Lesson 10: Till Death Do Us (Part) Unite
Questions 3 and 4
Erick wrote; "I believed all of this prior to being married and well into the marriage but that belief did not sink down into my heart so it didn't change my heart. In other words, I had never ‘experienced’ the meaning of these passages. I was still very much alive to my old self that abused my wife verbally and physically. I was very much alive to my old self that loved and viewed pornography. It wasn’t until I experienced the gospel's ‘power to crucify’ that my life was forever changed. It wasn’t until the old Erick died on the cross with Jesus by believing with faith that I was crucified with Christ, my old life was laid six feet under, I was raised to life and made a new creation in Christ. I was set free from the power of sin, free to live with new desires and free to love Sylvia with my new heart. This is how our marriage was united more powerfully in death. Death to self, sin and Satan. So, if you haven’t died with Christ your marriage is underpowered."
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:4-6 NLT
Question 3. Are you seeing the power of being united in your marriage by Jesus’ death and resurrection? Please share.
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In death, sin ‘loses its power’ in our lives and unites us powerfully with Jesus, and as a result to each other. This is true marital spiritual uniting power! Through death we are no longer ‘slaves to sin’ and to our former sinful lives like anger, being self-centered, judgmental, unloving and keeping a list of wrongs. This is the reason we like the phrase, ’Until death do we unite.’ Just as our own marriage has experienced this powerful union by dying and rising with Jesus, we are praying that your marriage will too.
“For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.” Romans 6:7 NLT
As we were out walking this morning, this illustration came to my mind: Just like an old car that struggles to climb a steep hill is underpowered, sluggish and may not even make it to the top, so goes the marriage that is underpowered, or under the power of sin. But at the cross when we die and rise with Christ, He sends us His Spirit into our hearts and we receive the Spirit's power (1 Corinthians 2:4) to soar like eagles over the top of mountains and climb the steepest hills (Isaiah 40:31). We die to be joined. Die to live. Die to be released from sin's power. All, so we can be raised to live our marriages with power, the power of God found in the gospel.
Question 4: How has the gospel message ministered to you today? Please share.
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