The Duties of Marriage and the 5th Commandment

In Thomas Vincent’s discussion of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, he explains and applies the fifth commandment to husbands and wives.  I’ve abbreviated and edited it slightly.  As you read, remember that solid Christian doctrine leads to solid Christian living: the two go hand in hand.  You’ll see what I mean as you read Vincent’s words:

Q: What are the duties of wives to their husbands?  A: 1) Love them above all other persons in the world (Titus 2:4).  2) Be loyal and faithful in the home and in the marriage covenant (Heb 13:4).  3) Revere them and take care not to offend them (Eph. 5:33).  4) Subject yourselves to them in all things lawful under Christ (Eph 5:22).  5) Please them by living in harmony (1 Cor 7:34).  6) Help them bear their burdens and help them in providing for the family (Gen 2:18, Prov 31:27).  7) Listen to and comply with the husband’s counsel if it is good and profitable for your Christian faith; if not, with meekness, wisdom, kindness, and love, win your husband over to the ways of God (1 Pet 3:1-2).

Q: What are the duties of husbands to their wives? A: 1) Love them dearly, reflecting the love of Christ to his church (Eph 5:25).  2) Live with them, honor them, and delight in their company socially and intimately (Eph 5:31, Prov. 5:18-19).  3) Be tender toward them and provide for them in all things (Eph 5:28).  4) Be faithful to them in the marriage covenant – keep the bed pure (Hos 3:3).  5) Protect them from injuries and cover their infirmities with the wings of love (1 Pet 4:8).  6) Please them in all things and praise them when they do well (1 Cor 7:33).  7) Pray with them and for them, counsel and admonish them, and help them in every way – especially with reference to their Christian walk (1 Pet 3:7).

I suppose one biblical and Christian word could summarize the whole list: Love!  Or, as Paul said, Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity (Col. 3:14 NASB).

For a fuller list with more Scripture references, see pages 159-160 of Thomas Vincent’s The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2004).

shane lems

Entertaining Ourselves To Death

 In the United States, our culture is largely based upon and driven by entertainment.  From TV News, to political talk shows, to the job site, to Christian worship, to the school room, to your drive home, everyone is always being entertained.  And like good Americans, we typically run to the newest and most entertaining thing.  Many Christian churches cater to this desire for entertainment by having movies, bands, skits, sculpting, mime, ceramics, clowns, Harleys, and other such things during worship.  I have a Roman Catholic friend who recently went to a mega church for the first time.  His one response was, “It was waaaay too commercialized!”

There are several ways to confront this error of mixing entertainment and worship.  One way is to consider the Reformation teaching of the ordinary means of grace.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism explains this well in Q/A 88: “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.” 

I also love Thomas Vincent’s commentary on this Q/A.

“We ought not to make use of any ordinances which are of men’s appointment only, in order unto salvation, because this is will-worship, which is both vain and offensive; and we cannot groundedly expect the blessing of the Lord upon, or to receive any true benefit of any ordinances, but by those alone which are of his own appointment only (Col 2.20-23; Matt 15.9).”

“The ordinances [of Christ] are called the ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption, because the Lord hath not wholly limited and bound up himself unto his ordinances; for he can in an extraordinary way bring some out of a state of nature into a state of grace; as Paul, who was converted by a light and a voice from heaven: but the ordinances are the most usual way and means of conversion and salvation, without the use of which we cannot, upon good ground, expect that any benefit of redemption should be communicated to us.”

Well stated.  God has promised to work through the ordinary means of preaching, sacraments, and prayer.  We do well to stick to those and trust in God’s wisdom, Word, and Spirit.  It does require patience and faith, but it gives us the confidence that because he has promised to do so, God will work through these things in his timing, for his glory, and the church’s good.

[Side note: I really appreciate Vincent's commentary on the WSC.  FYI, it was published first in 1674 and quickly given public approval ("it is very worthy of acceptation") by men such as John Owen, Joseph Caryl, Thomas Manton, Thomas Brooks, Thomas Watson, and other eminent Presbyterian preachers/teachers of the day.]

shane lems

The American Religious Purpose of Life

I just read a piece somewhere that said most Americans believe in God (better to say “believe in [a] god,” I think).  The piece also said many of these same Americans believe in reincarnation, UFOs, witches, and mystical encounters with some divine spirit.  In other words (as Wells and Horton have said before), Americans approach religion the same way they load their Ipods and order their drive-thru value meals: by selecting what makes them the most happy.

Deepak Chopra is the embodiment of this American spirituality.  He blends Buddhism and New Age mysticism with the New Testament (sucked dry of any hints of Christian orthodoxy).  Add to that recipe a huge dose of me, myself, and I, and he’s sold millions of books.  I just grabbed one of his latest from the town library: The Ultimate Happiness Prescription: 7 Keys to Joy and Enlightenment.

His opening statement of the book reveals the fact that this American ”spirituality” is the exact opposite of historic Christianity.

“The purpose of life is the expansion of happiness.  Happiness is the goal of every other goal.”

In the political realm, that sounds something like this: ”everyone has the unalienable right to pursue personal happiness – and no one should ever hinder that pursuit.”  In the Deepak Catechism, that’d be this: “The chief end of man is to glorify and enjoy self forever.”  This whole book is a disgusting orgy of self.  He says “Being fully in the present, you experience the timeless.  In the timeless you find your true self.”  This isn’t the prescription for happiness, it is the prescription for boredom and eventually depression.  If you worship yourself, you’ll always end up being quite bored and disappointed.

Our response is the Christian’s catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”  This is the end of boredom and depressing self-worship and the beginning of utter excitement, amazement, and joy.  But this path hurts: we have to deny ourselves, renounce our own wills, take up our cross, and quit loving the world’s passing pleasures.  Or, as Bavinck so well wrote,

“Happiness leads us into paganism, but suffering leads us to Christ.”

shane lems

sunnyside wa

The Westminster Assembly Project: Announcement

This is good news for students of theology and church history, especially those of us with a Presbyterian “bent.”  Reformation Heritage Books (RHB) and The Westminster Assembly Project have teamed up to publish some older documents from the theologically fruitful Westminster Assembly and some of its delegates.  Go here for more info – and stay tuned!

Note: The Westminster Assembly Project website is here.

shane lems

sunnyside wa

The Specifics of Gloryfing God

We all know the excellent opening statement of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.  Of course this is totally biblical (1 Cor 10, Col 3, 1 Pet 4, etc.), but sometimes it gets fuzzy in practice.  In other words, what exactly does it mean to glorify God?  How do we do it? 

Thomas Watson, in his typically clear way, summarizes the biblical teaching on glorifying God in a concise, memorable, and practical way.  Here are a few comments of his. 

We aim at God’s glory:

1) When we prefer God’s glory above all other things; above credit, estate, relations; when the glory of God coming in competition with them, we prefer his glory before them.  If relations lie in our way to heaven, we must either leap over them, or tread upon them.

2) When we are content that God’s will should take place, though it may cross ours.  Lord, I am content to be a loser if thou be a gainer; to have less health, if I have more grace, and thou more glory.

3) When we are content to be outshined by others in gifts and esteem, so that his glory may be increased.  A man that has God in his heart, and God’s glory in his eye, desires that God should be exalted; and if this be effected, let who will be the instrument, he rejoices.  …Let my candle go out, if the Sun of Righteousness may shine.

He lists quite a few more, showing the Scriptures that guide us in glorifying God.    I especially liked the three quoted above: we glorify God by dying to self, dying to the world, and being humble (esteeming others better than ourselves).   We glorify God when we really just quit thinking of ourselves and focus on him then our neighbor, as the summary of the law teaches in Matthew 22.  Just for your info, here are a few more Watson lists.  We glorify God when we 1) walk cheerfully, 2) stand up for his truths, 3) praise him, 4) draw others to him, and 5) live holy lives.  Again, Watson uses Scripture and illustrates these in a clear way. 

This book – A Body of Divinity – is based on the Shorter Catechism, so it covers the main topics of Christian doctrine.  I highly recommend it.  You can get it sent to your door for just under 15 bucks (last time I checked).  It’s certainly worth giving up two months of Netflix to get this book.

Above quotes taken from pages 11-17.

shane lems

sunnyside wa