Marriage As Enslavement Under Law
There are only two people groups in the world; those under law and those under grace. These are not only two categories of existence, but two different mindsets. Primarily, under law will focus on not doing bad things against the law. Under grace will have a positive focus on loving God and others. It asks, “Did you love today,” not “Did you sin today?” One will focus on whatever people are doing against the law, viz, fault finding, the other will focus on people’s positive points. The under grace mindset will weigh a person’s contributions against faults and focus on the contributions. Under law focuses on faults. The problem with fault finding under law follows: people have a tendency to add their own laws to all other laws that exist leading to an impossible standard for living. Unfortunately, the wellness of most marriages are evaluated by the degree of which a spouse breaks any number of laws and categories of laws. Under the law mindset, in many cases, personal preference will become a law of higher significance than God’s law or any other law. Murder is often the sentence for violating someone’s personal law too many times.
The reason religious people under law focus so much on not breaking the law is because they are also under the condemnation of the law which is not a good thing. The focus is escaping condemnation, not loving. If you focus on love, condemnation is piling up in the background. So, it’s a life driven by fear of condemnation. Those under law are enslaved to sin and a futile endeavor to escape it. This is why Christ came to end the law and its condemnation: law-keeping doesn’t fulfill the law; only love fulfils the law. Our goal is love, not law-keeping to prevent condemnation.
Church, whether Protestant or Catholic, and all stripes that flow out of both are under law. Protestantism is primarily predicated on what is called, “Covenant Theology.” What’s a covenant? Right, it’s a law. Unbelievably, according to this theology and in overt contrast to Pauline theology, the relationship between Adam and God was based on a “covenant of works.” Once broken, Christ came under the “covenant of grace” to restore the original covenant (law) broken by Adam. It’s purely law-based in opposition to “the promise” given to Abraham and Christ.
Accordingly, everything about church is remaining just before God by keeping covenants. In the keeping of these covenants, Christ in turn fulfills the covenant of grace in our stead as a way of restoring the original covenant of works. The lesser covenants that invoke Christ to keep us just by fulfilling the major covenant of grace in our stead varies according to various church traditions. In other words, the lesser covenant of Catholicism is going to differ from the lesser covenant of Protestantism. In either case, these lesser covenants predicated on the horizontal traditions of men are referred to as “the means of grace” or the means of salvation. If people would stop long enough to ponder this notion on its face value, it would be revealed for what it is: in-your-face works justification.
Hence, as Protestant orthodoxy comes full circle in our day, prominent evangelical leaders are openly stating that being part of the body of Christ is synonymous with being faithful to a covenant with a local church; i.e., formal church membership and probable signing of a “church covenant.” This is a lesser covenant efficacious for salvation. The keeping of this lesser covenant, the church covenant, involves being faithful to the “means of grace.” Again, this is overt law-based salvation by works.
And marriage, one of the church covenants, is fulfilled by either remaining in the covenant or not remaining in the covenant…period. Whether the church covenant or the marriage covenant, the covenant is fulfilled, leading to Christ fulling the covenant of grace, by remaining in the covenant REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING. If you listen carefully to what the churched say in various and sundry situations, these elements are continually confirmed by what proceeds out of their mouths. Furthermore, judgement (condemnation) is pronounced on all those who supposedly break these covenants that are not valid to begin with. God never made a covenant with Adam. In every case where God makes a covenant with anybody—it’s called a covenant specifically. The covenant of grace is based on Genesis 3:15, but in that passage, God is speaking to the serpent!
What happens in a church or in a marriage is almost entirely irrelevant; faithfulness to the covenant is all that matters. And folks get the message; how is it possible that churches still exist regardless of their rotten fruit? Because the rotten fruit is irrelevant while covenant keeping (law-keeping) is the bottom line. It’s an exact reflection of the very same religious system that Christ railed against when He ministered on earth.
Those under grace are not under law and are not enslaved to the law and its condemnation. In our day and church culture, this is particularly relevant to wives. Church culture demands that they be keepers of the home and children with home schooling being part of the package. Large families are encouraged resulting in the wife being consumed with nothing but being a homemaker. Not only is she condemned if she leaves the church covenant and marriage covenant, but she would have to leave multiple children behind. Not only is mega-birthing encouraged to increase the church army, but it further enslaves the wife who rarely owns anything individually.
She is trapped and enslaved. At this point, a church husband can treat her anyway he wants to and there is not anything she can realistically do about it. She can’t leave with six to ten children, she has no car, no house, no education, no money…no nothing.
However, according to the apostle Paul, any marriage not built on oneness is an illegitimate marriage. Marriages under law are not valid; in the context of this post, the husband is an unbeliever who is not pleased to dwell with the wife for legitimate purposes. The wife, if she is under grace, may divorce.
She is not in bondage to law, particularly the lesser covenants based on the traditions of men, and the church has no authority to condemn her.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
The Puritan LARPers have most certainly made an idol out of marriage. In the words of our esteemed president, if you have to “work” on a marriage, it isn’t working. The thought of going to one of those “marriage retreats” makes my skin crawl. If you don’t act like that would be the bestest thing in the world, you are viewed as a problem or damaged goods. Back in long ago and far away, it was common for couples to live apart for extended periods of time if need be, John Adams daughter being an example. Seems better than forcing people together and not forcing an emotionally-charged snap separation.
Regarding church culture, it has been my experience in SBC and other Baptist churches that having a large, homeschooling family makes one rather an outcast. Most of the mothers in my Sunday School classes had full-time jobs and kids in public school. Now I do know that churches exist such as you describe where things can get creepy aka Doug Wilson in Idaho. My oldest daughter has somewhat of a impromtu online ministry talking to those homeschooled kids who were only allowed one drawer to keep their possessions in. They have no confidence at all in themselves, which in my mind is what homeschooling should be about. I’ve never been to a church like that– I suspect because those types of churches are most prevalent in the Reformed arena, which I avoid like the plague. You might also find that among the jean-skirt wearing IFBers, but I’ve found that a lot of them go to their own little private schools or public schools. Now the Life Way jet set that lives around me, (I can’t swing a dead-cat without hitting one of these people), they have 2-3 children, are a mixed bag in the schooling department, and take at least one big vacation per year on the tithe money of the faithful.
For this is my blood of the new testament,
This is my blood of the covenant,
A covenant is an agreement that involves both parties. When one does not hold up one’s end, the agreement dissolves. Covenants in the Bible almost always speak of Israel, and not born again believers. Switching the wording to covenant is a way the institutional church tries to put people back under a law they control the perception to. Regarding divorce, treating the spouse in a subhuman way, should make that agreement null an void. This can include all sorts of abuse: physical, emotional, and etc.
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RM, great stuff. Your last sentence has been in my comments forever and three minutes. I know Ratman Piper (and the rest of his cultists) does not believe what you and I do.
You swing dead cats? Well, I hope you’ve hit a few targets.
This cat swings . . .
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Thanks Paul for this excellent piece on the truth about mans lust to use power and control over others. Either he is the controller and fulfills his lust to do so or he’s the recipient of control and therefore exists in some form of a false security. Each step in finding truth and leaving behind false beliefs is profoundly welcomed and valued by me as I take a little time to think and as it makes perfect sense in my mind as I use my own mind along with the Holy Spirit for myself. It is difficult if we are lusting after man’s approval and commonality. We will, each of us, stand alone in the end. I no longer believe I not capable and in need of eldership authority. If you are reformed though, your Bible was re-writtened to teach you and enforce this falseness. I no longer believe I am defiled, depraved. This thinking is taught in a false way for the purposes of control over you and is from hell itself. There is truth in the idea though and accurately describes a sinner or unbeliever.
I am continually thankful for Paul’s Passing Thoughts and dedication to the real truth about history, God and what exists within the religious systems. Learn for yourself the truths about men who are really wolves in sheeps clothing. Their false gospels have been handed down from generation to generation. Men such as Luther and Calvin were murderous heretics. It remains a pity how most are like blind sheep following leadership or the latest book without knowledge for themselves.
This year is most profound for me as I divorced after 47 years. I was strengthened and able to break free as I studied and learned truth for myself. I learned what made sense to me concerning the religious systems of man vs the love of God which the Bible plainly says fulfills all of the law. Folks wake up out of your foolish false gospels. Jesus will not be performing works for you. That’s a promise! Works are not required – not even by Jesus! We are no longer under the law. Doesn’t the Bible teach this? Read the book of Galatians. I learned why the manner in which I was taught and treated in my marriage just did not add up to what a loving God would have for me. People truly do not know the difference therefore they are vulnerable. There now remains no law to condemn us. These ways were abolished thoroughly by God himself as Christ died and rose again. Salvation is a free gift. Does anything ring a bell? The curtain was torn in two, not one stone will exist, God does not dwell in temples made with hands. Yes it literally means just that! These are the same temples all of us drive by in each city each day in America. This is why stats between the church and the world are exactly the same. Ever thought about this? Come out from among them. Don’t deny or dismiss your thoughts as you observe what is craziness in your church. Who or what is the church anyway? Many exist in fear of the unknown, hoping their church membership will be all they were hoping for. You are free to exist in the love of God for God and for others. This is profound and amazingly simple and free! Believe without any fear of condemnation. Now this is a promise you can count on to be true.
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Well stated.
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…and you are most welcome.
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