Editor’s Note: Spencer Brown is the Lead Pastor at Center City Church, Albuquerque, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Andrew Walker’s message from Saturday afternoon at Clarus, March 5, “Marriage: Creation, Vocation, and the Glory of God.”

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In the fifth session of Clarus 16, Andrew Walker showed that modern culture’s perception of marriage is deeply flawed in not living up to the biblical model, and that the biblical view of marriage promotes God’s glory. Walker had three goals for his audience:

To understand the shifts in culture concerning marriage. The culture has redefined emotional and sexual fulfillment as the goal of marriage. We think about a flourishing marriage in merely romantic or sentimental terms or the emotional and sexual fulfillment of the couple. The sexual revolution empowered individuals to experience sexual freedom by divorcing sex from marriage. The process of redefinition comes by divorcing the goods, benefits and privileges from marriage itself, replacing it with a cheapened, substituted, and weakened form. Walker proposed five ways the culture has divorced the goods and benefits of marriage from marriage itself:

1. Pre-marital/recreational sex — sexual intimacy severed from marital intimacy
2. Contraception — recreational sex without the “fear” of children as an outcome
3. Co-habitation — lifelong companionship severed from marriage
4. Divorce — what was once assumed as permanent is now not permanent
5. Same-Sex Marriage — removes the complimentarily as foundation for marriage

To understand the public relevance to the Christian worldview concerning marriage. Genesis 2 presents marriage as both creational and vocational. God created marriage as a creational ordinance meaning it relates to all people without exception and for all time. The definition of marriage is grounded in God’s created order. Marriage is also vocational. The vocational nature of marriage shows the purpose of God’s design for marriage. God chose marriage as the process to advance the next generation of kingdom citizens.

To understand why we must not cede the biblical understanding of marriage in society. Christians must not be comfortable to merely “sit down and shut up” on the topic of marriage. The Supreme Court does not have the right to redefine marriage, nor does the church have the right to let them. Instead, the church must work to “rehabilitate” marriage. Five reasons ground our need to fight for marriage:

1. Marriage is not simply an ecclesial ordinance
2. To allow any institution to promote a falsehood robs God of his glory and does not love his neighbor
3. We don’t have the authority to cede the definition of marriage—marriage is not ours to give up
4. Marriage is what the Bible says it is or else marriage doesn’t exist all
5. By supporting same-sex marriage, Christians are proclaiming a false gospel

While the majority of the session uncovered the bad news regarding marriage, Walker concluded with the good news. First, heresy helps the church more clearly define orthodoxy. Orthodoxy wins! Second, the collapse of marriage in our culture gives the church new opportunities to testify to the truth. The church must proclaim the beautiful message of the Gospel to the “refugees” of the sexual revolution.

Editor’s Note: Dave Bruskas is the Lead Pastor at North Church, Albuquerque, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Owen Strachan’s message from Saturday morning at Clarus, March 5, “Gender: Manhood and Womanhood in Christ as Our True Identity.”

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We are in a confused age.  Facebook has over fifty gender options, and as Christians we know that God has not left us to wonder what or who we are. He has given two very clear realities: we are created either male or female. The two gender distinctives are owed to the very mind of God as he has designed and given us gender complementarity as a good gift to be embraced and celebrated. Owen Strachan gave seven thoughts regarding biblical complementarity in the fourth session of Clarus 16.

First, complementarity shows us what we were made for.  Genesis 2:5-9; 18-25 provides this framework. God creates the woman out of the lack of Adam.  She is needed. The man and the woman have separate roles as identity markers, and these distinctive roles and identities are foundational to the biblical understanding of gender.  These roles are different but complementary.  Before the Fall, there is no competition between the genders, as they are interdependent.  There is harmony and joy, and God declares this good. We are not a man or woman because of a bio-evolutionary fluke–we are a man or woman because God made us that way.

Second, complementarity helps us understand our sinful instincts as men and women.  Genesis 3:1-7 reveals that Satan has always been about destroying womanhood.  He is repeating his scheme from the garden in our culture today.  He does so by tempting Eve to disobey the Word of God. The ground for all gender dysphoria, conflict, and sexual brokenness begins at the Fall in Genesis 3.  Women, like Eve, are tempted to disobey God’s Word, and yet God’s inquiry found in Genesis 3:8-13 makes it plain that the man is responsible to lead the woman.  Men, like Adam, will be tempted to refuse responsibility.

Third, complementarity provides us a script for our lives.   Women are called to have a uniquely feminine spirit.  While women are not precluded from working outside of the home, their vocation is that of raising children and helping their husbands. Women have a green light to use their gifts to serve the church in alignment with God’s design.  Likewise, God does not want men to waste away their 20s; he wants most men to courageously win a woman’s heart and start a family. A good and godly father does not ask the culture, or even a great youth pastor, to raise his child. A good and godly father leads his family to the glory of God. True manhood is all about drawing near to God and treating women respectfully in absolute purity.

Fourth, complementarity tells us what our marriages most need.  Because of Adam’s fall, none of us are compatible in marriage.  Complementarity revealed in Ephesians 5:22-33 paints the purest picture of Jesus’ love for his church.  Differences between married partners are best worked out through this framework.

Fifth, complementarity drives us to invest in the church’s future.  It teaches us that men are to be elders in the church.  Scripture requires complementarity standards be satisfied by church elders ( I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9).  The preparation for eldership begins with boys and girls learning to be what it practically means to be biblical men and women. If we don’t teach our children what it means to be a man and a woman, the culture will gladly step in.

Sixth, complementarity speaks a better word about sex than secularism.  We are living in a “Fifty Shades of Grey” sexual culture that causes confusion and leads to abuse.  This results in tremendous social and psychological damage.  The biblical vision of sex is grounded in complementarity and good pleasure as a gift from God.

Seventh, complementarity helps us appreciate the God-given gift of singleness.  Jesus Christ is the example par excellence as he was a fully-fulfilled human being who also remained single.  Single people don’t become complete or full-fledged Christians through marriage becuase Christians are already completed through his or her identity in Christ.

Editor’s Note: Michael Kelshaw is the Head Minister at Trinity at the Marketplace, Albuquerque, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Justin Taylor’s message from Saturday morning at Clarus, March 5, “Abortion: Being Agents of Light in a Darkened World.”

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In this brilliant talk on the urgent topic of abortion Justin Taylor began by showing that, given the right circumstances, no expense will be spared or no obstacle will be deemed to great to save a life that is deemed to be of value. With Balloon Boy, Baby Jessica, and the Chilean miners the fundamental question of “what is in there” determines the response. Determining what is in the womb determines how we will treat what is in the womb.

So arguing from science and from Scripture, Taylor showed that human life begins at conception. God has created us in His image and for His glory. Genesis 1:27 teaches us that we have been created by God and are designed to resemble His character by relating to others, reflecting His glory, and representing His rule. Therefore, Taylor said, “how we treat our fellow image bearers reflects how we think about our Creator.” The Bible teaches us that it is wrong to kill innocent blood, that it is wrong to try and eliminate human beings. Psalm 139 tells us that in the womb God Almighty is doing a work of creation, and Exodus 23:7 tells us that we are not to kill innocent blood, and that is exactly what abortion is. To abort means to bring life prematurely to an end; it is to kill a human being; it is murder, and therefore it is wicked and evil. Since that is true, we are to do something about it, and we are able to do something about it.

God’s Word guides us in what we can do–three things, in particular: 1) we can commit ourselves to taking no part in this evil, but rather committing to attempting to expose it (Ephesians 5:11); 2) seek to rescue those who are potential victims of this great evil (Proverbs 24:11-12); and 3) for any of the ways that we have contributed to this evil, either by commission or omission, we can repent and receive God’s gift of forgiveness. The Lord opens wide His arms to you through the gift of the cross of Jesus repent and return to Him.

This is an urgent topic, so ask the Lord what He would have you do. Taylor mentioned a few ideas such as giving financially to a ministry serving in this area, getting involved in public advocacy on this issue, counseling women, beginning a ministry in the local church, opening up your home for foster care or adoption, using the gifts that God has given you to write a poem or direct a movie or compose a song, or any number of others ways to get involved.

Whatever our involvement might be, Taylor made it clear that “inaction on this issue is not a Biblically permissible option”. We must be moved and we must be involved in the grace of God.

Conference Photography by Ben Moore. Contact Ben at ben236@me.com.

Editor’s Note: Grant Blankenship is the Preaching Elder at Cedar Springs Church in Cedar Crest, NM. He is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of The Gospel Coalition. This post is a summary of Andrew Walker’s message from Friday evening at Clarus, March 4, “Conscience and Religious Liberty: Why the Freedom to Believe is the Freedom to Flourish.”

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In the second session of Clarus ’16, Andrew Walker framed his thesis that religious freedom is necessary for religious, societal, and human flourishing by asking five questions:

1. Is Religious Liberty Biblical?

According to Walker, there are explicit and implicit truths in scripture.  For example, even though 2 + 2=4 cannot be found in scripture it is inherently true.  Walker said, “God made us capable to read and listen and put meaning to what our eyes see and what our ears hear–to think, to reason and to be self-aware.”  And so we must recognize that religious liberty is implicit in scripture.  Walker proposed that religious liberty is implicit in the 10 commandments.  His reasoned that governments cannot usurp the role of God by dictating things that belong exclusively to Him.  “Institutions, movements and governments cannot determine who God is and how He should be worshipped.  These kinds of concepts are exclusively the domain of God.”

2. Why Is Religious Liberty Essential to Human Dignity?

God desires every human to make their own decision about God.  Even if one is wrong, God ordained that each individual decide on their own to believe.  The announcement that Jesus is Lord subjects all other authorities under him, but at the same time, no person can be coerced into the Kingdom of God. Walker qualified this by saying, “Please understand, this is not to say that all quests to find God are equal.  But we cannot understand who God is for someone else.”  If we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, we don’t need a state to back that up.

3. Then What is the State’s Role In Religious Liberty?

Walker showed how Paul explained in Romans 13:1-7 that any government’s role is limited by God. “The ideal government is one that operates within their God-given role.”  Walker explained that the ideal government is one that is neither hostile nor compulsory in any given religion.  The ideal government would allow any religion to present their beliefs freely and openly in the marketplace of ideas thereby allowing the conviction of religion to rest with each individual man.

4. How Is Religious Liberty Essential to the Christian Mission?

While its true that the Gospel does not need religious liberty, Jesus’ mandate to take the gospel into the world assumes a pathway to get there.  If we leave out the Great Commission, then we are missing the point about why Christians should be concerned about religious liberty. Our desire as Christians must be that people would have the liberty to make their own decision without pressure from an earthly authority.

5. Why Should We Not Give Up On Religious Liberty?

In Walker’s final point, he began by saying, “We must be careful not to romanticize persecution as a ‘better’ form of worship.  As Christians, we should be willing to die for our beliefs, but we shouldn’t look for persecution under the misconception that it makes our faith superior.”  Religious liberty is a tool like a machete to cut a path through the jungle of this world.  While Paul taught that we have a heavenly citizenship, he didn’t hesitate to assert his rights as a Roman citizen.  We don’t have the right to give up the fight for religious liberty.  At the core of our fight for religious liberty is the fight for individuals to make their own decision about God apart from the influence of worldly institutions.

If God requires man to make an individual decision about Him, then it is implicit that government should not usurp God’s divine decree.