Stan Anderson
03-22-2006, 05:33 PM
[center][color=black][color=black]God’s Family[/color][/color][/center]
Genesis 1:27-28
“So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." NLT.
Verse 28 is guide clear, if you are unmarried how can you follow this command.
Genesis 2:23-24
"At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." 24This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” NLT
Genesis 2:23-24
“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” KJV
To be whole and complete, a man and women must unit to be one. The unmarried are not complete, a part of them lies with the help-mate God has supplied and created for every human on this earth. For many of the unmarried, this is certainly not what they want to hear, but it is certainly true. There is no difference between the everyday lives of the unmarried and married except that one has the gift of God, a help-mate. The unmarried are alone; in the bedroom chamber and in having an accountability partner that far exceeds that of any other human interaction. I can give you documented study after study that paint one undelegable fact; individual attainment, personal satisfaction, and general health is increased in the marital institution. We sin when we do not actively try to do God’s will; in this case finding our help-mate.
God’s goal for us, is to make us perfect as unto His image and complete, so there is a help-mate for each and every one of us. God calls us to go out and proclaim the good news for we are His hands and feet; for the unmarried that means to go forth as a child of God and state that I am looking for my help-mate. An old friend once said, “If the only person knocking at your door is the ups driver then it may be time to start knocking on doors!” I have yet to meet anyone who was not actively looking for a mate, in one form or another that had a spouse drop out of heaven. Until we get to heaven, no one will be perfect, so your helpmate may only show a smile. a hug, and a prayer, if that.
My heart sorrows when I see articulate and intelligent Christians who have not afforded themselves of the social institution of marriage which God has blessed. With the exception of the widowed, there is not one instance where God has said, “Blessed are the unmarried.” Doing God’s work also means continuing His Kingdom through your prodigy, be they natural or adopted. Bear in mind, Sara’s age when she was given a child to raise. Isaac was special, a keeper of the generations to Jesus, so may your prodigy. If you are unmarried you have been directed by God to find your help-mate to be fruitful. If you have not been successful then you need to improve those skills needed to marry. There is no fault or sin in desiring to be one with those of the opposite gender. From the season of being in labor to falling and not being able to get up, a helpmate makes life so much easier. There is no better help-mate then one that is on-site. A Godly man and a Godly woman can do more than twice the work that God has directed them to do. We are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth, four feet can go much further then two; should you bury your gifts in unmarriedness or invest them to prosper and multiply their value for the kingdom through the marital institution?
While not the best example of a nuclear family; The Angels grabbed by the hand the family of Lot and delivered them from Sodom. Even though Lot was the only one considered to be Godly in his family, God choose to bring his entire family from perdition. God knew that Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt to be disposed of and his daughter’s were incestuous, yet God choose to save the family institution. I believe God calls us to continue to save the family institution, for we are to be Godly in all we do. The perpetuation of the marital institution begins in our personal lives, so that we may be Godly examples to those that are unmarried, particularly the youth. With libido’s raging and perceptions clouded, the youth would naturally assume that the unmarried in there lives are having some secret lesion to meet normal biological and social needs that intimate interactions can only satisfy. This was an example to Abraham’s tribe of how important the family institution is. You will recall the time when God delivered the Godly wives back to Abraham, in a tactical situation unattainable through the acts of men alone.
Throughout scripture God directs His people to marry Godly people. God directs us not to marry the ungodly, and what is clear, marriage was not an option, only those you are to marry. How can we truly love God with all our hearts when we refuse to use the basic social institution of His Kingdom, the family institution.
We can never know when God through His Son Jesus Christ will make His final return with shouts of victory. Paul first believed God would return in seven short years and two thousand years later we believe that we should forsake this minute for what may happen in the next. Being married is always better then being unmarried. For in the institution of marriage is found the greatest example of love we can find on this earth. While the love of spouses will never approach that of God for us all, it opens our leaking cups to be filled to overflowing with His unending love that we may profess His love to all, including our help-mate.
1 Cor. 7:29-31
"But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; 30And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; 31And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."
Paul in these verses gives a stern warning that the practices of the secular world are not to be followed and will not be part of God’s final kingdom. At this time in Corinth it was common practice to have sex with many partners. It was considered the norm of the day to stop by the local brothel after work, not unlike how we stop at the grocery store today. But, even in this society, taking a virgin out of marriage was punishable by death. Therein if you were unmarried you were either a virgin or served the brothel.
Paul goes on to say in v.32-33 that once you have tasted the fruits of passion, it is a whole lot easier to fall into the sin of multiple partners. In v. 34, Paul goes on to remind the married that “dinner’ is to be served at home not in the brothel. Paul is speaking about how the Godly institution of marriage should be; one man and one women. In v.35 Paul concludes by again pointing out that those things of the secular, those things comely, are a snare and should not be allowed to be a distraction.
Bear in mind that when Paul wrote there were no chapters or verses and Paul begins his line of reasoning in chapter 6, Verse 15 and concludes in chapter 7, verse 40. His dissertation is that Harlots are not part of the body of Christ. Certainly here Paul is referring to the sexual immorality brought on by the Temple prostitutes, but he is also talking about religious unfaithfulness. Might it be that as an form of sexual sin, Paul also is alluding to the lack of marital cohabitation and juxtaposition of the family social unit of the unmarried as well. What is true is that Paul is referring to the armor of God, the Jambres, which is that of the leg, which is to under gird, to brace by means of, to follow His example of life obedient to the will of God. As it would appear that some of the church were found to be at the temple even during the Sabbath. A Harlot is also a depiction of those that dissociate or separate themselves from the common practices of the His Word and His Church. A Harlot is finally one who is martially unfaithful and as such all are called to abide by the bonds of marital unity.
For those that do not actively seek the marital bond, Paul gives wise counsel in
1 Cor.10:23, “All things (in Christ) are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify (the kingdom of God) not.” Always bear in mind that Sister White, married rather late in life and it was not until after marriage that she came to and wrote the majority of her revelations of scripture. The many currently unmarried certainly do a wonder in God’s work, as do the youth and the widowed. But, those works are manifest through the marital bond all the more, for we are made whole through the marital bond.
We all fear the unknown. But, we know that God will be there. Participation is the key to success, a tree full of fruit is worthless if fruit is not harvested. Ask a friend over for Sabbath supper, set some comfortable boundaries, and learn the skills needed for interpersonal relationships that guide friendship to a Godly relationship and “marital bliss.”
Genesis 1:27-28
“So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." NLT.
Verse 28 is guide clear, if you are unmarried how can you follow this command.
Genesis 2:23-24
"At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." 24This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” NLT
Genesis 2:23-24
“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” KJV
To be whole and complete, a man and women must unit to be one. The unmarried are not complete, a part of them lies with the help-mate God has supplied and created for every human on this earth. For many of the unmarried, this is certainly not what they want to hear, but it is certainly true. There is no difference between the everyday lives of the unmarried and married except that one has the gift of God, a help-mate. The unmarried are alone; in the bedroom chamber and in having an accountability partner that far exceeds that of any other human interaction. I can give you documented study after study that paint one undelegable fact; individual attainment, personal satisfaction, and general health is increased in the marital institution. We sin when we do not actively try to do God’s will; in this case finding our help-mate.
God’s goal for us, is to make us perfect as unto His image and complete, so there is a help-mate for each and every one of us. God calls us to go out and proclaim the good news for we are His hands and feet; for the unmarried that means to go forth as a child of God and state that I am looking for my help-mate. An old friend once said, “If the only person knocking at your door is the ups driver then it may be time to start knocking on doors!” I have yet to meet anyone who was not actively looking for a mate, in one form or another that had a spouse drop out of heaven. Until we get to heaven, no one will be perfect, so your helpmate may only show a smile. a hug, and a prayer, if that.
My heart sorrows when I see articulate and intelligent Christians who have not afforded themselves of the social institution of marriage which God has blessed. With the exception of the widowed, there is not one instance where God has said, “Blessed are the unmarried.” Doing God’s work also means continuing His Kingdom through your prodigy, be they natural or adopted. Bear in mind, Sara’s age when she was given a child to raise. Isaac was special, a keeper of the generations to Jesus, so may your prodigy. If you are unmarried you have been directed by God to find your help-mate to be fruitful. If you have not been successful then you need to improve those skills needed to marry. There is no fault or sin in desiring to be one with those of the opposite gender. From the season of being in labor to falling and not being able to get up, a helpmate makes life so much easier. There is no better help-mate then one that is on-site. A Godly man and a Godly woman can do more than twice the work that God has directed them to do. We are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth, four feet can go much further then two; should you bury your gifts in unmarriedness or invest them to prosper and multiply their value for the kingdom through the marital institution?
While not the best example of a nuclear family; The Angels grabbed by the hand the family of Lot and delivered them from Sodom. Even though Lot was the only one considered to be Godly in his family, God choose to bring his entire family from perdition. God knew that Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt to be disposed of and his daughter’s were incestuous, yet God choose to save the family institution. I believe God calls us to continue to save the family institution, for we are to be Godly in all we do. The perpetuation of the marital institution begins in our personal lives, so that we may be Godly examples to those that are unmarried, particularly the youth. With libido’s raging and perceptions clouded, the youth would naturally assume that the unmarried in there lives are having some secret lesion to meet normal biological and social needs that intimate interactions can only satisfy. This was an example to Abraham’s tribe of how important the family institution is. You will recall the time when God delivered the Godly wives back to Abraham, in a tactical situation unattainable through the acts of men alone.
Throughout scripture God directs His people to marry Godly people. God directs us not to marry the ungodly, and what is clear, marriage was not an option, only those you are to marry. How can we truly love God with all our hearts when we refuse to use the basic social institution of His Kingdom, the family institution.
We can never know when God through His Son Jesus Christ will make His final return with shouts of victory. Paul first believed God would return in seven short years and two thousand years later we believe that we should forsake this minute for what may happen in the next. Being married is always better then being unmarried. For in the institution of marriage is found the greatest example of love we can find on this earth. While the love of spouses will never approach that of God for us all, it opens our leaking cups to be filled to overflowing with His unending love that we may profess His love to all, including our help-mate.
1 Cor. 7:29-31
"But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; 30And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; 31And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."
Paul in these verses gives a stern warning that the practices of the secular world are not to be followed and will not be part of God’s final kingdom. At this time in Corinth it was common practice to have sex with many partners. It was considered the norm of the day to stop by the local brothel after work, not unlike how we stop at the grocery store today. But, even in this society, taking a virgin out of marriage was punishable by death. Therein if you were unmarried you were either a virgin or served the brothel.
Paul goes on to say in v.32-33 that once you have tasted the fruits of passion, it is a whole lot easier to fall into the sin of multiple partners. In v. 34, Paul goes on to remind the married that “dinner’ is to be served at home not in the brothel. Paul is speaking about how the Godly institution of marriage should be; one man and one women. In v.35 Paul concludes by again pointing out that those things of the secular, those things comely, are a snare and should not be allowed to be a distraction.
Bear in mind that when Paul wrote there were no chapters or verses and Paul begins his line of reasoning in chapter 6, Verse 15 and concludes in chapter 7, verse 40. His dissertation is that Harlots are not part of the body of Christ. Certainly here Paul is referring to the sexual immorality brought on by the Temple prostitutes, but he is also talking about religious unfaithfulness. Might it be that as an form of sexual sin, Paul also is alluding to the lack of marital cohabitation and juxtaposition of the family social unit of the unmarried as well. What is true is that Paul is referring to the armor of God, the Jambres, which is that of the leg, which is to under gird, to brace by means of, to follow His example of life obedient to the will of God. As it would appear that some of the church were found to be at the temple even during the Sabbath. A Harlot is also a depiction of those that dissociate or separate themselves from the common practices of the His Word and His Church. A Harlot is finally one who is martially unfaithful and as such all are called to abide by the bonds of marital unity.
For those that do not actively seek the marital bond, Paul gives wise counsel in
1 Cor.10:23, “All things (in Christ) are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify (the kingdom of God) not.” Always bear in mind that Sister White, married rather late in life and it was not until after marriage that she came to and wrote the majority of her revelations of scripture. The many currently unmarried certainly do a wonder in God’s work, as do the youth and the widowed. But, those works are manifest through the marital bond all the more, for we are made whole through the marital bond.
We all fear the unknown. But, we know that God will be there. Participation is the key to success, a tree full of fruit is worthless if fruit is not harvested. Ask a friend over for Sabbath supper, set some comfortable boundaries, and learn the skills needed for interpersonal relationships that guide friendship to a Godly relationship and “marital bliss.”