“Paul understands that sex has unique effects on a person’s psyche. Because sex reflects the most intimate of interpersonal relations among humans, it should be reserved for the most permanent of interpersonal commitments. God established the principle of lifelong monogamy as a creation ordinance, transcending all cultures and periods of human history...” – Dr. Blomberg

Living at the conviction level. The goal = bring them up in the admonition of the LORD to make wise and godly decisions on their own (Joshua 24:15).

“Underlying the giving of the tithe was the basic idea that ‘the earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it’ (Ps. 24:1). To give a tenth, therefore, meant to acknowledge in a tangible way the Lord’s ownership of the land and its produce. Hence, Judah’s failure to do this was tantamount to robbing God (Mal. 3:8, 10), not of the material things themselves – these already belonged to God (Pr. 50:10) – but of the recognition that these material things belonged to him and were exclusively his. Man’s possessions were seen as gifts given by God, the proper response to which was gratitude. Tithing, then, came to mean also an expression of thanks to God for his generosity (cf. Gen. 28:20-22). Finally, the effect of tithing meant that the Levites and priests could be supported and the poor provided with good. Tithing was viewed, therefore, as God’s way of involving his people in his own redemptive activity, in his own immense concern for the poor and destitute. Just as God had shared his blessings with his people, so they who received them must share them with people less fortunate. Hence, religious leaders repeatedly reminded the Israelites of the importance of tithing: to give the tithe would bring divine blessing; to withhold it, divine cursing (Ezek. 44:30 ff.; Mal. 3:8, 10).” – Colin Brown, New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Vol. 3, p. 853.

“The New Testament does not suggest any short-cuts by which we can grow in sanctification, but simply encourages us repeatedly to give ourselves to the old-fashioned, time-honored means of Bible reading and meditation (Ps. 1:2; Matt. 4:4; John 17:17), prayer (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6), worship (Eph. 5:18-20), witnessing (Matt. 28:19-20), Christian fellowship (Heb. 10:24-25), and self-discipline or self-control (Gal. 5:23; Titus 1:8).”

Does “forgiveness” mean you forget? Does it mean there’s no consequence? What does biblical forgiveness look like? How does the Gospel bear on this situation?

God’s Solution: Biblical Communication – Ephesians 4:25-32

Husband and Wife roles and Biblical solutions to the struggle.

“What made the traditional family remarkable is what it brought together. And what it brought together was sexual drive, physical desire, friendship, companionship, emotional kinship and love, the begetting of children, their protection and care, their early education, their induction into an identity and a history. Seldom has any institution woven together so many different drives and desires, so many different roles and responsibilities. It made sense of the world and gave it a human face. The face of love.” – Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Our job, even now, is to simply Trust and obey.