Reformation at Home: Rescuing Marriage and Family

 

Summary

In this hour, we explore the theme of "Reformation at Home," focusing on how the Reformation not only transformed theology but also reformed institutions, including the family. The Reformation's return to the Word of God offers profound insights for our families today. We begin by examining Martin Luther's marriage, a revolutionary act for a former monk and priest, which challenged the church's long-standing celibacy vows. Luther's marriage to Katherine von Bora was initially more about defying the church's restrictions than romance, yet it became a profound institution of love and character development. Luther discovered that marriage was a "school of character," a sanctifying institution that he almost missed due to the church's teachings that downgraded marriage as a second-class choice.

The Reformation rescued marriage from an unbiblical understanding that prioritized celibacy as the highest calling. Today, marriage faces a different threat: the unbiblical notion of self-affirmation and individualism. This modern ideology promotes the idea that personal desires and feelings are the ultimate authority, leading to a society where individual fulfillment often trumps family commitments. This has significant implications for children, who thrive best in stable, two-parent families. The Reformation's emphasis on returning to biblical principles is crucial for rescuing marriage today.

The Bible teaches that God created marriage as a foundational institution for companionship and procreation, filling the world with His image-bearers. Despite the fall, we are called to uphold God's creative purpose for marriage. The Old Testament, particularly Deuteronomy, emphasizes the responsibility of parents to immerse their families in the Word of God. Jesus and Paul also underscore the importance of marriage, with Paul describing it as a mirror of Christ's relationship with the church.

In a world that often promotes self-fulfillment, Christian families have the opportunity to be a powerful witness through love, honor, and self-sacrifice. The church, as a family of God, should provide a community of care and support, especially for singles. Jesus reshaped the concept of family at the cross, entrusting Mary to John, symbolizing the church's role as a spiritual family. In this way, the church and Christian families can stand against the tide of individualism, offering a testimony of selflessness and love.

Key Takeaways:

- The Reformation's impact on marriage was profound, rescuing it from the church's unbiblical view that celibacy was superior. Luther's marriage exemplified the sanctifying power of marriage as a "school of character," teaching love and self-sacrifice. [06:29]

- Modern individualism poses a significant threat to marriage, promoting self-affirmation over family commitments. This ideology undermines the stability children need, highlighting the importance of returning to biblical principles to rescue marriage today. [12:55]

- The Bible's teaching on marriage emphasizes God's original purpose for companionship and procreation. Despite the fall, Christians are called to uphold this purpose, immersing their families in the Word of God and modeling Christ's love and sacrifice. [23:49]

- Christian families have a unique opportunity to witness to the world through love, honor, and self-sacrifice. The church, as a spiritual family, should provide a community of care and support, especially for singles, reflecting the reshaped family concept seen at the cross. [42:03]

- In a world of self-fulfillment, the church and Christian families can stand as a testimony of selflessness and love. By focusing on love and discipline, they can draw people away from the religion of self-service to the true religion of self-giving and joy. [48:49]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction to Reformation at Home
[01:09] - The Reformation's Impact on Families
[01:44] - Luther's Marriage: A Revolutionary Act
[03:16] - The Story of Katherine von Bora
[05:14] - Luther's Marriage: A Testimony of Freedom
[07:03] - The Church's View on Marriage
[09:25] - Rescuing Marriage from Unbiblical Views
[11:28] - Modern Threats to Marriage: Individualism
[13:19] - The Religion of Self-Affirmation
[16:16] - The Impact on Children
[17:54] - The Importance of Stable Families
[21:42] - Restoring Marriage to God's Vision
[23:49] - Biblical Teachings on Marriage
[26:20] - Jesus and Paul's Teachings on Marriage
[31:19] - The Church as a Family of God
[35:02] - A God, a History, and a Community
[42:03] - Jesus Reshapes the Family at the Cross
[45:34] - The Church's Role in Supporting Families
[48:49] - A Call to Love and Self-Sacrifice

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide: Reformation at Home

#### Bible Reading
1. Ephesians 5:22-33 - This passage discusses the relationship between husbands and wives, mirroring Christ's relationship with the church.
2. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - This passage emphasizes the importance of immersing families in the Word of God.
3. John 19:25-27 - This passage illustrates Jesus reshaping the concept of family at the cross.

#### Observation Questions
1. What was revolutionary about Martin Luther's marriage, and how did it challenge the church's teachings at the time? [02:23]
2. How did the Reformation change the church's view on marriage and celibacy? [09:25]
3. What modern ideology poses a threat to marriage today, according to the sermon? [11:28]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of the church as a spiritual family, especially for singles? [45:34]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does Ephesians 5:22-33 illustrate the sanctifying power of marriage as a "school of character"? [06:29]
2. In what ways does Deuteronomy 6:6-9 emphasize the responsibility of parents in a Christian household? [25:27]
3. How does the reshaping of family at the cross in John 19:25-27 reflect the church's role as a spiritual family? [42:03]
4. What are the implications of modern individualism on family commitments, and how can biblical principles counteract this trend? [12:55]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own family life. How can you ensure that your household is immersed in the Word of God, as instructed in Deuteronomy 6:6-9? [25:27]
2. In what ways can your marriage or future marriage serve as a "school of character," teaching love and self-sacrifice? [06:29]
3. How can you, as part of the church community, support singles and create a sense of spiritual family for them? [45:34]
4. Identify a personal desire or feeling that might be prioritizing individualism over family commitments. How can you realign this with biblical principles? [12:55]
5. Consider the impact of your family life on your children or future children. What steps can you take to provide a stable, loving environment that reflects God's purpose for marriage? [18:25]
6. How can your family be a testimony of selflessness and love in a world that often promotes self-fulfillment? [48:49]
7. Reflect on a time when you felt the church acted as a spiritual family for you. How can you extend that same sense of community to others in your congregation? [45:34]

Devotional

Day 1: Marriage as a School of Character
Marriage, as exemplified by Martin Luther and Katherine von Bora, is a profound institution that teaches love and self-sacrifice. Luther's marriage was initially a defiance against the church's celibacy vows, but it evolved into a testament of love and character development. The Reformation rescued marriage from the church's unbiblical view that celibacy was superior, highlighting marriage as a sanctifying institution. In today's world, marriage continues to be a "school of character," where individuals learn to prioritize the needs of others, fostering growth in love and selflessness. [06:29]

Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV): "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."

Reflection: In what ways can you practice self-sacrifice in your relationships today, mirroring the love and commitment seen in Christ's relationship with the church?


Day 2: The Threat of Modern Individualism
Modern individualism poses a significant threat to marriage by promoting self-affirmation over family commitments. This ideology often places personal desires and feelings as the ultimate authority, leading to a society where individual fulfillment trumps family stability. Such a mindset undermines the environment children need to thrive, highlighting the importance of returning to biblical principles to rescue marriage today. By prioritizing family commitments over individual desires, we can create a stable foundation for future generations. [12:55]

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV): "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Reflection: How can you shift your focus from self-affirmation to family commitment in your daily decisions and interactions?


Day 3: Upholding God's Purpose for Marriage
The Bible teaches that God created marriage as a foundational institution for companionship and procreation, filling the world with His image-bearers. Despite the fall, Christians are called to uphold God's creative purpose for marriage, immersing their families in the Word of God. The Old Testament, particularly Deuteronomy, emphasizes the responsibility of parents to teach their children God's commandments. By modeling Christ's love and sacrifice, families can reflect God's original design for marriage. [23:49]

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV): "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take to immerse your family in the Word of God and uphold His purpose for marriage?


Day 4: The Church as a Spiritual Family
Christian families have a unique opportunity to witness to the world through love, honor, and self-sacrifice. The church, as a spiritual family, should provide a community of care and support, especially for singles. Jesus reshaped the concept of family at the cross, entrusting Mary to John, symbolizing the church's role as a spiritual family. In this way, the church and Christian families can stand against the tide of individualism, offering a testimony of selflessness and love. [42:03]

John 19:26-27 (ESV): "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home."

Reflection: How can you contribute to your church community as a spiritual family, providing care and support to those in need?


Day 5: A Call to Love and Self-Sacrifice
In a world that often promotes self-fulfillment, the church and Christian families can stand as a testimony of selflessness and love. By focusing on love and discipline, they can draw people away from the religion of self-service to the true religion of self-giving and joy. This call to love and self-sacrifice is a powerful witness to the world, demonstrating the transformative power of living according to God's principles. [48:49]

1 John 3:16-18 (ESV): "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Reflection: Identify one practical way you can demonstrate selfless love to someone in your life today. How can this act of love reflect the transformative power of living according to God's principles?

Quotes

Thank you, Chris, for that kind introduction and for this wonderful theme that we're looking at in this hour: the 'Reformation at Home.' The 'Reformation at Home.' When we think of the Reformation we probably -- especially people gathered at this conference -- think first of all in terms of theology, and that of course was central and vital to the Reformation, but we need to remember that the Reformation was also very much a reform of institutions. [00:08:56]

Luther was a priest and Luther had been a monk, and for hundreds and hundreds of years in the Western church, priests and monks had taken vows of celibacy, and for a priest and a monk to marry was erratical, rebellious, revolutionary action. Luther was not the first of the reformers to marry, but as the pioneer reformer, his action had particular impact, and the story is an interesting one. [00:133:70]

So although Luther got married more as a testimony to his freedom to marry than out of any great love or romance, he soon discovered that marriage was a great institution. And as one of Luther's biographers, Roland Bainton put it, he discovered that marriage was the school of character. That it was a great, sanctifying institution. And he fell deeply in love with Katie, and they had a number of children. [00:402:43]

And so the Reformation really came along to rescue marriage. To rescue marriage from a fundamentally unbiblical understanding. And to get people to think again about the importance of this institution that God had established. And I would like to suggest that we are very much in days in which marriage needs to be rescued again. [00:565:97]

Today marriage needs to be rescued from people who are selling an unbiblical view of self-affirmation. I've got to be me. I've got to do what I want to do. I ran across a book. I wander through bookstores. It's hard to think of anything better. Wandering through a bookstore. And I came across a book that I paused over because of its title. [00:700:42]

And we're seeing the impact of that individualism all around us in American society. And its having a particular impact, isn't it, on the family. I don't want to get married, but I want to live with my boyfriend or girlfriend. I may never get married, because I don't want to be tied down by legal constraints. I need to get a divorce, I'm not happy anymore. [00:899:99]

And Paul is very serious about marriage. He says, "Marriage is to be a mirror to the world of Christ and His church." Marriage, Christian marriage, is to be place of love, and honor, and responsibility, and self-sacrifice. Just as Christ loved, and served, and sacrificed Himself for the church. That's the marriage that we want to hold up to the world. [00:1648:52]

And the Christian family, I really believe, has an opportunity to be a great witness to our society. Often a wordless witness. You know the Heidelberg Catechism asks the question, why do we still need good works if we're justified by faith, and part of the answer is we need good work so that our neighbor will be won to Christ by seeing them. [00:2197:27]

But it is really intriguing, the little picture we are given at the foot of the cross. John 19 verse 25, "But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Woman behold your son,' then he said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother.' [00:2498:03]

This is where marriage, in profound ways for single people but for all people, is reshaped. Because at that moment, Mary's family becomes not her biological family, but her spiritual family. Mary is given to the church to be taken care of in her weakness. And God's great plan is that in glory we will all be one family. [00:2676:29]

In a world of selfishness, our families and our churches need to be places of selflessness. This is why the church is so important. This is why it's wrong for Christians constantly to be wandering from congregation to congregation. Thank you. Now there are reasons to leave a congregation. Legitimate reasons to leave a congregation just as there are legitimate reasons for divorce. [00:2780:41]

Now, Reformation understood how Jesus was reshaping marriage so that the church would be a family of love and self-sacrifice, and I really believe that if we as Christians, will work on our families and congregations as places of love and discipline, God may well use that to call countless thousands of people away from their religion of self-service. [00:2884:54]

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Transcript
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