1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
When we are tempted, we don't have to give in - God makes a way of escape; He gives us the power to overcome. When we are tried, we don't have to give up - God provides the resources we need and will lift us up in those difficult seasons of our lives. In every area, God offers an antidote to the worldly way of thinking - He provides strength and direction as we seek His face. We can hold fast to Him and trust in our faithful God.
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God desires that we develop a Christ-centered attitude toward every area of our lives, and we have to guard against the attitudes of this world to creep into our consciousness and impact how we think toward our spouses. 1 John 2 says:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
In light of challenges to the Biblical viewpoint of marriage, I have offered some commentary about the sanctity of the marriage relationship - defined in Scripture as one man and one woman in a one-flesh relationship. There is something sacred and powerful when two people, joined together in their love for God and for each other, come together to pledge their lives to one another.
And, I recognize there are those in our listening audience who have gone through the breakup of a marriage, who have experienced the pain of divorce. There is hope and healing available in the Lord for those who have been through that set of circumstances.
It's important that we recognize the sanctity of the marriage relationship and the powerful tools that God has given to us to enable married couples to stay together.
But, there is certainly a lack of stigmatization of divorce in our culture, according to a relatively new phone survey from LifeWay Research, which found that 39 percent say divorce is a sin when an individual’s spouse commits adultery; 38 percent when the couple no longer loves one another; 38 percent when a spouse abandons the other; 37 percent when a spouse is abused; and 35 percent when a spouse is addicted to pornography. Close to the same - 37 percent - say divorce is not a sin in any of these. This study included 1,000 Americans.
LifeWay Resarch Vice-President Scott McConnell said, “About one in seven Americans are saying divorce is a sin in all of these cases, more than a third don’t think any of these would be a sin, and almost half believe some circumstances would be sinful, but not others."
There was a separate phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors, in which less than a third want to classify as sinful an individual divorcing their spouse for adultery, abuse, or abandonment. About 4-in-10 pastors are more likely to call divorce a sin when a couple divorces over a pornography addiction or and because the spouses no longer love another, at 61 percent.
In their views on divorce, Protestant church members are much more closely aligned with the average American than with their pastor. 44 percent of Protestants believes a divorce is sinful when it is over adultery, and 46 percent believe it is a sin when it is due to an end to their feelings of love.
McConnell is quoted by Religion News Service, as saying: “Hopefully, they are basing their view of what is sin by what the Bible says,” adding, “Clearly in Scripture, God indicates that he doesn’t like divorce. But Jesus did have things to say about this.”
I think this can provide some insight into the acceptability of divorce in our culture. And, I want to concentrate on the responses concerning a married couple no longer loving one another. Almost 4-in-10 Americans believe that it would not be a sin to divorce one's spouse in those cases. Greater than 4-in-10 Protestants and more than 60% of Protestant pastors would say that it is sinful to divorce when a couple is no longer "in love."
This indicates how important it is for Christian couples especially to fight for our marriages. This can be done in a number of ways. I think it's so important to make staying together the default for our marriage relationships. Yes, there are Biblical grounds for divorce, but while those may give permission to divorce, they don't have to be the final outcome. But, that "stay together" mindset is so important from the very beginning.
Realizing that our marriages represent the relationship between Christ and the church, you have to admit that there is a permanent aspect built into these sacred unions. So, one key to keeping things together is to submit our marriage relationships under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We also have to maintain a humble submission to one another and an ability to communicate effectively. Conflict resolution skills can be developed and implemented.
And, we recognize that prayer is a key component. Instead of fighting with our spouse, we can fight for them using the powerful resources that God has given to us. We can also take moments to pray with our spouses, especially in those difficult times. As I have mentioned, we are called into a love relationship with each other and with God, and we can depend on Him to work in our lives to build strong bonds between our mates and ourselves. Upholding God's standards in our homes is so important in our efforts to please Him.
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