4 | Family and singleness
Powerpoint:
See also my essay, Sexual Identity in the Kingdom of God
Here is an excerpt:
The Family of Christ
Today, our sexual freedom, which favors momentary fulfillment over lifelong commitment, blinds us to the beauty of Jesus’ way. It has caused us to develop transient and temporary friendships and to devalue marriage, extended family, and blood kinship. These are all vital components, both spiritually and physically, of the Kingdom of God. This freedom has even confused our sexual identities.
The Lord created men and women with family in mind. Our sexuality has been designed to establish and bind together families for the sake of revealing God to the world and bringing His Kingdom to earth. If we have somehow lost a vision for the necessity of connecting our sexuality to marriage and the establishment of generations of families, it is time we recover it. The world longs to see God’s beautiful vision for family.
And extending His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold: My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matt. 12:46-49)
Partnered with Jesus’ demanding teaching on marriage and sexual expression, singleness in Jesus’ ministry was provocative and counter-cultural. Jesus himself was certainly unusual as an unmarried rabbi. Further, among His disciples were many unmarried men and women. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are just a few examples of the unmarried individuals following Jesus. Yet, Jesus used the notion of family among all His followers. His disciples, which He called “brothers” and “sisters,” understood the rich safety and loyalty represented by the concept of family. By teaching that we have one Father in Heaven over all who are born of the Spirit, Jesus introduced what we often call the spirit of adoption. We are all called to establish the family of Christ together. Christians comprise a multi-ethnic and diverse spiritual family into which we are all born through the Holy Spirit. Singleness, within the family of God, plays an important role in cultivating and stewarding this picture of Christian community.
God’s vision for culture, within which families are essential, creates emotional and physical well-being through unconditional and sacrificial love. Our sexuality points to God’s desire for us to be together, creating a richly interwoven tapestry of diverse families that are connected. Because we are created in God’s image, marriage and family presents us with a wonderful representation of God as a relational, intimate, and community-oriented person. Jesus’ teaching demands that our sexuality be used to demonstrate these rich, multi-faceted ideals that protect human dignity and create loving culture. He is redeeming our broken and confused sexuality as He establishes His Kingdom on earth.