Christian marriage theology

[Anonymous No.15562764]

Books on mystical theology about how to find Christian wife? (preferably with semitic traits)

[Anonymous No.15562783]

>>15562764
Bump
Sorry this isn't related but does anyone have that mega of the based guy who compiled all the different (language) translations of the Bible?

[Anonymous No.15562994]

>>15562783
related to this, where can I get a free physical Bible online?

[Anonymous No.15563301]

bump

[Anonymous No.15563858]

>>15563301
This.

[Anonymous No.15564643]

Bump.

[Anonymous No.15564667]

>>15562764
Pray

[Anonymous No.15564677]

Not /lit/
Go on a Christian dating site or something

[Anonymous No.15564696]

>>15562764
Go to a church? And start talking to single women?

[Anonymous No.15564702]

>>15564696
How do I do it? It would seem weird.

[Anonymous No.15564714]

>>15562764
Ben Shapiro's advice on how to find a traditional gf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwpIxieN4Qo

[Anonymous No.15564742]

>>15564702
I don't really frequent churches, unless I'm feeling disturbed. But just talk to people, get in there and talk. Single women are people too.

You can start looking at someone near you and say hi, then ask something or whatever.

[Anonymous No.15564760]

Didn't Paul say it's better not to marry?

[Anonymous No.15564880]

>>15564702
Step 1: don't be an autist
Step 2: walk in on Sunday
Step 3: get involved in the extra activities
Step 4: talk to the women there
Step 5: ask one out until success

[Anonymous No.15565209]

After God created the first man, Adam, He said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him” (Genesis 2:18). So God’s first objective in creating marriage was to provide companionship. He did not make another man for Adam so that he could experience brotherly affection. He created a woman from the man’s own body and brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21–22). With the woman, Adam could experience a deeper kind of intimacy than he could with a man. God created male and female bodies and souls to complement each other in such a way that they become “one flesh” in marriage (Genesis 2:24).

God’s design for marriage is that it be a unique union between a man and a woman in a covenant for life. God’s design includes sex, the consummation of that union, which is to be experienced only between a married couple. Any sexual expression outside the marriage covenant is sin. The sexual union was designed, in part, to bring forth children (Genesis 1:28), who are to be raised in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). By designating specific roles for husband, wife, and children, God instituted the family. With the husband bearing the responsibility for the family’s well-being and the wife acting as his helper, the family can thrive (Ephesians 5:21–33).

God’s design for marriage is that it be a picture of His union with those He calls His own. Throughout the Old Testament, God used imagery related to marriage to explain His love and commitment toward Israel. When the nation of Israel rebelled against Him, God expressed the sorrow and jealousy of a man who has a cheating wife. “Like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” the Lord says in Jeremiah 3:20. In the New Testament, marriage is used as an illustration of Christ and His relationship with His Bride, the Church. Paul writes, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2; cf. Ephesians 5:31–32). So God’s design for marriage is that it be an unbreakable covenant such as God has made with His people.

When God designed marriage, He pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). He still pronounces it “good” when we follow His design. All perversions of His design, including divorce, sexual promiscuity, and homosexual activity, destroy families and therefore weaken society. God is the designer of marriage and the only One qualified to give us instructions about how to use His gift. We do well when we decide to follow His design for marriage.

[Anonymous No.15565302]

>>15564760
Paul’s statement that it is better to marry than to burn supports the Bible’s strong stand against sexual immorality: if an unmarried couple are burning with passion for each other, they need to marry, not give in to sin. Marriage is God’s plan for the fulfillment of sexual desires, and any sexual expression outside of marriage is sin (Hebrews 13:4).

Sexual desires themselves are not wrong. They are part of developing into a healthy man or woman. What we do about those desires determines whether or not they lead to sin. James 2:13–15 explains the progression from the temptation to the sin: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

With his assertion that it is better to marry than to burn, Paul sounds a warning for those caught in the progression toward sin. Long engagements, young teen dating, and “make out” sessions between dating couples are all ways that temptation can start “burning.” First Thessalonians 4:3–7 also addresses the need to control our passions: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

When we refuse to control our bodies in ways that are holy and honorable, we are in danger of allowing the natural sexual drive to turn into lust—or causing someone else to be filled with lust. This is especially true during late adolescence and the early twenties when hormones are raging and bodies are at their fittest. Sexual desire is at its peak, and the foolish or untaught often dive into sexual sin before they realize the lifelong consequences. God’s design is for those who “burn” with sexual desire to prayerfully seek a marriage partner and keep their desires under control until the wedding night. Those who can maintain moral purity should not feel pressured to marry. Singleness is a perfectly acceptable lifestyle. But, if one is begins to “burn” with passion, it is time to seek God’s guidance in finding a spouse.

[Anonymous No.15565335]

>>15565302
>sin when it is fully grown brings forth death
if you die from sin, can you come back? or are you lost forever?

[Anonymous No.15565337]

>>15564714
based

[Anonymous No.15565440]

>>15565335
In the previous verse, James made it clear that temptation to sin always comes from within ourselves. It's never God's fault. No matter how terrible our circumstances are, the desire to sin is still ours. We are tempting ourselves to sin. God provides trials and ordeals as a way to "exercise" our faith, in order to make it stronger. The lure of giving up, sinning, and defying God is not the purpose of His will.

Here James warns us of the consequence of giving into our desire, which is falling into sin. When we say "yes" to the desire to do what we want, instead of trusting God and obeying Him, sin is born. Then sin grows up and produces death.

Sin always leads to death. For those who are not in Christ—who have not accepted God's free gift of forgiveness of sin, who have not been born again to a new life—that death is permanent and eternal. But even for Christians, sin brings deadly consequences. Later in this letter James will write that when Christians succeed in turning each other back from sin, they save each other from death (James 5:19–20).

[Anonymous No.15565718]

>>15564880
>Step 5: ask one out until success
Can I get more explicit instructions on this step?

[Anonymous No.15565736]

>>15562764
One purpose of marriage is to create a stable home in which children can grow and thrive. The best marriage is between two believers (2 Corinthians 6:14) who can produce godly offspring (Malachi 2:13–15). In Malachi, God tells the Israelites that He will not accept their offerings because they have been unfaithful to the wives of their youth. This shows how much God cares about marriage being kept intact. Not only that, but He tells them He was seeking “godly offspring.” This is a puzzling passage, and has been interpreted to mean a) that godly offspring are the purpose of marriage; b) that a good marriage between two godly people will mean that any children they have will tend to be godly as well; c) God wanted the Israelites to be faithful to their wives instead of leaving them for foreign women who would produce for them ungodly offspring because of the idolatry of those nations; and d) that God was seeking His own offspring (the people) to exhibit godliness by their faithfulness. In any of these interpretations, we see a common theme: the children of faithful people will tend to be faithful, too. Not only does marriage teach children how to be faithful and give them a stable environment in which to learn and grow, it has a sanctifying effect on both marriage partners when they submit to God’s law (Ephesians 5). Every marriage has difficult moments or difficult dynamics. When two sinful people are trying to create a life together, they must submit to God’s command to love each another as God has loved us—selflessly (1 John 3:16). Our attempts to follow God’s commands in our own strength tend to end in failure, and that failure tends to make the believer more aware of his dependence on God and more open to the Spirit’s work in him, which tends to result in godliness. And godliness helps us to follow God’s commands. So, marriage is very helpful for the one trying to live a godly life; it helps to scrub the heart clean of selfishness and other impurities.

Marriage protects individuals from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 7:2). The world we live in is full of sexual images, innuendo, and temptation. Even if a person doesn’t pursue sexual sin, it pursues him or her, and it is very hard to escape it. Marriage provides a healthy place to express sexuality, without opening oneself up to the severe emotional (and many times physical) damage that is caused by casual, non-committed sexual relationships. It is clear that God created marriage for our good (Proverbs 18:22), to make us happy, to promote a healthier society, and to produce holiness in our lives. Marriage is a beautiful picture of the relationship between Christ and His church. The body of believers that make up the Church are collectively called bride of Christ. As Bridegroom, Jesus gave His life for His bride, “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25–26), and His selfless act provides an example for all husbands.

[Anonymous No.15565869]

>>15565718
Nigga talk until you find one that's interested in you (you should be able to tell this is you followed step 1.) and ask her out to coffee or lunch. If that goes well, you keep going out.

[Anonymous No.15565948]

>>15565718
Evangelical churches are struggling with men leaving. That’s why you see ugly Christian men with Ron Jeremy mustaches and Chaco sandals marrying beautiful blonde women in floppy felt hats. Stay in the game and you will strike it rich. If you can memorize verses from Paul’s epistles and pick up chairs after the potluck, your aim’s true.

That’s literally what little boutique Christian colleges are for. Play pool in the student center, get [whatever] degree because the job in the oilfield that you’re looking at just needs a degree in anything and lock up a pretty Christian girl who will never cheat.

Nb4 RIP oil jobs

[Anonymous No.15565950]

>>15562764
>Christian marriage theology
God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation is probably one of the best ones you'll find.

[Anonymous No.15565982]

>>15562764
Refuted by St. Paul and the council of trent, and confirmed by almost all the saints. Marriage is inferior to celibacy continence.

[Anonymous No.15566015]

>>15565869
>ask her out to coffee or lunch
The rest sounds doable but what about this? What happens at this step in the plan?

[Anonymous No.15566032]

>>15564880
>Step 1: don't be an autist

[Anonymous No.15566037]

The Bible records the creation of marriage in Genesis 2:23–24: “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” God created man and then made woman to complement him. In the Bible marriage is God’s “fix” for the fact that “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).

As the Bible describes the first marriage, it uses the word helper to identify Eve (Genesis 2:20). To “help” in this context means “to surround, to protect or aid.” God created Eve to come alongside Adam as his "other half," to be his aid and his helper. The Bible says that marriage causes a man and woman to become “one flesh.” This oneness is manifested most fully in the physical union of sexual intimacy. The New Testament adds a warning regarding this oneness: “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6).

Several of Paul’s epistles refer to marriage and how believers are to operate within the marriage relationship. One such passage is Ephesians 5:22–33. Studying this passage provides some key truths concerning what the Bible says marriage should be.

The Bible, in Ephesians 5, says a successful biblical marriage involves both the husband and the wife fulfilling certain roles: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:22–23). “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:28–29). “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31).

When a believing husband and wife institute God’s principles of marriage in the Bible, a solid, healthy marriage results. A biblically based marriage keeps Christ as the head of the man and the wife together. The biblical concept of marriage involves a oneness between a husband and wife that pictures the oneness of Christ with His church.

[Anonymous No.15566087]

The marriage vow is not a lifetime commitment to be loved or to receive love. Marriage is a vow to give love. It is a promise to give love for life. It is a determination to live for the benefit of the other, to stand by and behind the other. To give and give and give and give, and then give some more—even life itself. Even more fundamentally, mankind did not invent marriage. God did. When God made man male and female and brought the first couple together in marriage, He had a purpose in mind. The most basic purpose was that marriage would produce more people who bear God’s name and reflect His image. See Genesis 1:26–28 and 2:22–24. Human reproduction was God’s first stated order and mandate for mankind. Marriage produces family. God wanted a planet filled with people enough like Himself, but enough different from Himself, that He could enjoy the pleasure of our company while we enjoy the pleasure of His. God has never changed that mandate.

Further, to properly and fully reflect the whole image of God, mankind must be constituted of both men and women (Genesis 1:27). Male alone is not whole; neither is female. The proper reflection of God’s character in mankind requires both genders—man and woman united in marriage. Marriage is about much more than romantic bliss; it is about much more than the pleasure of sexual intercourse. Marriage is about fully reflecting God’s character and fellowship back to Himself. This explains why the apostle Paul describes Christian marriage in such lofty spiritual terms as are found in Ephesians 5:22–33. It is not in discovering the most beautiful model or the most dashing knight that a good marriage is found. It’s in recognizing God’s prepared choice of the most suitable life partner—the one most compatible with God’s purposes and objectives—that the most truly satisfying marriage is built. Romance surely has its place and will be enjoyed in a godly marriage, but only as a fruit of a much deeper, stronger relationship.

One element that the critics of marriage always miss is faith. Marriage and family are God’s institutions for mankind. If a Christian is truly walking with God, truly wanting God’s best for his or her spouse, truly wanting to further God’s plan for himself, for his spouse, and for the world, then he will not abandon the idea of marriage. It’s not about what we get out of marriage. It is not the takers of this world who find fulfillment, but the givers, those who by God’s grace emulate the self-sacrificial giving of Christ, thus growing in His image (Romans 8:28–30; Ephesians 4:20–24). A good marriage will cost everything we have. And, in that giving, we will find the highest meaning of life in Christ.

[Anonymous No.15566096]

>>15566032
Just practice making eye contact with people until you get used to it and do the same thing with talking. If you want a trad gf, you need to put in the effort of having your life together and being a desirable person.

[Anonymous No.15566127]

>>15566015
You have a conversation with her and at the end ask her if she wants to go get lunch.

[Anonymous No.15566175]

>>15566127
How do I start the conversation with her specifically to not make it seem to weird?

[Anonymous No.15566260]

>>15562764
>preferably with semitic traits
Not him, but also interested. Bump.

[Anonymous No.15566276]

>>15566096
>practice making eye contact with people until you get used to it
Holy based. Is it this easy to get a gf? I was pretty bad at eye contact until recently when I fixed my awful eyesight.

[Anonymous No.15566314]

>>15566175
You don't make it weird. Talk with her like you would anyone else. Practice with waitresses and cashiers until it's not a big deal.

[Anonymous No.15566319]

>>15566276
No, but it's a start. Again, get your life together first.

[Anonymous No.15566939]

>>15565982
>marriage
>Refuted
did you even read the epistles?

[Anonymous No.15567094]

>>15566939
>pseud on /lit/
>read
I think we know the answer