe a definition like this:

Gentleness: mildness with strength. A powerful humility that has a divine origin and can only operate through faith. It starts and finishes by God’s direction and empowerment.

The Spiritual Fruit of Gentleness. What it is, what it isn’t, and how to foster its growth. A word study and more. #FruitOfTheSpirit

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The Quality Demonstrated

With a better understanding of what Biblical gentleness is, I could see this quality demonstrated in godly friends whom the Lord put in my path. They have been meek and humble, yet rooted powerfully in truth, and willing to boldly share that truth with others in a loving (rather than proud or self-righteous) way.

Their gentle, but powerful “touch” has been used to create beauty in my life and in a messy world.

What Gentleness Is Not

Spiritual gentleness isn’t timid, fearful, soft without strength, a tendency to “cave in,” nor an unwillingness to stand up for what’s right. It isn’t shying away from declaring or sharing truth. It’s also not selfish nor self-serving!

Where Does it Come From?

True to what’s denoted in its original meaning, spiritual gentleness is of divine origin. We can’t make it nor force it. The Holy Spirit (given to Believers at the time of salvation) grows it in Believers.

How Can I Foster its Growth?

Yes, God gives the fruit of the spirit, but we can agree with Him and work in partnership with Him. Fruit grows in soft soil and matures as we mature spiritually. When we stay close to God and obey Him, keeping the soil of our hearts fertile, fruit has an opportunity to grow.

Like Patti wrote in the introduction to this series:

The remarkable blessing of belonging to [Jesus] is that the closer we stick to Him, the more deeply we abide in Him, the more He makes these things true of us.
Patti Brown

And as I wrote here about the fruit of love,

As a Vine-abider (see John 15:1-17), I want to allow Him to work sanctification in me. I want to stay firmly attached to Him and bear fruit for His glory!

When we stay close to God and obey Him, keeping the soil of our hearts fertile, fruit has an opportunity to grow. #FruitOfTheSpirit

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How Can I Practice Gentleness?

Our relationship with God and time spent with Him in prayer and obedience equips us to practice gentleness. We practice this quality best in our relationships with others.

Whether we’re guiding children into truth, standing up for our beliefs in a lost world, or catching ourselves before hurtful words fly out, we fare well when we season our words and actions with gentleness. Opportunities abound! We just need to pray for spiritual readiness and to be obedient to the Spirit’s direction and empowered by Him when situations for practice arise.

When we miss an opportunity, we should repent and pray for softened hearts that will do better next time.

A good understanding of the meaning of the word really enlightened me! Does it differ with what you thought gentleness was? How?

Share your thoughts with us right here in the comments or in our Facebook community.

Blessings!

Ali