On Valentines Day Sunday, I'm sure there will be many church's preaching on a husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. And many of a lady out their will appreciated these words from their pastor.
But I ask you, how are we to love? For God's word tells us we are to Love God and our Neighbor, and that these two commandments hang all the law and of he prophets.
Matthew 22:36-40 (King James Version)
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
With this said, are we to define the love we are to show towards God and others as we see fit, or as God sees fit? I've come across many well meaning Christians who speak of love, but know nothing of what God's word commands. I submit, that the two of the greatest commandments is a summarization of mans duty, and that the Ten Commandments expands this summarization further, and that the whole of scripture expands the Ten Commandments.
For example, in the Ten Commandments we are instructed how we are to love God in that we are to have no other god before him, we are not to take his name in vain, we are not to worship idols, and so forth. The rest of scripture gives us lesson on these commands. Therefor we are taught how to love God, and what is not loving God, along with the natural consequences of not loving God properly.
Additionally, we are taught how to love our neighbors by not stealing from them, not committing adultery, not murdering them, not bearing false witnesses against them, and so forth. And likewise the rest of scripture expands upon these themes, and again we are taught how to love and how to not love our neighbors, and the natural consequences if we fail to keep these commands.
Is this not the love that we should be speaking of on Valentine's Day?
However, the sad fact is that many will focus their attention on romantic love this Sunday. Mean while the will ignore the fact that 65% of all marriage which include many marriages in reformed churches end in divorce. And members of these reformed churches are divorcing one another and in sometimes being told that divorcing their spouse even though no adultery nor desertion of their spouse has occurred is not sin. And other's in the church look on and think that a divorce for any and every reason is not sin, especially if it is because the two people argue.
I say this that these Reformed Church that allow members to divorce for reason other than adultery or desertion have departed from the reformation an God's word. And those churches that have the Westminster Confession of Faith as their church confession and believe that divorce for reasons other than adultery or desertion is permissible show that they have abandoned their church's confession and and only preaching and teaching what is right in their own eyes.
For the Westminster Confession of Faith states the following:
WCF 24.6. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage: yet, nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church, or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage: wherein, a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case.
And for those church's that also hold to the Westminster Larger Catechism and make statements that members can leave their spouces for reason other than willful desertion or adultery, and fail to hold those members accountable, now preach and teach that adultery is no longer a sin, and by their failure to act are endorsing members to violate the 7th Commandment.
Q. 139. What are the sins forbidden in the seventh commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the seventh commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are, adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts; all unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections; all corrupt or filthy communications, or listening thereunto; wanton looks, impudent or light behavior, immodest apparel; prohibiting of lawful, and dispensing with unlawful marriages; allowing, tolerating, keeping of stews, and resorting to them; entangling vows of single life, undue delay of marriage; having more wives or husbands than one at the same time; unjust divorce, or desertion; idleness, gluttony, drunkenness, unchaste company; lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancings, stage plays; and all other provocations to, or acts of uncleanness, either in ourselves or others.
With this said, this Sunday, take these issues up before your church leaders. Ask them, how are we loving one another when divorce is so ramped within the church? Has not our church's become a church of Corinth? Should we not do as Paul instructs the Corinthian Church and repent of our sins, and do that which is right? Ask your leadership, what are we doing to ensure that our Gospel Message is clear on this issue.
I also wondering how many churches that have the Westminster Confession of Faith as their statement of faith actually teach to it. Or is it one of those things that they just list on their web page.
For those of us that what to uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith as our own confession, by wearing parts of it, I have designed a T-Shirt that can be found at www.shirtmagic.com/shop/spepchurch . Other things people can do is also post parts of the confession up on their web pages, or encourage their leaders to have it as part of their church Sunday Morning Readings.
The shirt is pretty straight forward. It has WCF 24.6 on the back of it, and Matthew 19:6 on the back. Will you buy the shirt or make one up like it to show your support for the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Christ's own words in this age when people are getting divorce for any and every reason? I think in this age of ramped divorce, if you do not make such statements like this, you and your church's are simply giving consent to unjust divorces, and are equally guilty of breaking the 7th Commandment, and how is that loving your neighbor on Valentine's Day. Give the gift of love, and speak lovingly and truthfully.
But I ask you, how are we to love? For God's word tells us we are to Love God and our Neighbor, and that these two commandments hang all the law and of he prophets.
Matthew 22:36-40 (King James Version)
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
With this said, are we to define the love we are to show towards God and others as we see fit, or as God sees fit? I've come across many well meaning Christians who speak of love, but know nothing of what God's word commands. I submit, that the two of the greatest commandments is a summarization of mans duty, and that the Ten Commandments expands this summarization further, and that the whole of scripture expands the Ten Commandments.
For example, in the Ten Commandments we are instructed how we are to love God in that we are to have no other god before him, we are not to take his name in vain, we are not to worship idols, and so forth. The rest of scripture gives us lesson on these commands. Therefor we are taught how to love God, and what is not loving God, along with the natural consequences of not loving God properly.
Additionally, we are taught how to love our neighbors by not stealing from them, not committing adultery, not murdering them, not bearing false witnesses against them, and so forth. And likewise the rest of scripture expands upon these themes, and again we are taught how to love and how to not love our neighbors, and the natural consequences if we fail to keep these commands.
Is this not the love that we should be speaking of on Valentine's Day?
However, the sad fact is that many will focus their attention on romantic love this Sunday. Mean while the will ignore the fact that 65% of all marriage which include many marriages in reformed churches end in divorce. And members of these reformed churches are divorcing one another and in sometimes being told that divorcing their spouse even though no adultery nor desertion of their spouse has occurred is not sin. And other's in the church look on and think that a divorce for any and every reason is not sin, especially if it is because the two people argue.
I say this that these Reformed Church that allow members to divorce for reason other than adultery or desertion have departed from the reformation an God's word. And those churches that have the Westminster Confession of Faith as their church confession and believe that divorce for reasons other than adultery or desertion is permissible show that they have abandoned their church's confession and and only preaching and teaching what is right in their own eyes.
For the Westminster Confession of Faith states the following:
WCF 24.6. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage: yet, nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church, or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage: wherein, a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case.
And for those church's that also hold to the Westminster Larger Catechism and make statements that members can leave their spouces for reason other than willful desertion or adultery, and fail to hold those members accountable, now preach and teach that adultery is no longer a sin, and by their failure to act are endorsing members to violate the 7th Commandment.
Q. 139. What are the sins forbidden in the seventh commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the seventh commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are, adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts; all unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections; all corrupt or filthy communications, or listening thereunto; wanton looks, impudent or light behavior, immodest apparel; prohibiting of lawful, and dispensing with unlawful marriages; allowing, tolerating, keeping of stews, and resorting to them; entangling vows of single life, undue delay of marriage; having more wives or husbands than one at the same time; unjust divorce, or desertion; idleness, gluttony, drunkenness, unchaste company; lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancings, stage plays; and all other provocations to, or acts of uncleanness, either in ourselves or others.
With this said, this Sunday, take these issues up before your church leaders. Ask them, how are we loving one another when divorce is so ramped within the church? Has not our church's become a church of Corinth? Should we not do as Paul instructs the Corinthian Church and repent of our sins, and do that which is right? Ask your leadership, what are we doing to ensure that our Gospel Message is clear on this issue.
I also wondering how many churches that have the Westminster Confession of Faith as their statement of faith actually teach to it. Or is it one of those things that they just list on their web page.
For those of us that what to uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith as our own confession, by wearing parts of it, I have designed a T-Shirt that can be found at www.shirtmagic.com/shop/spepchurch . Other things people can do is also post parts of the confession up on their web pages, or encourage their leaders to have it as part of their church Sunday Morning Readings.
The shirt is pretty straight forward. It has WCF 24.6 on the back of it, and Matthew 19:6 on the back. Will you buy the shirt or make one up like it to show your support for the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Christ's own words in this age when people are getting divorce for any and every reason? I think in this age of ramped divorce, if you do not make such statements like this, you and your church's are simply giving consent to unjust divorces, and are equally guilty of breaking the 7th Commandment, and how is that loving your neighbor on Valentine's Day. Give the gift of love, and speak lovingly and truthfully.
Last edited:
