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Reflecting on forty years of marriage to Noel, John Piper exalts the biblical meaning of marriage.
There has never been a generation whose view of marriage has been high enough. And this is all the more true today.
Though selfishness and cultural bondage obstruct the wonder of God's purpose, his vision for marriage in the Bible frees us from small, romance-intoxicated views. As John Piper explains, 'Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It is mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display.'
This Momentary Marriage unpacks the biblical vision for marriage, its unexpected contours, and its weighty implications for married, single, divorced and remarried alike.
Reflecting on forty years of marriage to Noel, John Piper exalts the biblical meaning of marriage, exhorting couples to keep their covenant for all the best reasons.
Foreword: Pendulums and Pictures by Noël Piper
Introduction: Marriage and Martyrdom
1. Staying Married Is Not Mainly about Staying in Love
2. Naked and Not Ashamed
3. God’s Showcase of Covenant-Keeping Grace
4. Forgiving and Forbearing
5. Pursuing Conformity to Christ in the Covenant
6. Lionhearted and Lamblike—The Christian Husband as Head: Foundations of Headship
7. Lionhearted and Lamblike—The Christian Husband as Head: What Does It Mean to Lead?
8. The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission
9. Single in Christ: A Name Better Than Sons and Daughters
10. Singleness, Marriage, and the Christian Virtue of Hospitality
11. Faith and Sex in Marriage
12. Marriage Is Meant for Making Children ... Disciples of Jesus: How Absolute Is the Duty to Procreate?
13. Marriage Is Meant for Making Children ... Disciples of Jesus: The Conquest of Anger in Father and Child
14. What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate: The Gospel and the Radical New Obedience
15. What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate: The Gospel and the Divorced
Conclusion: This Momentary Marriage
| Contributors | John Piper |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781844749652 |
| Format | eBook |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | IVP |
Perhaps the emphasis I most enjoyed is this: that marriage is not about lifelong fireworks and unending doe-eyed feelings of romance. Instead, marriage is about the long-term commitment to make a statement about God to the rest of the world. In the opening chapter Piper writes, “Marriage is a momentary gift. … As this book is published, Noel and I are passing our fortieth anniversary of marriage. She is God’s gift to me—far better than I deserve. We speak often of the wonder of being married tell one of us dies. It has not been trouble-free. So we imagine ourselves in our seventies or eighties—when divorce is not only sin, but socially silly—sitting across from each other, perhaps at Old Country Buffet, and smiling at each other’s wrinkled faces, and saying with the deepest gratitude for God’s grace: ‘We made it.’” This is a realistic book, one that is written from a gritty, true-life perspective. It is a powerful book that turns constantly to the Bible, to the Creator of marriage, to gain his perspective. It is not practical in the sense of offering six easy steps to a healthy marriage, but practical in the sense that it offers a biblical foundation that can support and sustain a healthy, God-honoring marriage. Piper waited forty years to write this book and those long years are reflected from the first page to the last.... continue reading
