John and Noel Piper
…it’s about covenant. Hopefully there is love in marriage but without a covenant, marriage would be meaningless.
In this video, Don Carson, Tim Keller, and John Piper, three faithful men with a combined 116 years of marriage, discuss how covenant in marriage, which God created, is what sustains marriage. What is a covenant? It’s a binding agreement. Sadly we live in a world where we do not always do what we say we will do. A covenant is a promise that you will keep. If you don’t, then words do not mean much to you.
As John Piper alludes to in the video, in marriage, sometimes you love, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you have to fall back in love after falling out of love. There is really no standard degree of love required for any stage of marriage. What is required is a promise to stay together through thick and thin; you must stay together no matter what. A covenant is a ‘no matter what’ kind of promise.
I often argue that marriage is important for the stability of the family. Certainly it is. However, the most important thing about marriage is displaying God’s grace. God’s grace is that Christ is married to his bride, the church. There is much love and commitment in this marriage. As we strive to love Jesus and his people, Jesus has perfect love for us. As we strive to understand the nature of God’s covenant, Jesus will never abandon us. We have the privilege to reflect this perfect commitment we see from God… at least a husband and wife do. Even if the husband and wife who do not live by faith stay together until death parts them, they are participating in something God created.
We are so blessed to have the opportunity to do this thing called marriage. What a horrible disgrace empty promises are. What an ugly thing divorce is.
Tip of the hat to Collin Hansen
Mark Morikawa 