March 2019

“Calling All Husbands!”

By Zach Wood

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansingher by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Two weeks ago, my wife and I had the privilege of attending our first marriage retreat with Weekend To Remember in Minneapolis that is put on by Family Life. I must share that it was one of the best investments we have made in our marriage to this day! It was a weekend filled with much learning and a great revival for renewing our marriage.

I am writing this devotional specifically to husbands this week. I felt the need to share with you all after the powerfully inspiring weekend we had! As a husband, I was challenged in ways I never thought I would be challenged. Throughout the weekend, I felt so guilty of not being the Godly husband that I’ve needed to be for my wife. Throughout our marriage, I so often haven’t been the supportive man I need to be for my wife. This weekend allowed me to see a whole different perspective on how I should care for my wife. It taught me how I need to turn from my daily selfish ways and consider my wife so much more.

As the weekend progressed, I found myself becoming overwhelmed with emotion and God was revealing to me so much about how I needed to be much more loving and unconditional toward my wife. Husbands, I want to challenge you to truly love your wives each and every day. It is so important to not focus on just what your needs and desires are and to focus your love on making her feel truly cherished. God calls us to treat our wives with respect and love because He gave them to us to take care of.

I was so glad we attended this conference. It was just what we needed to renew and revive so many things in our marriage. I am thankful that God worked in my heart that weekend to change my perspective about the relationship that marriage should be. It is a teamwork relationship and it is often hard. It takes devotion and much effort. I would recommend any couple take the time to attend this conference and be challenged.

Husbands, I want to encourage you to love your wives in Christ. Wives, I hope you will read this and be encouraged to be a team with your husband. I am no marriage expert and never will be. However, I know that any marriage without Christ cannot experience the growth that only a marriage with Christ can experience. It is amazing!

Ephesians 5:25-28 (LEB)

Husbands and WivesHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for her;25Husbands and WivesHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for her;26in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing hersupplied from English context with the washing of water by the word;26in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing hersupplied from English context with the washing of water by the word;27in order that he might present to himself the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she may be holy and blameless.27in order that he might present to himself the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she may be holy and blameless.28Thus also husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. The one who loves his own wife loves himself.28Thus also husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. The one who loves his own wife loves himself.

The Trinity can be considered one of the most significant doctrines of the Christian faith. While it has been often attacked by people who have held other beliefs, and it has been alleged that it is not a Biblical doctrine due to the fact that the word “Trinity” is not mentioned in The Bible, the doctrine, according to Christians is, at least in substance, Biblical.

At the outset we must state the study of The Trinity, because it discusses the nature of The One, true God, is holy ground and the doctrine itself can be known only by divine revelation. Human reason is incapable of fathoming it. It was God’s Will to reveal to humanity His inner working. According to mainstream Christianity, the doctrine, having been revealed to mankind through Scriptures, is far from being the result of human reasoning.

To define The Trinity according to the teachings found in The Bible, we have to first make it very clear that there is only One eternal God, Who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Deut. 4:35; 4:39; 32:39; 2 Sam. 22:32; Isa. 37:20; 43:10; 44:6-8; 45:14; 45:21-22; 46:9; John 5:44; Rom: 3:30; 16:27; 1 Cor. 8:4-6 etc.). He is the only God that exists (2 Chr. 15:3; Jer 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 John 5:20-21) and all other “gods” that various nations have created are false gods / idols (Deut. 32:21; 1 Sam. 12:21; Psa. 96:5; Isa. 37:19; 41:23-24; 41:29; Jer. 2:11; 5:7; 16:20; 1 Cor. 8:4; 10:19-20). However, within His nature, this One God is three co-equal and co-eternal persons, or three centers of consciousness: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. While being distinguishable or distinct from one another, these three Persons (also called “Hypostases” by some Christian denominations) constitute the One God.

Also, it is important to understand that, despite being possible for everything that is true about God to be true about The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, the reverse is not true. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God, but it is incorrect to say that God is the Father, God is the Son, or God is the Spirit. God’s nature consists of three distinct Persons and, while it is permissible to pray to only one Person of The Trinity, it generally regarded as an error to limit God to one particular member of the Trinity.

Let us analyze some of the points made by Scripture about the nature of God.

1. There Is Only One God That Exists

Central to the doctrine of the Trinity is the biblical teaching of the existence of only one God. It would be false to affirm that any other divine being has real existence. Trinitarians, or those who believe in the Trinity, are positive that only one God exists. Additionally, it is impossible for the essence of God to be divided. God, by nature, is spirit and possesses no physical form. It is not possible to divide up spirit. The God of the Bible is One single infinite being Who has always existed, exists and will always exist in an indivisible state.

2. There Are Three Distinct Persons Who Exist (The Father, Son, And The Holy Spirit)

Scripture also implies that there are three distinct Persons Who exist within the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. To give some illustrative examples: Jesus prayed to God the Father, not to Himself. At His baptism the voice of the Father spoke in an approving way of Jesus; it was not Jesus who spoke of Himself. Consequently, the three Persons should not be confused with one another.

3. Each Of The Three Persons Is Called God

This one should be pretty easy to grasp: The Father is God, The Son is God, and The Holy Spirit is God. Each are called God, and each possesses attributes that only God can possess.

4. The Three Persons Are The One God (The Trinity)

If we take the above facts into consideration, we can come to the conclusion that, if only one God exists, and if there are three distinct persons who are all called God, then the three persons must be the one God. This is the doctrine of the Trinity.

An additional clarification of the doctrine of The Trinity would have to be the following: all the three Persons of The Trinity are distinct in their roles and have different functions within the Godhead. The Father is The One Who sent The Son and then The Holy Spirit to testify of The Son (Jesus The Messiah). While being equal in nature with God The Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit are subordinate in their relationships. This should not be understood as meaning that they are lesser in character, as that would be incorrect. They are equal in dignity, majesty, glory, and power but different in their roles, so we should not only focus on only one Person of The Trinity (for example, only on Jesus or only on The Holy Spirit), but rather on the entire Trinity. Jesus Himself instructed us to pray to God The Father, so we should conclude that we should focus our prayers on the Persons of The Trinity in the hierarchical order of their relationships, asking God The Father to help us in Jesus Christ’s Name through The Holy Spirit.

1 John 5:20-21 (LEB)

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, in order that we may know the one who is true, and we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, in order that we may know the one who is true, and we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.21Little children, guard yourselves from idols.21Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

John 5:44 (LEB)

How are you able to believe, if youHere “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“accept”) which is understood as conditional accept glory from one another, and do not seek the glory which is from the only God?44How are you able to believe, if youHere “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“accept”) which is understood as conditional accept glory from one another, and do not seek the glory which is from the only God?

John 17:3 (LEB)

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.3Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Archives for March 2019

Ephesians 5:25-28 (LEB)

1 John 5:20-21 (LEB)

John 5:44 (LEB)

John 17:3 (LEB)