GUEST BLOGGER: Where We Must Begin

NOTE: I have invited the contributions of Stu Reimer to write in this space on the issues of marriage and family. If you follow CRC at all you will know Stu to be my frequent substitute in the pulpit and I am looking forward to his work as my substitute from time to time in this space. Expect his blogs to appear every 6 weeks or so.

Stu is no expert on the things on which I have asked him to write (Just ask his wife and children), but he is a committed reformed Christian and a committed husband and father. His opinions are his own, but I trust that reading his blogs will bring much wisdom and offer much practical value as we try to maintain biblical faithfulness in our families while navigating a strange and contrary world.

Now, on to Stu.

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So, I had it all outlined which doctrines I would like to cover and how beneficial it would be to apply them to our families. I must confess that I was all set to begin when I realized I overlooked the most necessary of them all; the one that all others are dependent upon. Of course, I’m talking about Sola Scriptura. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), was the heart of the Reformation and to offer a quick definition, it is the belief that Scripture alone serves as the final and sufficient authority for matters of faith and practice and is above any human tradition. For this to hold weight, it must be connected to the belief that Scripture is both inerrant and sufficient.

Now this may leave you confused, doesn’t every Christian believe that The Word of God is both inerrant and sufficient? Well, unless they are an extreme liberal biblical critic I would agree that yes, on paper, most confessing Christians would be quick to confess these two tenets of Scripture. Yet, how one applies Scripture to their lives usually reveals their true beliefs.

To prove this let me take you back, way back to the beginning. God had given Adam and Eve everything they needed for a life in paradise and the only thing they were forbidden was to eat from the tree of knowledge or they were promised sure death. At this point if you were to question Adam and Eve to the truthfulness and clarity of God’s Word, they wouldn’t hesitate to proclaim it. Then the serpent came along in Genesis 3 and asked them, “Did God really say…?” It says in 3:1 that the Serpent was the most cunning of all the creatures and it was on display as he first placed doubt in the clarity of God’s Word. Next, he would place doubt in the authority of God’s word to them when he hissed, “Surely you won’t die”.

As we look around at our culture and see the broken state of the family it’s not hard to see that the successful strategy used by the serpent in the garden is the same one that he continues to have success with today. Sadly, some of his best work is done within churches. You can almost still hear him hiss as he fools the naive and arrogant as he muddies the clarity and authority of God’s Word.

“Did God really say marriage is only for one man and one woman? Surely this doesn’t apply when two people are in a loving, committed relationship”.

“Did God really say that a man is to be the head of the home? Surely He would be against any form of hierarchy”.

“Did God really say you need stay committed to a spouse you no longer have feelings for? Surely He wants you to be happy”.

“Did God really say it’s alright to spank a child? Surely that is abuse”.

“Did God really say you should make your children attend church? Surely that’s legalism”.

I feel like I could continue for a while but my goal is not to reveal anything you don’t already know. It’s not a lack of understanding; it is a matter of man turning away from trusting in God’s Word as authoritative and rather trusting in our autonomous self. The issue is not a matter of God speaking with clarity but our culture (including some church leaders) using phrases like, “it’s a complicated issue with divided conclusions”.

No it’s not! Yes, there are secondary issues that require debate over interpretation but those are the exceptions. To put it plainly, the reason we see brokenness rampant in families is not because people are searching for answers but because they are not willing to trust and submit to the solutions already provided in God’s Word. When we hold fast to the proclamation of Sola Scripture that came out of the Reformation we have the foundation to build a strong healthy family. As Christians, we have liberty to seek out mentorship and discipleship from those who have raised families before us but when the dust settles the only truth we have to cling to, is not experience, or feelings, but the truth of God’s Word. It is upon this foundation we are able to put trust in the doctrines I will look at in the following months.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).