I recently came across an article which condemns churches accused of the practice of enabling abusive men by counseling couples against divorce. I agree that there could be a minority of churches who counsel in such a way and through fear coerce a spouse to remain with the abuser and continue in abuse, but I would say they are a minority. Counseling a person to stay in an abusive relationship is not the common practice, I assure you. Scripture is clear on the kind of love that should be encouraged as in the kind of sacrificial love Christ affords His bride, the church. Churches that are scriptural will esteem the counsel of Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, to separate from such a one. Separation is not the problem, however. More couples should be afforded the counsel of separation in order that a path to reconciliation be allowed (1 Corinthians 7:11). Separation, therefore, is in fact biblical. Taking the words of Christ to heart, the problem lies in the adultery created when a divorced person re-marries another. Jesus says in Mark 10:11-12 (NASB)
11 And He *said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;
12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.” No, we should not encourage abuse. We must encourage reconciliation by the right means. We must encourage pre-marital counseling and parenting in order that dating and courtship determines adequately the character of the potential spouse. We must encourage men to be enablers not of abuse, but of accountability as husbands and fathers who themselves give headship their Lord. The pattern of 1 Corinthians 10 is applicable. The beauty of a woman’s character brings honor to her husband. An honorable woman brings glory to not only her husband, but also to Christ. The husband is honored by the glory of his wife and Christ is honored by his display of being the image and glory of Christ. He that honors Christ as His image will cherish, protect, provide, and love his wife, to the point that he would lay down his life to save her. Her respect for him will come from his conviction of love for her. And this is scriptural, as in Ephesians 5. The one who created marriage between a man and woman has always had the best counsel for its preservation.
Monthly Archives: May 2017
Newest Poem: The Winter Man
“Winter Man”
by Joe Thomas
Winter, when men’s thoughts
Are less entertained by summer’s fruitful enticements
And more by the lure of attraction to baser things.
Oh that the liberty of summer
Would open its doors for the mind
To be free to the physical impulse of greener occupation
And not bound by the impulse of a corrupt and carnal mind.
It is the carnal mind that drives the thinking of the winter man
To a warmer bed and satisfying companionship.
Companionship is the bedfellow of seduction;
To wit, the satisfaction of fantasy’s pleasure.
Desire is first conceived in the innocence
Of a passing glance, eloquent voice, and limpid eye.
Hence the sowing of the thought of more than just the casual,
But the curiosity of the forbidden
—the glorious conquest of a successful campaign
—it is the anchor of vain ruin.
Sowing that dead seed reaps the beginnings of regret
For upon negotiating the obstacle of reason,
Once overcome, the choice of return is most inconvenient.
A compass which azimuth points nowhere but down.
Convenient is the practice of perpetuating winter’s muse
By the primitive exercise of the unbridled mind.
Less convenient is the re-introduction,
Or salutation, if you will,
To the identity of the former person,
Clothed in propriety and obligation.
Nameless now, and faceless.
Winter’s identity is subtle, and cold, as the season is itself.
And, as the season begs for renewal, so does the soul of the winter man.
But yet, while it is winter,
The door is barred by the coldness of retreat.
Melt away this conscience of ice and return it to its cognate virtue.
Make soft again from hardness a heart,
Appearing dead which has forgotten the pulse that quickens the body.