Friday, March 6, 2009
Decision Making By the Book, Part 10 of 20
TEXT: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).
IDEA: Does God have a special spouse picked out for me?
PURPOSE: Within the boundaries of God's sovereign and moral will we have a great deal of freedom.
If there's one decision a thoughtful Christian wants some guidance on, it's the question, "Whom should I marry?" After all, we link ourselves to a mate for life (which is God's will for Christians).
Since this is such an important decision, God must have an ideal mate picked out for each of us. The apostle Paul's response to that might surprise us:
"A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives: but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God' (1 Corinthians 7:39-40).
The moral will of God when it comes to marriage is that you marry another believer. That's all. Your fiance must belong to the Lord. Within that boundary, you can marry anyone you choose—as long as that person also chooses you, of course!
At the same time, Paul suggests that not marrying is a better option. In 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 he explained that single people have more freedom to serve the Lord, while married people are more concerned with pleasing their mates. But even after making his argument for singleness, Paul adds, "I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you" (1 Corinthians 7:35). Paul favors the single life. But again, the choice—whether to marry or not to marry, or whom to marry—is up to the individual believer.
If a believer wants to marry, Paul does not prohibit it. The only boundary the Christian needs to stay within is that the mate must also be a believer. If you marry an unbeliever, you have stepped out of God's moral will. But if you marry a Christian, it is within that framework that you must make the decision of whom to marry. You don't necessarily marry any Christian who comes along, of course. You must weigh the pros and cons, but the choice is up to you.
God cares about the decisions we make, and certainly each decision confronts us with choices, some of which are ultimately better than others. But within the boundaries of God's sovereign and moral will we have a great deal of freedom.
