The Mystery of Marriage
Revelation 2: Justified Peace[1]
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1)
Personal matters
As indicated in the first teaching this series is an exercise in mystical theology. It’s content is not derived from reading or listening to Christian teaching but proceeds from an immediate awareness of God’s presence when I am in close proximity to my wife Donna. It is something that simply happens through a spiritually intimate relationship. The initial insight I spoke of, Equality, is the foundation for all that follows.
Today’s revelation is at the same time intensely theological and greatly practical. It concerns a doctrine which for centuries divided the Church perhaps more than any other teaching but today seems to have often lapsed into near insignificance; we are talking about justification by grace through faith and an experience of divine peace which flows from being in a right relationship with another P/person.
Blameless
Some years ago, the precise circumstances escape me, I suddenly could put a name to what I was feeling about the connection with my dozing wife, our relationship was a justified one. There seemed to be no fundamental distance between us and we were somehow contained within a basic peace. Paul’s famous words, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1) are a statement that that through the blood of Christ the age long conflict between deity and humanity has come to an end (Rom 3:21-25). Located between a Christian husband and wife is Jesus the supreme Mediator, the power of his blood is always present in its reconciling and atoning power to justify our relationship. .
A mature stable Christian marriage grants insight into the reality of divine justification for we know that there can be no final judgement between us. However we might snap at each other from time to time we know the other person will never foundationally undermine us by anything they say or do. Such marriages have blessedly been delivered from focussing on repetitive relational problems and the partners know there are no essential barriers to their ongoing fellowship. We abide in a consciousness that “(lasting) judgement has been taken away”.
I am quite aware that Donna is far from perfect[2], but somehow the Spirit regularly conveys to me that before the Lord she is blameless. This peculiar but marvellous awareness it is not the fruit of fantasy but of a relationship that walks by faith rather than sight (2 Cor 5:7). We definitely still argue and sin against one another, but these episodes are not experienced as threatening the covenant peace that we share in Christ (Heb 13:20). This is a beautiful thing to share together and a wonderful sense of relational security. More importantly, sensing these things points us to the nature of Christ’s connection to the Church.
A Bride of Glory
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25, 27). That the Church will come to Jesus “blameless” is not an anticipation that she will some day enter into a golden age of perfectly faultless perfection in this world. That is fantasy! The presentation of the Bride of Jesus as “blameless” is a measure of the power of the blood of our heavenly Husband to cleanse us from the guilty stain of sin (Eph 1:7; Rev 7:14). Seen through the lens of justification by grace through faith our covenant connection with Christ means we are blameless NOW. The promise ““I will remember their sins no more.”” is applicable to the justified Bride- Church at all times and in all places (Jer 31:34; Heb 8:12). PTL.
Remember
That the Church in Australia commonly partakes of the sins of popular culture needs no demonstrating, but moralistic exhortations to a higher life will be unfruitful. In calling the immature Corinthians to turn away from immorality and idolatry Paul reminds them “and some of you were like that…but you were justified…” (1 Cor 6:11). Peter comments that the fruit of godliness goes missing when we “forget” that we were cleansed from our former sins (2 Pet 1:9). All this means that any spiritual revival amongst us depends upon a renewal of the reality of justified peace as a lived experience. Only a Church which knows by faith hat she is justified Church of God will allow herself to come close enough to Jesus to be able to appreciate what it means to be a blameless Bride before her Lord. The outcome of such intimacy is not something spiritually orgasmic but unconditional costly obedience.
Conclusion
Marriage is a state of life permeated by numerous cultural illusions; only the people of God can expose these and work with Christ to deliver multitudes of men and women from the immeasurable pains of covenantal breakdown. Both for the sake of the nation and upcoming generations of Christian young people the Church needs mature couples who can testify by the character of their relationships that justification and the peace it brings are available to faith in the present hour. Anything less will not adequately honour the blood of the cross. May our prayer be for an unprecedented revelation of the power of the justifying love of God.