The fruits of faith along with the evolving processes of immersion are the very genesis of affirming the kernel essence of cognitive truth accepted between two or more entities. To enumerate, discernment of one’s confrontation with reality through the immersion processes establishes an elimination of bias with the aimed intent to incur a lucid perspective lens of the struggles that tug upon the faithful fruits across the universe. We as humans can never see the entire picture because God is greater. God does not abide by the human framework of time, because He is our Creator. Therefore, as human beings, we need to realize the very elements of faith in every fruit God gives us comes through painful lessons of learning His adamantly steadfast truths. Additionally, our identities in Him need to be in sync while engaging the Bible and others so the fruits of the Holy Spirit become manifested in surefooted fashion. The theological connection we have with Christ Jesus begins with faith, and this transcends into marital relationships. Faith needs to be reexamined in order to repair the broken state of the sanctity of marriage today, and this all begins with each individual’s identity in Him. Ultimately, the covenant of marriage requires the faith for duty, character, discernment, and cause to become one under God.
When looking through a generically sheer perspective lens at mankind today, we see that society can influence individualistic human behavior through the power of persuasion, but this is nothing new. In the first book of the Holy Bible, Genesis chapters two and three to be specific, we learn that the fall of man (the eating of the forbidden fruit by Adam & Eve) allowed a new humanistic sinful ethical model into the world which God had created. Since then, it is this iniquitous ethical framework that has continued to challenge God’s standard of steadfast moral principles of perfection. God has given us the gift of free will, and we can choose to follow the humanistic reasoning of mankind or the absoluteness of the Almighty God our Creator. It is for this reason that, faith is the genesis for which all relationships are built upon because the elements of the reasoning are driven by this elemental force. I John 2:16-17 (of the King James Version) states, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever”(Holy Bible ). To enumerate, God’s Word here is indicating that, the things of this world are temporary, but by following His will there is eternal life. Ultimately, which ever choice we make requires an act of faith. The intention of this paper is to analyze how the theological connection we have with Jesus Christ through faith can be transcended into marriage in order to glorify His will, and properly grow as one with our magnificent Creator.
To begin with, generally speaking, faith can be classified as one’s personal religious beliefs, but there is a more profound definition found within the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Hebrews 11:1-3 (of the King James Version) states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear”(Holy Bible ). To clarify, the apostle Paul here is establishing that faith is an invisible entity for which its fullest truths can only be found through God, and His Word. Additionally, in this text we see the foundational character building blocks of God’s virtues of faith in the component of truth for which we are to follow. “Hebrews, unlike any other book of the New Testament, calls its readers to endure faith and to hold fast to Jesus’ message”( Knowing Jesus Ministries 509). The documentary impulse of Paul through the inspiration of the Lord to revisit the lives of Moses, Abraham, and Noah among others in Hebrews 11 was done to emphasize the importance of faith in our character which then transcends into our relationships with one another. As Christians, since God’s Holy Bible is our tool for learning His truths, it can be stated that, the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the New Testament books of Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, Galatians 5, Ephesians 4, and I Peter 4, are the virtues of faith because they are unified through God via the body of Christ with the intention of bringing us closer to Him by building our character. In brief, the virtues of faith include patience, forgiveness, fear, trust, responsibility, courage, humility, discipline, commitment, contentment, suffering, and love. In the book entitled, The Wisdom of Faith, Bobby Bowden states, “Character is forged on the anvil of conflict. And courage is essential. Such courage comes only from God”(Bowden 37).
With this in mind, a cogent argument can be made that faith implicitly requires courage, and faith in God involves immersion because of the explanation given by Paul in Hebrews 11:1-3. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior we share an identity with God through faith which opens the door to the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. John 15:5 (of the King James Version) states, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”(Holy Bible ). Christ Jesus wants us to grow closer to Him through faith, and as we mature we realize that true happiness comes through doing His will for our lives. He has a plan for all of us, and does not want us to go through life alone. Ephesians 5:31 (of the King James Version) states, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh”(Holy Bible ). It is worth noting here that the covenant of marriage as it is worded by Paul, directly coincides with our individual relationships with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Additionally, Paul’s words regarding marriage copy those from the story of creation in the book of Genesis.
Shifting slightly, by examining how faith is interrelated to marriage and our personal identity with Christ Jesus, we can begin to ascertain the development of Godly and heavenly faithful relationships here on earth. In the article Couples in Conflict: A Family Systems Approach to Marriage Counseling, Ronald W. Richardson notes, “Typically, as courtship proceeds to engagement and then marriage, they begin the fusion process of giving up some of self and merging more and more into a common self; the two individuals start becoming a “we”(Richardson 63). With attention to the structure of this statement by Richardson, notice the implied emphasis regarding the identity evolving as a progression is made towards the covenant of marriage. In other words, the author is claiming that the unification process requires faith in courage and faith in patience because the two need to be in sync in order to transform as one.
Stepping away from the factor of two people joining together ever so briefly, it should be noted that, when we walk with Jesus alone we are with Him and with the Holy Spirit. In addition to this, if we solely examine the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, we indeed see a more lucid picture of marriage because three become one. Therefore, when man, woman, and God come together as one, the virtues of faith are working together in equal fashion promoting a spiritual growth which glorifies God. The best biblical example of this is illustrated in the New Testament by the apostle Paul prior to mentioning the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:4-8 (of the King James Version) states, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men”(Holy Bible ). An adamant contention can be made here that, the virtues of faith include the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit because the three persons of God which form one Holy Trinity, have given humanity spiritual presents to aid humanity which is His creation, to spiritually become one with Him under the sanctity of marriage. Proof of this can be substantiated in the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter two where a detailed description is given regarding the creation of Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:22-25 (of the King James Version) states, “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”(Holy Bible ). It should be noted here that, God made Adam out of His own image, and then made woman out of that man. The significance of this is important because the story of creation that identifies us all as human beings includes man, woman, and God being unified as one under His image.
Moving forward, faith in our marital relationships mirrors our personal relationships with the Lord. In The Power of Home-Taking Charge of Your Faith and Your Family, Cunningham notes, “Our faith is defined in the home then displayed to the world. If you want to know the character of a man, woman or child, watch them in the home”(Cunningham 16). To put it differently, true character is revealed in our actions when we believe no one else is watching. The key here is that God is always watching over us. In fact, as Christians, the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, so our bodies are actually His and our homes, and everything begins in our hearts. When we are at one with our hearts with the Lord, then we are at one with our husbands and wives. In Communicating the Faith Indirectly: Selected Sermons, Addresses, and Prayer, the author states, “A U.S. national study of 2,034 couples indicated that church attendance among both partners is associated with perceptions of better relationship quality, primarily through interpersonal dynamics that are conducive to good relationships”(Faith and Relationships 153). It is important to mention that, this study only references church attendance, and does not appear to cover other spiritual family activities in the home. Since home is where the heart is, it is up to each family member to constantly do a spiritual inventory check between themselves, and Lord. In addition to this, families should maintain a God-centered atmosphere beginning with faith for the purpose of realigning themselves as a collective unit under God. When there are cracks which emerge in our spiritual walks with Christ, it allows Satan to slide in, and take advantage of them by convincing us to simply live for ourselves free from Christ. “Marriage is not a happening, nor is it a carnival, to be quickly set up and quickly dismantled”(Paul L. Holmer;David J. Gouwens;Lee C. Barrett 77). Marriage requires hard work along with the combination or surrender and the virtues of faith.
Alongside the work needed to preserve a happy healthy marriage are the factors of how we can resolve our faith when mistakes and arguments occur. For example, the act of conveying disinformation between loved ones breaks the bond of mutual respect which distances us from one another, and the Lord. Therefore, in order to repair the damage done we need to start with prayer. Since faithful prayer is one of the building blocks that enhances our own spiritual growth in the Lord, it is incumbent upon us to communicate with Christ Jesus with the intent of searching for guidance and forgiveness. “Spiritual differentiation means that each member is ultimately formed through a personal relationship with Christ and God’s Spirit”(Balswick, Jack O.; Balswick, Judith K. 250). Essentially, each member of the family unit has their own relationship with God which is rooted firmly in faith so when conflict arises the family can confront the issue together, and also with the process of individual prayer. The Christian individuality segment of family is best illustrated in the book of Genesis chapter 22 when God tests the faith of Abraham by challenging him to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar. In The Bible, Theology, and Faith A Study of Abraham and Jesus, R.W.L Moberly states, “Abraham’s faith in God’s power to resolve in the future that which seemed impossible in the present, illustrates the nature of faith as an active engagement with that which is future and unseen (Heb. 11:1) – Jesus being the supreme example of such a confident looking forward (Heb. 12:2)”(Moberly 133). When families and the individuals that make up families are centered on Christ, they are reminded that He is there to comfort us in times of trouble, and rejoice with us in times of great happiness.
Adjacent to spiritual differentiation as a tool of resolving faith in marriage, is the action of inward and outward forgiveness when wronged. It can be said that, faithful forgiveness needs to be restored within the sanctity of marriage along with the realigning of our identities in our families, and in Christ Jesus for proper healing to occur. Let’s refer back our previous example of disinformation within the family, and provide a bit more context. In the event that a member of a married couple randomly discovers that their significant other has been hiding the fact that they forgot to pay a bill due to embarrassment, it is crucial that openness and forgiveness are entered into the arena as soon as possible because the state of faith has been damaged. It becomes a hazardous to allow unresolved issues to fester because new conflicts can swiftly arise thus adding more ill spirits to an already precarious scenario. In Faith from a Positive Psychology Perspective, the author notes, “When examining faith and relationships, we focus on relational outcome measures; specifically how faith variables relate to the quality of personal relationships, such as relationship partners being loving to one another, providing one another with emotional support, engaging in forgiveness, handling relationship conflicts in beneficial ways, and reporting high levels of relationship satisfaction”(Faith and Relationships). In the Bible, Jesus instructs us to forgive one another for the purpose of lifting one another up. All in all, forgiveness which takes place in the inside should transition to outward mannerisms allowing comforting and healing to take place among the troubled family environment.
Finally, let’s carefully examine immersion through faith as an act of remaining as one under God within marriage. Most marriage vows typically include the phrase “till death do us part” which is considered to be the ultimate promise before God, our families, and friends in this life when two people are pledging an allegiance of love to one another. Is love truly the highest of the virtues of faith? I Corinthians 13:13 (of the King James Version) states, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (Holy Bible ). According to the New Testament, love in its purest form includes faith and hope. A sound contention can be made here that agape love, the love that Jesus Christ shares with all of us, is the very first harmonic stepping stone of immersion along with the fundamental principles to the faith virtues. To put it differently, the immersion we share with Christ Jesus begins with His love along with His grace, combined with our taking a step of faith to receive His agape love. As we walk with Christ, we begin to grow in the virtues of faith that includes patience, forgiveness, fear, trust, responsibility, courage, humility, discipline, commitment, contentment, suffering, and love. Therefore, it is God’s steadfast love for us which provides each of these virtues of faith in our lives when we need them the most. This is the immersion model God wants us to have in marriage. He wants us to lift one another up because He is the bridegroom to His church. Ephesians 5:25-27 (of the King James Version) states, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”(Holy Bible ). Correspondingly, the Lord is aware that we are not perfect, and that we make mistakes, which is why we come to Him for forgiveness. In this passage, Christ Jesus wants us to follow the example of immersion from His church as part of our marital lives as well. In Volume I of Authorship and Authenticity: Kierkegarrd and his pseudonyms, Søren Kierkegaard states, “Philosophy is perfectly right in saying that life must be understood backwards. But then one forgets the other clause-that it must be lived forwards. The more one thinks through this clause, the more one concludes that life in temporality never becomes properly understandable, simply because never at any time does one get perfect repose to take a stance: Backwards”(Daniel Conway;K.E. Gover 21). It is notable here that, Kierkegaard is referencing that fact that humans make mistakes, but if we had the opportunity to revisit our errors, we would correct them. “Kierkegaard makes it clear that the Christian life is a lived experience and that His great fear is that the Christian will become distracted by the issues and lose Sight of the fact that to be a Christian is not a matter of Dogma but a matter of an existential relation with the absolute paradox lived out in the world”(Mercer 186). In this manner, it is with upmost importance to remember that, our Lord and Savior forgave us, and in marriage we are to forgive one another to remain immersed in each other so we can remain as one. We cannot just move around on autopilot expecting everything to be fruitful because the separating from one another will swiftly occur if we do so.
By and large, the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit through immersion are the fundamental keys to maintaining the essence of the virtues of faith in marital relationships. Psalm 85:10-11 (of the King James Version) states, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.”(Holy Bible). When a man and woman are joined under the perfect union of God, there is a working trinity in place with the intent to glorify His will. The fall of mankind in the book of Genesis that gave way to humanistic ethics will continue to battle Christ’s moral foundations. “In this spiritual cosmic conflict, Satan and his minions actively oppose the Creator’s design for marriage and the family and seek to distort God’s image as it is reflected in God-honoring Christian marriages and families”(J.Köstenberger and W.Jones). The foundation of marriage needs to be built upon His rock in order to prosper in the virtues of faith. Until the return of Jesus Christ, we remain obedient through faithfully serving Him by spreading and maintaining the message of His love in our homes.
References
Knowing Jesus Ministries. “Illustrated Bible Survey.” Hindson, Ed. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2017. 35.
Balswick, Jack O.; Balswick, Judith K. The Family: A Christian Perpsective on the Contemporary Home. Grand Rapids,MI: Baker Academic, 2014.
Bowden, Bobby Bowden:Steve. The Wisdom of Faith . Nashville,TE: B&H Publishing Group , 2014.
Carlson, Allan. Conjugal America On the Public Purposes of Marriage . New York,NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group , 2007. <https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315080611>.
Clinton, Dr. Tim and Dr. Gary Sibcy. “Relationship Styles: How We Develop Our Core Beliefs.” Clinton, Dr. Tim and Dr. Gary Sibcy. Why you do the things you do. Nashville,TE: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2006.
Cunningham, Ted. “Guarding Home-Six Marriage and Family Trends We Must Confront .” The Power of Home-Taking Charge of Your Fatih and Your Family . Springfield,Missouri : Salubris Resources , 2015. 14-39.
Daniel Conway;K.E. Gover . Volume I of Authorship and Authenticity: Kierkegarrd and his pseudonyms. New York,NY: Routledge-Taylor & Francis , 2002.
“Faith and Relationships.” Miller-Perrin, Cindy and Elizabeth Krumrei Mancuso. Faith from a Positive Psychology Perspective. Springer, Dordrecht, 2015. 149-181. <https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-017-9436-7>.
Goldstein, Niles Elliot. Eight Questions of Faith : Biblical Challenges That Guide and Ground Our Lives. Lincoln,NE: University of Nebraska Press-The Jewish Publication Society, 2015. <https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/jps/9780827612198/>.
Holy Bible . Thomas Nelson Publishers , 1997.
J.Köstenberger, Andreas and David W.Jones. God, Marriage, and Family (Second Edition) : Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. Vol. 2nd Edition . Wheaton, IL: Crossway , 2010.
Mercer, David E. Kierkegaard’s Livingroom: Faith and History in The Philosophical Fragments. Quebec,Canada : McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2001. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt81828>.
Moberly, R.W.L. The Bible, Theology, and Faith A Study of Abraham and Jesus. Cambridge,England: Cambridge University Press, 2009. <https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/bible-theology-and-faith/659BFCEF28DC247854D51E74B1ADF0E6>.
Paul L. Holmer;David J. Gouwens;Lee C. Barrett. “Remarks on Marriage .” Communicating the Faith Indirectly: Selected Sermons, Addresses, and Prayers (2012): 76-79. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1cgf3sd>.
Richardson, Ronald W. ” The Emotional Development of a Couple and a Family .” Couples in Conflict: A Family Systems Approach to Marriage Counseling (2010): 61-68. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt22nm8wm.9>.
Stott, John and Douglas Groothuis. Christian Apologetics : A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove,IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.
Yamin, Priscilla. American marriage : A Political Institution. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.
