You may have read the book Questioning Evangelism, by Randy Newman. And if you are anything like me it doesn't take you but two months to forget most of what you read. So, I want to share a beautiful meditation on marriage. Admittedly, I was surprised to find this in a book about evangelism. In his chapter 'What Is So Good About Marriage?', he first mentions that marriage secures and soothes. His final point is 'Marriage Sanctifies'. He quotes:
"The process of discovering or finding another person in the process of loosing oneself. This is certainly not a loss of identity, but only of the false identity that is founded upon self-will. Human beings are the presence of God in the world, and by drawing so close to one of them that we enter willingly into the fire of their judgement, it becomes possible for our own selfish will to be illuminated and cauterized. Intimacy is therefore a fire of righteous purification, a fire we could never tolerate were it not for the assurance that we are loved." (from The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason)
Then he comments on the quote:
"Loving cauterization- what a beautiful image! Marriage makes us better because it shows us how bad we are. Lifelong, unconditional commitment makes us more giving because it exposes how selfish we are. Loving someone who doesn't deserve love makes us more like the God who loved us "while we were still sinners" (Rom. 5:8). Unlike any other tool, then, marriage drives home the two-pronged message of the Gospel: that we are more wicked and sinful than we ever dared believe but, in Christ, we are more accepted and loved than we ever dared hope."
I loved this perspective on marriage as a illustration of the gospel message. What a beautiful design for our sanctification. An encouraging truth to remember.
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