Читать книгу The Marriage Manual - Mike Clark - Страница 3

Why another book on marriage? Books about marriage abound, written from many perspectives. Many offer practical insights on improving marital communication, understanding personality types, and building inter-personal relationships. These are helpful in working on various components of marriage. But do people understand the basics of marriage? What is the point of working on certain facets of marriage if there is no foundation for a marriage to work upon? A contractor should build a house with a solid foundation. The house will not last if the contractor spends every moment building beautiful vaulted ceilings or bay windows while neglecting the foundation. There is a foundation to marriage that this book seeks to explain. This book answers basic questions about marriage so that other helps to marriage can build upon this solid foundation. Do you know the master blueprint for marriage? Do you know what the ideal of marriage is as God intended it? Do you know how wives and husbands work together in marriages toward that ideal? This book is a marriage manual to guide you to healthy marriage.

I write this book as a pastor of a church and as one who has discovered that the Bible is God’s manual for life and for marriages. Pastors have a perspective distinct from marriage counselors or seminary theologians, for pastors are theologians in the field. As pastors, we see marriage from the Biblical training we received in theological seminary and have developed over years of study and dialogue. We also see marriage from the various situations of the married couples that we deal with in churches. When we counsel couples engaged to be married, we teach the ideal of marriage and its basics so a couple can build a life together. We marry these couples, share their early bliss, and then help them in times of joy and sorrow. We share their joy in the births of their children. We labor to repair marriages that have begun to break down. We help pick up the pieces of broken marriages. We celebrate golden anniversaries and bury those who have lived in wedded bond for over 70 years. Because of this mix of practical experience with marriage and education in the teachings of the Bible, pastors can speak about the ideal of marriage and how couples can work to attain this ideal with Christ’s direction.

I do not have any intention to present a formula for a perfect marriage in this world. I don’t think that is ultimately why God gave us the institution of marriage. I believe marriage is another way that God prepares those who follow Him for full and eternal life. I do not claim any perfection as a husband. I am learning to work toward the ideal with the patient partnership of my wife Susan. We are learning to apply liberally this motto in our marriage, “We live by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.” We are working toward the ideal, because God calls us, and each spouse, to honor Him in our marriages, and because we benefit directly from this deeper intimacy in our marriage.

I do intend to present God’s ideal for marriage to encourage marriages in Christ. For those contemplating marriage, this book can help them discover the foundation of marriage to build upon in life-long commitment. For those currently married, this book can be a call to renewal, to check the foundation of their marriage and help keep it solidified. To those experiencing anguish in marriage, this book can help re-establish a solid foundation in marriage. If we understand more clearly where our marriages are ultimately headed, we can make great strides toward joyful intimacy and encourage others to follow Christ with us toward this goal. Or, as I pray with couples in the marriage ceremony after they have shared their marriage vows to each other, “May these holy promises heard this day in the presence and strength of Christ be fulfilled in your future. Amen.”