I’m in Love with Love That Lasts

Yesterday I read the first couple chapters of Love That Lasts. This is a book that starts off on the right foot, for sure! The first few pages reveal a discussion of marriage as a picture of Christ and His Church, and also a definition of grace. We are told that grace

redirects our focus from our guilt to God’s forgiveness, from our failures to Christ’s perfect righteousness, from our total inability to God’s complete sufficiency, from all we feel burdened to do to all Christ has already done on our behalf.

And then they suggest an objection:

We’ve talked about God, about reflections of divine reality, and no the gospel and grace. When exactly are we going to talk about marriage? You know, husband-and-wife stuff…? So far, this just sounds like a lot of theology!

The answer to this objection? Simple:

Nothing is more important to your marriage than your theology (what you believe about God), and nothing is more important to your theology (and hence your marriage) than the gospel.

I read that aloud to my husband, who gave me an amen.

In chapter one, there is an entire “because of the gospel…” section. I adored it. So many marriage books offer techniques, instead of viewing marriage as an outworking of faith, a place to apply the gospel. Here are a couple of quotes from the list:

Because of the gospel, Christians have become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, in our marriage, your past does not define us, confine us, or determine our future.

Because of the gospel, we are accepted by God (Romans 15:7). Therefore we are not dependent on a spouse for who we are or what we need.

So many precious reminders of truth!

I’m definitely looking forward to reading the remainder of the book.