It seems rather obvious to look to our Maker for marriage instructions. After all, God invented marriage. Yet by nature we prefer to work it out for ourselves, starting with our own needs, hopes and desires. This book turns our thinking upside down. The author examines the Bible's teaching on marriage, while remaining firmly earthed in the twenty-first-century world where messing up, heartbreak, divorce and sexual chaos are distressingly common. Starting with God's grace applied to our pain and failure, the author centres on God's plan for sex and marriage, one of service.

Christopher Ash

Married for God

Acknowledgments

Preface

Is this book for you?

Introduction: God at the centre

For study or discussion

1 A word about baggage and grace

The Bible speaks to those whose sexual pasts are spoiled

Jesus Christ offers forgiveness and restoration to those with spoiled sexual pasts

God's grace enables us to live lives of purity

2 Married for a purpose

Foundations in Genesis 1:26–31

Foundations in Genesis 2:15–25

What difference does a spoiled world make to serving God?

Conclusion: sex is for the service of God

3 What is the point of having children?

Children are a blessing not a curse

We are to nurture children so they learn to serve God

Do we really still need more children, not just more Christians?

Conclusion

4 What is the point of sex and intimacy?

Don't have too high a view of sex

Don't have too low a view of sex

Sex at the heart of a relationship overflowing in loving service

Conclusion: putting sex in its proper place

5 God’s pattern for the marriage relationship

The shape of marriage in Ephesians 5:22–33 and Colossians 3:18–19

The shape of marriage in 1Peter 3:1–7

How does God's shape for marriage become distorted?

What does God's pattern look like in practice?

What is the impact of God's pattern on the world?

6 What is the point of the marriage institution?

Sex is to be surrounded by the marriage boundary

Human beings rebel against this boundary

God has put moral order into creation

Sex outside marriage is disastrous

Marriage is given to us; we do not invent it

The day we get married we enter the institution of marriage

What are the boundaries?

Why marriage is better than cohabitation

7 Is it better to stay single?

Sex makes no difference to our relationship with God

We find our identity and experience love within the family of God

Some will endure not being married for the sake of God's kingdom

Getting married makes life a lot more complicated!

Conclusion: Can I serve God better unmarried?

8 What is the heart of marriage?

Faithfulness is the heart of marriage, because it is the heart of God

Marriage is a 'one flesh' union joined by God

Marriage is a covenant to which God is witness

Marriage faithfulness excludes all rivals for life

Six reasons why adultery is very serious

Faithfulness in marriage is modelled on the faithfulness of God

Faithfulness in marriage comes from the faithfulness of God

Conclusion: The greatest invitation

General

Chapter 1: A word about baggage and grace

Chapter 2: Sex in the service of God

Chapter 3: What is the point of having children?

Chapter 4: What is the point of sex and intimacy?

Chapter 5: God's pattern for the marriage relationship?

Chapter 6: What is the point of the marriage institution?

Chapter 7: Is it better to stay single?

Chapter 8: What is the heart of marriage?

Suggestions for uses of the study questions

Individual use

Marriage preparation

Marriage refreshment

Church course

__God invented marriage. So it seems rather obvious to look to our Maker for marriage instructions. Yet by nature we prefer to work it out for ourselves, starting with our own needs, hopes and desires.__

This book turns our thinking upside down. The author examines the Bible's teaching on marriage, while remaining firmly earthed in the twenty-first-century world where messing up, heartbreak, divorce and sexual chaos are distressingly common. Starting with God's grace applied to our pain and failure, the author centres on God's plan for sex and marriage, one of service.

Whether you are an engaged couple preparing for marriage, or have been married for many years, this Biblical wisdom will help you grow your love and commitment both to one another and to God.

"An excellent, challenging and helpful book." Martin and Elizabeth Goldsmith, Conference Speakers, and Associate Lecturers, All Nations Christian College  
   
 "Refreshing, rigorous and readable. This book acts as a corrective to exaggerated claims and self-indulgent attitudes concerning wedlock endemic in our culture and becomes a call to joyful biblical simplicity and true God-centred liberty in marriage." John Benton (Pastor, Chertsey Street Baptist Church, Guildford and Editor, Evangelicals Now) and Ann Benton (Chairman, London Women's Convention)

The Good Book Stall

This book started off excellently with the first chapter firmly putting God in the centre. Unlike so many Christian and secular marriage books, this one considers marriage should have God in the centre and it's not about "what I can get out of it". The book isn't a step-by-step guide to a successful marriage but discusses the underlying biblical themes and how to relate them to relationships in the 21st century.  
Unfortunately for me this book was set in a very specific theological framework (conservative evangelical) and there were parts of it with which I disagreed which spoiled the overall effect. The author deals with some difficult subjects (submission of women, that people who don't want children shouldn't marry) and also glancingly mentions some others (homosexuality, divorce, acceptable methods of contraception) within his conservative tradition in a rather over-simplistic way (to this reader, at least). He briefly touches on singleness but the main thrust of the book is the importance of God at the centre of marriage and that marriage is about having children. It's well written but I think would appeal mainly to those from his tradition because of the awkward nature of some of his pronouncements about current issues.

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