The institution of marriage was established by God at the beginning of creation (Gen 2:18-25). He created man in his very image and likeness. He formed both man and woman and placed them in the earth for the following purposes:

· To serve and glorify God with their lives (Ecc 12:13).

· To procreate and populate the earth (Gen 1:28).

To be clear, he only created two genders: male and female. He made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, nor Pamela and Eve. He created marriage solely for a man and woman who would become one with each other and God. Jesus reinforced this truth before the religious elites, (Mt 19:5-6), “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made the male and female, (5) and said, ‘Therefore man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’ (6) So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” These are Biblical truths and foundational for marriage. God remains unchanged in his Word regardless of the cultural trends of man’s society that is shaped by sinful men with debased minds that are hostile to God and his Word.

These fundamental tenets set the stage for exploration of Paul’s instructions on marriage in this sermon series where he will address issues of marriage, separation, virginity, and celibacy. Such teaching to the Corinthians on this subject is timely, as it appears they have yielded to the culture of their day and embraced moral laxity.

Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:1-7
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Worldliness gets its power from lies we believe about God and his Word. It is by self-deception we are led into all sorts of sins that stunts our spiritual growth and ruins our witness to the world. This is the church culture of Corinthian saints. They had adopted a righteousness shaped by human wisdom by becoming “spiritual people” instead of “holy people” in Jesus Christ. They had become dualistic in their view of body and soul. In other words, they embraced the Greek philosophy that promoted a doctrine that asserted that what we do in our body is immaterial (i.e., of no eternal or spiritual consequence), but all that matters is the soul. Paul sets the record straight in his corrective teaching against sexual immorality being practice within their congregation, by reminding them of their union with God and our ownership (body and soul) by Christ.

Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:15-20
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Jesus’ resurrection was a foretaste of heaven’s blessings promised to all believers in the new creation to come. It is a divine act by which demonstrated His prophesied victory over death and vindication as the Son of God (Rom 1:4). Further, one of the foundations of our faith in Christianity (as to the certainty of Jesus resurrection) rest on these words proclaimed from the angels from heaven, “He is not here, but has risen.”

In this episode we will survey the events that occurred on that glorious third morning. Additionally, we shall explore the significance of the resurrection as it relates to our great salvation.

Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-14
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