Consider the Source

 

I  got my money back so it’s not a total loss.

I had ordered some books on marriage to try to prepare for some premarital counseling (not my own). They were recommended by the friend of a friend and my friend openly admitted she had not read them yet when she told me about them. It can be fun to look at new resources, so we did.

I’m grateful that many years ago we (my husband and I) were taught that anything  we are going to pass on to another Christian as “biblical” needs to be checked with scripture to make sure we are speaking truth.

The teaching came from Acts 17. In it the Jews in Berea were considered more noble than those in Thessalonica because they “received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

As my husband was examining one book and I another he could see that, though the teaching of the book might be practical, it was not clearly biblical (in spite of the fact that some scripture was used). On the book I was reading, it said that the books had been promoted on Oprah, The View and other places. This was enough for me to see that they would, most likely, not be based on sound doctrine (Titus 1:9). Red flags were waving!

In addition to this our own daughter saw the book and reminded us that it is the one given to her and our son-in-law to read when they were engaged. “It was useless,” is what she remembered.

The point I am trying to make is that we must be discerning about what we use to teach ourselves or others about living a life obedient to God’s Word. If we don’t have a solid understanding of His Word, how will we discern what is sound doctrine and what is not?

Interestingly, as I read reviews on the books in question many Christians found them less than helpful, some loved them. Many unbelievers felt  “conned” because they didn’t realize they were buying a book with any biblical principles and were already living with their partner while reading a book saying they shouldn’t live together before marriage. Neither the title nor the descriptions made them sound “Christian.” (This may not be a bad thing except that there were several people who felt this way and were so angry they put the book down.).

Too many Christian couples are being married without a real understanding of God’s plans and purposes for marriage. Further, we have lost the truth of Deuteronomy 28 that God blesses obedience and curses disobedience – even in marriages. If we aren’t willing to teach past “Don’t have sex before you’re married,” marriages will continue to crumble under the weight of worldly thinking. Consider important things like the roles of husband and wife, advancing the Kingdom of God in and outside of the family, or educating and parenting every child the Lord gives us (killing the baby in the womb is not an option),

Let’s be Bereans and be more noble than the average evangelical Christian by taking every word we are taught of the Word of God eagerly but then checking it with the scriptures.

Jesus, the Source of our salvation said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” (John 7:17) Now, those are reliable words from a reliable Source.

P.S. If you’re looking for a good book on marriage, we just listened to “Reforming Marriage,” by Doug Wilson. It is biblically sound.