What Do We Hope To Accomplish
Our goal is to do exactly what the series title suggests. We want to explain clearly what God says about marriage, the family, same-sex marriage, moral purity, hope for change, and Christ-like love. In order to arrive at the truth, we need to ask the right questions first. And the most basic question is, What does God say? Everything else is secondary to that. We want to learn how to look at the crucial issues of life from Gods point of view.
Bible Verses About Love
The Bible has a lot to say about the bonds of love and devotion. Bible verses about love speak of the perfect love that everyone should have toward their friends, family and mankind, not to mention the Lord. However, Bible verses about love also offer a revealing look at the strength and hope that romantic love can provide. It can be difficult to put your feelings for one another into words, but these Bible verses about love seem to capture its essence just right.
13. Romans 13:8:“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
14. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
15. 1 Corinthians 13:2: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
16. 1 Corinthians 16:14: “Do everything in love.”
17. Song of Solomon 8:7: “Many waters cannot quench love rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
18. Psalm 143:8: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”
21. Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Context And Meaning Of Luke 20
Zooming out, Luke 20 as a whole seems to present several religious teachers who questioned Jesus authority and sought to trick him. In the first section, we have the chief priests asking Jesus where his authority comes from . Second, they ask him who to pay taxes to, trying to have cause to arrest him .
And finally, in the final parts of the chapters, the Sadducees question him about the resurrection.
The whole chapter appears to show the downfalls of earthly rulers, even religious rulers, who lose sight of heaven and what matters most.
The Geneva Study Bible commentary appears to agree with this.
As Christians, we can often get bogged down in the details on earth that we forget heaven operates far differently than this world .
We have to live with eternity in mind. Although God has given us a purpose on earth, our time on earth is very short in comparison with eternity in heaven.
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Bible Verses About Relationships
There’s no relationship manual that tells you how to overcome obstacles and strengthen the ties you have with your loved ones . Thankfully, Bible verses about love serve as excellent guides these scriptures offer jewels of wisdom that can help you navigate the ups and downs of love, as well as convey your heartfelt thoughts to your future spouse. There are a number of marriage scriptures and Bible verses about love that touch on the subject of relationships that you may want to mention on your wedding day.
26. Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one anotherâand all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
27. Proverbs 30:18-19: “There are three things that amaze meâno, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.”
28. 1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
29. Proverbs 31:10: “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
31. Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
32. 1 Peter 4:8: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
33. Ephesians 5:21: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Will You Still Be Married In Heaven
If your spouse is saved or was saved while they walked on the earth, you will reunite with them in heaven.
However, according to the passage analyzed in this article, as for the second question, no, you will not be married in heaven. In heaven, we participate in a much greater wedding: the wedding of the marriage supper of the lamb .
Jesus Christ has married the Church. We are his bride. We will participate in a wedding and marriage far more wonderful than any earthly relationship can create .
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Will Happily Married Couples Be Together In Heaven
The first article in this series, Didnt Jesus Say Theres No Marriage in Heaven? responded to a Spiritual Conundrum from a reader named Nita, in which she wrote:
Wedding Rings
I am widow and a believer in Jesus Christ. . . . I am so lonely without my husband of 38 years, we did everything together, even in the ministry. Will we be together in heaven? Jesus told the religious leaders that there will be no marriage in heaven. I miss my husband so much, my life without him has been turned upside down. Many tell me move on with my life and find someone else. He was my soulmate. Please help me understand! Thank you. I still trust God and love him.
Sincerely,
Very Sad Widow
As I said in that first article, contrary to popular belief Jesus did not say that theres no marriage in heaven!
The second article, , goes into much greater depth on Jesus teaching about marriage in the afterlife. If you want all the nitty-gritty details, or youve been told by your minister or priest that theres no marriage in heaven and youre skeptical of anyone who says otherwise, I invite you to read those two articles.
In this third and final article in the series, Ill simply deliver the good and comforting news to this Very Sad Widow, and to every other widow and widower who dearly loved a partner in marriagenot to mention everyone who is happily married and is deeply troubled by the words in the traditional Christian wedding vows, till death do us part. That news is:
The Answer To Our Longing For Sex
The answer to our longing for sex is not sex! Its intimacy with Jesus. We get to experience this intimacy on earth. This unconditional love where God adopts us as his sons and daughters and is well-pleased with us and we are fully accepted into his arms because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. But imagine this experience in a fully direct, physical way. Wow! That is heaven.
This gives us reason to not worship sex and it also reminds us we dont need sex. Whether we experience the sign post or not is somewhat irrelevant. What is relevant is that we take God at his word that the destination will be much better, attuning all of our navigational tools toward that destination, not any metaphor, imitation, or sign post along the way.
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Quotes About Christian Marriage
A good marriage must have its foundation in Jesus Christ in order to experience lasting love peace and joy.
I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable. G.K. Chesterton
A man who will lead you to God and not to sin, is always worth the wait.
If he doesnt fall on his knees in prayer he doesnt deserve to fall on one knee with a ring. A man without God is one I can live without.
Love is friendship set on fire.
Men, youll never be a good groom to your wife unless youre first a good bride to Jesus. Tim Keller
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times always with the same person.
The Roles Of Men And Women In Heaven
Men and women are co-equals and co-heirs in Christ today and in the Kingdom of Heaven they will be ruling with Christ as kings and priests. That indicates that we shall be ruling and reigning with Christ. The capacity and responsibilities will not be due to our being male or female but due to what we have done on this earth. Jesus said that some will rule five cities, some may rule ten cities, but our responsibilities will be in direct proportion to what we have done with out talents, time, and treasure here on earth . In Revelation 5:10 it states that at His return, He made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Fatherto him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen .
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No Need For Sex In Heaven
There is not going to be any sex in the Kingdom of Heaven because those who have put their trust in Christ on earth will live forever. There will be no need to replenish the human race because eternal life means that the death rate on earth at present will not be like the death rate in heaven . Sex was created by God to bond male and females together as one in a relationship that is like that of Christ and His Bride, the church. The church has become one with Christ. Sex is also made for procreation but it is a way of having two people, male and female, come together i n the most intimate relationship possible. Two people become one in unity, family, and harmony and their DNA creates one child at a time . This unique gift from God is designed only for those who have made lifetime commitments to one another. In Genesis 2:24 is says, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Sleeping On Your Belly
Do you like to sleep on your tummy, but experience problems oftentimes? The position might not help you. If you experience insomnia, chances are that youre not comfortable sleeping in this position. It can tense your neck and your lower back. But if this is how you like to sleep, you might consider using a very soft cooling pillow to keep your neck comfortable.
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What Will People Be Like In Heaven
The Bible says the physical laws will be vastly different in heaven. From this description, it is apparent that ourcurrent bodies would not be acceptable in such a place.1 The Bible poses thequestion, “But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And withwhat kind of body do they come?” . The answer to thequestion is given in a series of comparisons:2
| natural | spiritual |
To a certain degree, we will be given some of the characteristics of God inheaven.3 Without at least the dimensional characteristics of God, wewould not be able to see Him, which the Bible says we will do.3
Contrary to the Mormon view of heaven,4 it doesn’t seem thatpeople in heaven will be either male or female. Jesus was asked a complicatedquestion about heaven by the Sadducees that directly leads us to this conclusion.5The Sadducees gave a scenario of a woman who married 7 men in her lifetime. They asked whose wife shewould be in heaven. Jesus answered:
“You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God. “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
In other words, there will be no marriage or sexual differences among thosein heaven, since reproduction is unnecessary. This concept is supported by otherbiblical verses that indicate that males and females are spiritually equal.6The same concept applies to the races.7 I doubt that there will beracial differences in heaven.
The Bible Presents Marriage As Made By God
A third major reason traditional Christianity has misunderstood Jesus words and believed that there is no marriage in heaven is that it has not paid sufficient attention to the fact that the Bible presents marriage as something created by God.
In fact, the Bible compares heaven itself to a marriage, and says that Gods people are to God like a bride to a bridegroom. See, for example, Jeremiah 3:14 Isaiah 62:5 Hosea 2:16 Matthew 22:12 Matthew 25:1 Revelation 19:69. So it would be very strange if there were no marriage in heaven, and if angels were sexless beings, as traditional Christian churches commonly teach.
Jesus himself said:
At the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
Interpreting Jesus words to the Sadducees to mean that there is no marriage in heaven would cause Jesus to contradict both himself and the Bible as a whole. God created male and female to be joined together as one. And just as God is not the God of the dead but of the living, so everything God does is not temporary, but eternal:
I know that everything God does will endure forever.
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No Need For Marriage And Children
Jesus made it clear that angels do not marry and have children.5He also indicated that we will be like the angels in that regard.5God has allowed the human race to increase dramatically in numbers, so that there will be billions of God’s people in heaven. There can be no further reproduction in heaven, because it would violate God’s principle of free will and voluntary choice. All humans are required to choose to accept God or reject Him. If children were born in heaven, they would have no ability to choose to accept or reject God. This is because there is no allowance for rebellion and sin in heaven. For example, we know that angels do not receive grace,11 but are condemned on their first act of disobedience to God.12 Therefore, any children born would be forced to accept God – something God never does. This does not necessarily mean that God is necessarily finished producing spiritual creatures. It is possible that God could create another universe to allow other spiritual creatures the ability to choose God and enter into heaven. However, this is mere speculation.
What Does The Bible Say About Romantic Relationships In Heaven
In the Bible, righteous romantic relationships dont exist apart from marriage. Romantic relationships either occur in marriage or between couples that are considering or planning to get married. This means that in order to answer the question about romantic relationships in heaven, people need to understand what the Bible teaches about marriage in heaven.
Will there be marriage in heaven? The Bible clearly teaches that there wont be marriage in heaven. People will neither remain married once they get to heaven nor get married once they are in heaven. Marriage, according to the Bible, is for this life, not the next one.
- Matthew 22:30, For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven . There is no marriage in heaven according to these verses. Angels dont form families or procreate. According to Jesus, the same will be true of the people in heaven.
- Romans 7:2, For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage . Death, which precedes entry into heaven, ends marital commitments. If marriage did exist in heaven, it would have to be redefined because there is no death there .
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What Does The Bible Say About Race
Any serious biblical study of race or ethnicity should start in Genesis 1. The Bible does not start off with the creation of a special or privileged race of people. When the first human being is created he is simply called adam, which is Hebrew for humankind. Adam and Eve are not Hebrews or Egyptians they are neither White nor Black nor even Semitic. Their own particular ethnicity is not even mentioned, for the Bible seems to stress that they are the mother and father of all peoples of all ethnicities. Adam and Eve are presented as non-ethnic and non-national because they represent all people of all ethnicities.
This reality provides a strong starting point for our discussion of what the Bible says about race. Indeed, John Stott declares, Both the dignity and the equality of human beings are traced in Scripture to our creation. To presuppose that ones own race or ethnicity is superior to someone elses is a denial of the fact that all people are created in the image of God.
The so-called Curse of Ham
In regard to the history of racial prejudice in America no other passage in Scripture has been as abused, distorted and twisted as has Genesis 9:18-27. Thus it is important that we clarify what this passage actually says .
It should be stated clearly and unambiguously that every reputable evangelical Old Testament scholar that I know of views this understanding of Genesis 9:18-27 as ridiculous, even ludicrous. It is completely indefensible on biblical grounds.