Marriage God’s Way, Part 2: Biblical Love is the Key
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After coming to an understanding of the origin and purpose of marriage (Part 1 of the series), the next major hurdle to be overcome is the foundation of the institution. Everyone knows that love is the key, right? Wrong. While everyone may know love is the key, they do not necessarily understand what kind of love is involved. The truth is that, in general, our whole concept of love is flawed. Most folks have a love for their spouse that is "value-based." This means that they "love" this person because of some perceived "value" to themselves- "I love this person because they are valuable to me in some way." Biblical love, and therefore married love, is just the opposite. It does not require a value, but establishes one- "This person is valuable to me because I love them." What's the difference? If we marry someone because of a value-based love, what happens when what we value changes, or when their characteristics, whatever they may have been (such as looks, money, etc.), change? When the values change, then value-based love evaporates. But this is not true with biblical love!