The more I look at marriage and family life (as it should
be), the more convinced I become that it is meant to be a miniature model
of the Church and the Kingdom of Heaven.
Of course, many family relationships are not like that and, because of their
extreme brokenness, are more of a reflection of the kingdom of darkness. But in a marriage where both partners are committed
to and faithful to each other, we can find much enlightenment on what life in
the Kingdom is intended to be like, and visa versa. What
I’ve culled together below are some examples that I hope will illustrate the
point.
For a marriage to work well each partner must be willing to compromise and give up selfish habits, pursuits and activities that create conflict or displease the other. Instead, an attitude of seeking what will benefit and please the other should prevail. In our relationship to Christ it means putting Him first, denying ourselves and seeking His will for our lives.
The Apostle Paul said is succinctly in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” In both relationships the yielding of self interest to the benefit of the other flows out of a heart of love and not legalistically out of a sense of duty.
Another likeness between marriage and our relationships in the Church, which is also called “The Body of Christ,” is the principle of unity in diversity. Most often husband and wife have significant differences, especially in personality types and ways of relating to people and things. We all know that “opposites attract”. This is so by design, I believe. It comes naturally because we tend to admire those who have strengths and abilities where we are lacking. Together, a couple therefore makes a more complete whole. Paul uses the metaphor of the human body extensively to explain how each person in the Body of Christ has a different purpose and that no one part is more important than another just because it is more visible.
To put it another way, our differences should never be the cause of anyone’s feeling either superior to or inferior to another. Instead, all parts are necessary for the proper functioning of the whole body. It is through the diversity of all the parts that the whole gains its strength and ability to accomplish great and complex things. Therefore, whether in the Church or in marriage, differences should not be a basis for contention, competition or conflict. Rather, we are to accept, no, appreciate and embrace our differences and seek to turn them into constructive assets. Paradoxically, it's our differences that unify us as one body.
If a marriage is blessed with children, another dimension of comparison with the Kingdom opens up. Just as God’s original command to “be fruitful and multiply” has not been rescinded, so Christ’s Great Commission to the Church to reproduce itself in all nations remains His unfinished mandate to us. All believers in Christ are to be engaged in fulfilling His command to make disciples.
With the entrance of children into the Christian family comes not just the opportunity to prepare them for life on the earth but also the privilege of introducing them to Jesus and teaching them to become His disciples. Thus, we see once again the family unit as a small scale example of how the Church is to work and as an environment where both relationships, family and Church, actually converge in one place.
Undoubtedly, with some thought you will discover other examples of how the Church and the family are similar and inter-related, but these few are offered with the hope of stimulating your interest in looking for others as you read and study the Word.
For a marriage to work well each partner must be willing to compromise and give up selfish habits, pursuits and activities that create conflict or displease the other. Instead, an attitude of seeking what will benefit and please the other should prevail. In our relationship to Christ it means putting Him first, denying ourselves and seeking His will for our lives.
The Apostle Paul said is succinctly in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” In both relationships the yielding of self interest to the benefit of the other flows out of a heart of love and not legalistically out of a sense of duty.
Another likeness between marriage and our relationships in the Church, which is also called “The Body of Christ,” is the principle of unity in diversity. Most often husband and wife have significant differences, especially in personality types and ways of relating to people and things. We all know that “opposites attract”. This is so by design, I believe. It comes naturally because we tend to admire those who have strengths and abilities where we are lacking. Together, a couple therefore makes a more complete whole. Paul uses the metaphor of the human body extensively to explain how each person in the Body of Christ has a different purpose and that no one part is more important than another just because it is more visible.
To put it another way, our differences should never be the cause of anyone’s feeling either superior to or inferior to another. Instead, all parts are necessary for the proper functioning of the whole body. It is through the diversity of all the parts that the whole gains its strength and ability to accomplish great and complex things. Therefore, whether in the Church or in marriage, differences should not be a basis for contention, competition or conflict. Rather, we are to accept, no, appreciate and embrace our differences and seek to turn them into constructive assets. Paradoxically, it's our differences that unify us as one body.
If a marriage is blessed with children, another dimension of comparison with the Kingdom opens up. Just as God’s original command to “be fruitful and multiply” has not been rescinded, so Christ’s Great Commission to the Church to reproduce itself in all nations remains His unfinished mandate to us. All believers in Christ are to be engaged in fulfilling His command to make disciples.
With the entrance of children into the Christian family comes not just the opportunity to prepare them for life on the earth but also the privilege of introducing them to Jesus and teaching them to become His disciples. Thus, we see once again the family unit as a small scale example of how the Church is to work and as an environment where both relationships, family and Church, actually converge in one place.
Undoubtedly, with some thought you will discover other examples of how the Church and the family are similar and inter-related, but these few are offered with the hope of stimulating your interest in looking for others as you read and study the Word.
No comments:
Post a Comment