Lesson
Two
The Participant’s Character
It is one thing to understand the concepts of a successful marriage, but it is quite another matter to put these principles into practice. The success or failure of the marriage union depends largely upon the character of those united.
Everyone
has a basic set of values or beliefs. In essence there are only two systems to
choose from – the biblical or the worldly. The basic difference between these
two systems is that the biblical standard seeks to please God while the worldly
seeks to please self. The worldly standard is feeling-oriented, but the biblical
standard is guided by absolute principles – those principles found in God’s
Word.
A
Christian with strong character acts consistently upon biblical principle;
however, a Christian with weak character wavers between a biblical and worldly
standard. The Bible calls this “lukewarm.” Are you “lukewarm”? Is God
pleased with a “lukewarm” Christian? “So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out
of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Some unsaved people act upon a worldly,
self-centered plane all the time, while others of weaker character are more
feeling-oriented and vacillate between “moral” and selfish behavior,
depending on their mood.
God’s
Word tells us that “light and darkness” are incompatible. Therefore, the
union of the saved and the unsaved will not work. A man unable to control his
temper, who beats his wife and neglects his children, probably not only has weak
character but also needs to be saved. So
also a woman who is rebellious, stubborn, and deceitful (one who uses various
psychological methods to gain selfish ends) needs salvation. Until both husband
and wife take this initial step of salvation, a good marriage will be very
difficult – if not impossible. “Wherefore
he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall
give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).
A Christian needs to be cautioned against union with the unsaved, but he also
needs to make certain that once he has accepted Christ he and his spouse grow
toward spiritual maturity, for a person of weak character will also be a
vacillating marriage partner.
Ephesians
5:15-20 mentions four steps toward developing a strong Christian character: (1)
Walking, (2) Redeeming, (3) Filling, and (4) Praising.
Step
1: Walking Circumspectly.
“See then that ye walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). Both mental attitude and
desires change after a person is saved. “Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He becomes aware
of the fallacies of the world’s system, such as more government control and
less individual responsibility. One by one our Christian freedoms are being
taken away and replaced with a worldly system. We can not pray in school, we can
not display the Ten Commandments in any governmental or school building, we can
not attack the sin of alternative life styles, we can not use Ohio’s motto
“With God all things are possible.” It is clear, the “one-world”
government is working on no freedom of religion for the followers of Christ, and
no freedom for individuals to bear arms, and soon, no freedom to correct your
children and all of this in the name of someone’s “rights.” All of this
will be clear to those who can discern between the biblical and worldly systems.
But rejoice; God is still on His throne and He is in control.
Thus,
once a person is saved, not only his perspective but his actions change. He
begins to act upon biblical principles. He no longer seeks to gratify self, but
seeks rather to please God. His love for God motivates him to love others and to
seek their welfare above his own. Thus, “walking circumspectly” and obeying
God’s Word enables a Christian to be a loving, wise marriage partner.
Step
2: Redeeming the Time.
It is also imperative that a Christian be “redeeming the time because the days
are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). Redeeming the time involves using the Scripture to
evaluate surroundings and to properly order priorities. Prayer, Bible reading,
and daily obedience to the Bible will increase a Christian’s ability to
fulfill his responsibility to redeem the time. But he also needs to get his
priorities in line with God’s Word, for a balanced Christian life is one with
four priorities: God, spouse, children, and ministry. Christ
should be first on any Christian’s list of priorities. “And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). Obedience to Him is the first
responsibility. The next major concern is the marriage partner. Every marriage
should be a picture of Christ and His bride [the Church]. “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be
to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:24-25). Since
this symbolic thread is woven throughout the Old and New Testaments, it is
obvious that Christ holds marriage in high esteem. If Christians give Christ the preeminence, then this analogy
will follow in their lives.
One
of the most precious gifts of marriage is children, the Christian’s third
priority. If parents fail to govern them properly, these children will mar the
parent’s testimony. The unsaved will not listen to their “formula” for
successful living if their children reject their message.
The
final major responsibility is a Christian’s God-given ministry. If the first
three priorities are well taken care of, God can then bless the fourth.
Redeeming the time necessitates that certain duties take precedence over others.
Over commitment is the weakness of many zealous Christian workers. They let the
good become the enemy of the best. Some may know God has called them to a
particular ministry in a church, but they let five other jobs in the church take
up all their time. Their real ministry suffers and does not grow. The five other
jobs get a “lick and a promise,” and the family gets little or no attention.
A Christian’s looking to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leadership will
establish the priorities that insure a balanced Christian life.
Step
Three: The filling of the Holy Spirit.
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the
Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17, 18). Drinking wine changes a person’s behavior
temporarily. God, however, wants a positive, permanent change, and He has
provided the prescription for it: the filling of the Holy Spirit. Through the
Scriptures the Holy Spirit can direct our lives.
Much
is being said about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Despite this fact,
however, few Christians understand the principle. They realize that the Spirit
comes into their lives when they are saved “But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”
(Romans 8:9), but they do not know how to be filled. Scripture gives two
simple steps to follow. First, confess all known sin; then yield completely to
the Holy Spirit.
The
first step is easily understood, but the second one is often confusing.
“Yielding” is not a one-time dedication at a special revival or campfire
meeting. It is a daily submission to the will of God. Real surrender means, “I
am going to yield my will and body each moment to Christ; it will not be my
desires today but God’s.” “I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20) and “And
he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
We
must to be alive to Christ and dead to self every day. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto
sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:11-13).
Step
4: Praising God.
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving
thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19,20).
Verses 19 and 20 are natural outgrowths of the previous steps. Once the mind and
heart have been transformed to the image of Christ by the filling of the Spirit,
praise is a natural, spontaneous reaction.
The steps toward building a strong, Christian character are simple to follow and essential for success. Once these principles are put into practice, marriage problems as well as life’s other problems will fall into their proper perspective. Two people who have yielded their soul, mind, and heart to God can have a truly joy-filled Christian marriage.
A
CASE STUDY:
A Christian Counselor said a mother called him to help her 26-year-old son and
daughter-in-law whose marriage was breaking up. Both the husband wife were eager
for help and came from a town 20 miles away to see him the next day. The husband
had hair down to his shoulders, and his wife’s dress revealed more than it
covered. They had been married seven years, had two children, a new home, and a
good income, but they were not happy.
The
husband admitted, “We have everything that anyone could want, and we have
tried everything that could give us happiness, including regular use of drugs,
but we just aren’t happy. We have searched for happiness, but even though we
now have everything we’re ever dreamed about, we are still frustrated.” He
did find a certain amount of enjoyment in hunting, but as he said, “That
doesn’t increase the bond in our marriage, and even though I enjoy it, I still
feel that it’s useless.” His wife was becoming very fearful, nervous, and
continually dissatisfied.
They
had both come from a religious background but had generally rejected their
heritage in their quest for fun and excitement. The counselor talked with them
about the problem of sin and selfishness in their lives and showed them from the
Scripture how they could receive Christ as their personal Saviour to gain
complete forgiveness and satisfy the terrible longing of their souls. They both
accepted Christ that day, and many changes began to take place in their lives
almost immediately, including a new-found unity in their marriage.
The
counselor visited them once a week to help them grow in their new faith. A
two-pack-a-day cigarette habit concerned both of them for about three months
until they gained victory over it. They also decided to attend a weekend
couples’ retreat. This altered their lives, for it was at the camp that they
dedicated themselves to full-time Christian service. Deciding to live a
crucified life, they sold their home, and went to a Bible College, where he
entered as a ministerial student.
Salvation
and the filling of the Holy Spirit drastically changed these two young
people’s lives. It has brought them love and unity in their marriage and given
them a purpose for living and a sense of fulfillment. In their case these two
steps provided the keys to the abundant life. They now feel led to the mission
field and are following God’s direction for their lives.
The
key that made this marriage turn around and work was that both parties were
willing to be open to counseling. Both wanted things to work out. Both had an
open heart to God’s Word. Both believed God’s Word. Both became obedient to
God’s leading. Both are now serving Him. It takes both parties to save a
marriage. One can not change the other, but God can change both. God is in the
picture at the wedding and God must be in the picture to save the marriage. “But
Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God
all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Fill
In the Blank or Answer the Question:
1. Lesson Two is titled “The Participant’s ___________________ .”
2. The success or failure of the marriage union depends largely upon the ____________________ of those united.
3. Name the only two sets of values of beliefs man has a choice to live by:
A. The ____________________
B. The ____________________
4. The biblical standard seeks to please _____________ .
5.
The worldly standard seeks to please _____________ .
6.
The worldly standard is ________________________ .
7.
The biblical standard is _______________________________________ .
8.
Where are these absolute principles found? _______________________ .
9.
Is it good to be “lukewarm” in the eyes of God? ___________ .
10.
What does “lukewarm” mean? _________________________ .
11.
Are “light and darkness” compatible? ________________ .
12.
Name the four steps toward developing a strong Christian character:
Step 1. ___________________________________________
Step 2. ___________________________________________
Step 3. ___________________________________________
Step 4. ___________________________________________
13.
Once a person is saved his _____________________ change.
14.
What does the word “circumspectly” mean? _____________________ .
15.
What three things will increase a Christian’s ability to redeem the time?
1.
His time in ____________________ .
2.
His time in ____________________ .
3.
His ____________ obedience to the Bible.
16.
Give, in order, the four priorities needed for a balanced Christian life.
1.
___________________________ .
2.
___________________________ .
3.
___________________________ .
4.
___________________________ .
17.
What does the word “preeminence” mean? _____________________ .
18.
The Scripture gives two simple steps to follow to be Spirit filled:
1.
______________________ all known sin.
2.
______________________ to the Holy Spirit.
19.
A Christian should be _________ to Christ and __________ to sin.
20. Two people who have ______________ their _________ , _________ , and ____________ to God can have a truly ________________ Christian marriage. It takes _________ and ________ to ________ a broken marriage.