CredoFidoSpero
Puritan Board Freshman
This is from a book review by Tim Challies of John Piper's book "This Momentary Marriage" (Book Reviews - This Momentary Marriage & Velvet Steel :: books, marriage, poetry, reviews :: A Reformed, Christian Blog).
It's not the book I want to discuss, it's just that he says in the review:
Is the latter view more in the Presbyterian tradition? Can anyone explain this a little more? Thanks.
It's not the book I want to discuss, it's just that he says in the review:
The point Piper makes time and time again is this: “Marriage is patterned after Christ’s covenant relationship to his redeemed people, the church. And therefore, the highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and his church on display. That is why marriage exists. If you are married, that is why you are married. If you hope to be, that should be your dream.” Thus staying married is not about staying in love but about keeping covenant; getting divorced involves not just breaking a covenant with a spouse but misrepresenting Christ and his covenant. His understand depends, obviously, on a reading of Ephesians 5:32 that sees marriage primarily as a metaphor for Christ and the church. There are some biblical interpreters who would seem to disagree; if I read them properly it seems that many, perhaps mostly of the Presbyterian tradition, would reverse the two, saying that the relationship of Christ and his church helps us understand marriage rather than the other way around.
Is the latter view more in the Presbyterian tradition? Can anyone explain this a little more? Thanks.