There are three aspects to the purpose of marriage. The first, and most obvious, which is often overlooked by modern man, is that marriage is the way we procreate and raise children in a safe environment. Secondly, man is the most social of all creatures and, therefore, must have a strong community to survive. In order to have a strong community, humans must demonstrate strong fidelity to one another. If this fidelity and trust break down, so will the community which will jeopardize man’s survival. Fidelity in marriage, consequently, is its second aspect. The third aspect of marriage is that which applies to believers. The believer’s marriage is a sign of Christ’s relationship to the church. The first aspect corresponds to man as an animal, the second aspect corresponds to man as a human, and the third aspect corresponds to man as a believer.

From these three aspects of marriage we can see that polygamy does not hinder the first purpose of marriage. It is possible for one man to have many children by several wives and to raise them in a safe environment. We can also see that while it is possible for fidelity of a sort to be maintained in the institution of polygamy; it is greatly hindered. As Aristotle pointed out, the sharing of “several in one occupation” causes strife [Aristotle, Rhet. Ii, 4]. This is just a truism. Likewise, in a plural marriage, a husband cannot possibly be fully attentive to the needs of several wives. The peace of a household is therefore hindered. Additionally, polygamy (as Aquinas points out) tends to cause the wives to be more like slaves than a friend to the husband. Fidelity is hindered by servile relations because one party is demeaned. In this case, the wives are demeaned and the husband is elevated to the position of potentate. This aspect of polygamy by which wives are reduced to slavery, I believe, is one of the reasons it is so attractive to men.

It is clear from Scripture that Christ is one and the church is one. Also, according to Jesus, God’s intention is that one man and one woman should constitute marriage (Matthew 19:4-6). It is evident from the New Testament that the believer should not be engaged in a plural marriage. From all of this one can gather that from the aspect of the nature of man as a human (not just an animal), that polygamy is unnatural. It is also a violation of God’s revealed will for believers.

Here are some interesting tidbits of information about spiritual gifts.

The revelation of divine mystery—the hidden things of God—is known as the gift of wisdom in the Bible. Properly speaking, wisdom is the knowledge of divine things.

1Corinthians 2:6-7 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

On the other hand, the revelation of divine things through the created order is known as the gift of knowledge.

Romans 1:19-20 …since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Yet, the things that men know cannot ultimately be conveyed to others except by speech. Written or non-verbal communication is helpful; but we all know that at some point we usually need someone to “explain-things.” This is why God has chosen to establish the instruction of men in an orderly fashion by giving certain gifts of speech. This is in keeping with the benefit that is received by those who are instructed.

Luke 21:15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Romans 10:14-15 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

However, because the message of faith in Christ is beyond human reason and not evident to the natural mind, it was also necessary for the oral teaching of God’s word to be confirmed by signs and wonders. This makes it evident to many people that this oral teaching comes from God. Therefore, the healing of the sick and other miraculous wonders often accompanies the preaching of God’s word.

Mark 16:20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

At our church we have found it helpful and powerful to incorporate a prayer time for congregational needs right in the middle of our musical worship. We have seen many wonderful answers to prayer and the tenor and tone of the service changes from one of consumerism to gifted participation by the body of Christ.

Last night I attended a prayer meeting led by a missionary. It was a very gentle and serene time in which the missionary led us into a time of direct encounter with God through prayer. Since our leader admonished us to approach our time of prayer in a way that was individualized, I decided to focus my mind as deeply as I could on the nature of God. This turned out to be a powerful experience. I would like to continue this vein of thought today by sharing why our existence is intimately related to God’s love of Himself.

At first glance you may find the idea abhorrent that because God loves Himself, mankind exists. If you do, I suggest that you may have a skewed understanding of God that is colored by pagan philosophy masquerading as Christianity.

It is just a fact of nature that if you love something for its own sake you will love all the ways in which it is found. If you love fine Swiss milk chocolate then you will love it in the form of a bar, or melted over ice cream, etc. Humans can love a lot of different kinds of things this way. However, God only loves and wills one thing for itself and for its own sake. That thing is Himself. He is the only necessary being and, therefore, He need only love and will Himself. Sorry, I know it upsets people when I write this; but, God does not need us.

On the other hand, everything that exists—everything that God has created—has a certain likeness to Him. This is unavoidable because all effects in some way resemble their cause. The most primary way that we resemble God as the supreme Cause of all things is that we exist. We have existence (at least while we are alive). God has complete existence. In fact He is existence. This is what His name (Yahweh) means. Every thing that exists, at its most fundamental core, is like God in the sense that it exists. Every thing that exists is a certain participation in His ultimate being. Therefore, because we love those things that contain that which we love for its own sake (i.e. Swiss chocolate); we know that God in loving and willing Himself, wills and loves other things. God loves you because He loves Himself.

Okay, here is the big “take away.” Because God loves you in loving Himself, he doesn’t “need” you to love Him in return. The fact that you exist demonstrates that God loves you. Augustine put this thought a little differently when he wrote, “For it is because He is good we exist.”

I am going to offer a quote from Thomas Aquinas that I consider one of the most important ideas of our age. First the quote:

(Summa I, Q. 6, Art. 3--http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1006.htm)
"I answer that, God alone is good essentially. For everything is called good according to its perfection. Now perfection of a thing is threefold: first, according to the constitution of its own being; secondly, in respect of any accidents being added as necessary for its perfect operation; thirdly, perfection consists in the attaining to something else as the end. Thus, for instance, the first perfection of fire consists in its existence, which it has through its own substantial form; its secondary perfection consists in heat, lightness and dryness, and the like; its third perfection is to rest in its own place. This triple perfection belongs to no creature by its own essence; it belongs to God only, in Whom alone essence is existence; in Whom there are no accidents; since whatever belongs to others accidentally belongs to Him essentially; as, to be powerful, wise and the like, as appears from what is stated above (3, 6); and He is not directed to anything else as to an end, but is Himself the last end of all things. Hence it is manifest that God alone has every kind of perfection by His own essence; therefore He Himself alone is good essentially."

The basic premise of Aquinas’ thought here is that everything is good according to how perfect (complete) it is. There are three ways that any thing can be perfect. The first way that a thing can be perfect is that it exists (this is called substantial goodness). Therefore, all things that exist are “good” in that they exist. If a thing does not exist, it cannot be good. The second way a thing can be perfect (or good) is through is characteristics (known as “accidents”). If a person is blind, they lack a certain proper characteristic of their nature and, consequently, in this way they lack some goodness—the goodness of sight. The third way that a thing can be perfect (or good) is by fulfilling its proper purpose. For instance, the proper purpose of a carving knife is to cut meat and not to serve as an antenna for a cell phone. Okay, so the big important idea from Aquinas is that only God has triple perfection. This means that He alone is the highest good and He alone has goodness as His own essence—His very nature is goodness. The fact that He has the highest degree of perfection of all things in Himself means that “He Himself alone is good essentially.”

You may be asking yourself, “Why is this so important?” Well, the simplest way to put Aquinas’ idea is to note that to him the highest aspect of God’s nature is His goodness. This is very different than the Islamic view of God. In the Muslim religion, the highest aspect of God’s nature is His sovereign will. For Muslims it is critically important that God (Allah) be free to do anything He so chooses unrestrained by anything other than His free will. Therefore, theoretically it is possible for God to declare murder and adultery to be morally acceptable (think of the 9/11 terrorists).

There was a time that I believed that the highest aspect of God’s nature was His sovereignty per se. However, I have been convinced by a number of Aquinas’ arguments that such a view of God leads inexorably to an unbiblical understanding of Him. Without understanding God’s goodness as the highest aspect of His being it is hard to account for St. Paul’s presentation of the gospel to pagans:

Acts 14: 15-17 "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

If one posits that God’s sovereignty is the highest aspect of His nature one is also driven inexorably to an understanding of morality that is unhinged from God’s person. In other words, the moral teachings of Scripture simply become the arbitrary will of a sovereign God. Murder and self-sacrifice become interchangeable as related to God’s will. Today we are to love but tomorrow God may decree that we are to hate.