New Bible Study on Gary Thomas’ Sacred Marriage
Gary Thomas is becoming a quick favorite in the Christian community with his series of books. I just recently finished leading a group at my church through a study of the his Sacred Marriage book and would encourage it to you.
In a society that views life from the filter of what is in it for me, Thomas lays out a thesis in the Sacred Marriage that marriage is that marriage is more about making you holy than just happy. This book should challenge your thinking and redouble your efforts to work on your marriage. There is a choosing to follow God with your marriage; you cannot just let it come on its own.
Sacred Marriage Summary
Marriage is meant to be hard because it is two incomplete people trying to make life work together. The glory of this union is that as you succeed in making it work, you also learn how to make that same type of union work with God. That to me is one of the greatest gifts of marriage — the insight it provides to our relationship with God. Your marriage to your spouse is intended to represent Christ’s love for the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32). That means that every aspect of marriage will teach us more about God’s love for us.
This is the angle I took on the study questions for Sacred Marriage (PDF) I put together our class. Each lesson looks at Thomas’ teachings and than goes through a Bible study related to that topic.
I recommend Sacred Marriage as it will encourage you in your marriage, and it is easy to read. This made it great for group discussions. I was able to do more than one chapter per week, and even though my crowd was parents of preschoolers, they were able to find time to read the chapters.
It is so easy to become complacent in our marriages, so this book would be a good reminder to value and love your spouse – God’s perfect gift for you. While you are at, let this book re-ignite your love for God. Marriage is meant to remind us of His love after all.
Before you get heavily into this Bible study you should look up “Sacred Marriage (Gary Thomas) – A review of its dangers for Christians” from Harper’s Crossing Christian Church. It’s on their website. It is a very well-done critique.
Thank you for your concern. It is important to remember that Satan comes to counterfeit the promises and blessings that God offers to us. I got the impression that church did more to tell you what was wrong of every other Christian than really promoting the advancement of the kingdom of God. I hope that impression is incorrect. I hope that their leadership and those that call that church home are growing of the love of God and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. And, I pray that every marriage in that church is vibrant, fruitful, and full of love.
Blessings,
Kevin
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