While science gathers data about what
is occurring in marriages and families
today,the Bible can reveal the underlying
causes behind the data.For example,the
condition ofpersonal sincan createsocial
sin,which produces marital
dissatisfaction and fractured families.
Science cannot“fix”sin,but God can.
The Bible shows us how God’s original
intent for marriage and for family is
based on the principles of love,covenant,
relationship,and freedom.LoveTounderstandlove,wemustfirst
understandthatallloveisofGod.The
worldtalksaboutloveinmanyways,even
claimingthatalittlebitofloveisallthe
worldneeds.Thisisnotlove.Loveisof
GodanditcomesfromGod.Heistheonly
sourceoflove.LoveisanattributeofGod.
In1John4:8weread,“...Godislove”
(emphasisadded).Withouttheexistenceof
God,therecanbenoloveforothers.God’s
loveservesasthesourceofthelovewe
experienceanddemonstrateinour
marriageandfamily.A Christian Perspective
Chapter 1
and knowledge—truth is much more than
mere information.As Proverbs affirms,
“Let the wise listen and add to their
learning,and let the discerning get
guidance—for understanding proverbs
and parables,the sayings and riddles of
the wise.The fear of the LORDis the
beginning of knowledge,but fools despise
wisdom and discipline”(1:5–7).Our
relationship to God (i.e.,“fear of the
Lord”) is the foundation for any
knowledge we seek to gain.The Bible goes
so far as to declare it folly to presume to
understand truth independent of its
relationship (i.e.,“wisdom”and
“discipline”) to Him.
Science enables us to understand a bit
more of God’s revealed truth,but we must
be very careful not to draw hard-and-fast
conclusions about such areas as marriage
and family.Marriages and families have
changed dramatically,particularly in the
last 50 years.For example,as we saw
earlier,a nuclear family of the 21st century
may not look anything like a nuclear
family of the nineteenth century.While
certain biblical principles regarding
marriage and family remain inviolate,we
are learning that some other aspects of
marriage and family once considered
“carved in stone”are now seen as more
pliable.Bateson,a cultural anthropologist,
suggests families carry on their learning
throughout the life cycle in all they do
“....like a mother balancing her child on
her hip as she goes about her work with
the other hand and uses it to open the
doors of the unknown”(1979).