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    The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide: A Vision for Married and Single People
    The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide: A Vision for Married and Single People
    The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide: A Vision for Married and Single People
    Ebook111 pages1 hour

    The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide: A Vision for Married and Single People

    By Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Timothy and Kathy Keller will show you a portrait of marriage as it's meant to be according to the Bible...by first throwing out most of what we've been taught about love.

    Modern culture would have you believe that everyone has a soul mate; that romance is the most important part of a successful marriage; that marriage does not mean 'til death do us part, but merely for as long as my needs are being met; and that when serious differences arise, divorce is the best solution. But all of these modern-day assumptions miss what marriage is really about.

    In this six-session video-based Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Timothy Keller, along with Kathy, his wife of forty years, draws a profound portrait of marriage from the pages of Scripture that neither idealizes nor rejects the institution but points us back to the relationship between God and man. The result is a vision for marriage that is refreshingly frank and unsentimental, yet hopeful and beautiful.

    This study is for anyone from singles to couples considering marriage to those who have been married for any length of time.

    Sessions include:

    1. Service: Marriage Isn't about You
    2. Covenant: Created to Make Promises
    3. Roles: Loving through Mutual Submission
    4. Singleness: Strengthening the Spiritual Family
    5. Sex: The Act of Covenant Renewal
    6. Hope: Seeing the Great Horizon

    Designed for use with The Meaning of Marriage Video Study (sold separately).

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateSep 29, 2015
    ISBN9780310870036
    The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide: A Vision for Married and Single People
    Author

    Timothy Keller

    Timothy Keller is the New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, The Meaning of Marriage, The Prodigal God, Jesus the King, and The Prodigal Prophet.

    Read more from Timothy Keller

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    3.5/5

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    • 4/5
      We are self-centered and selfish. This is the cause of marriage problems. Through the power of God we need to learn to commit (even when we don't feel like it) and love the other (who is in a certain way a stranger).The last part of the book deals with some specific issues: singleness, marriage roles, sex.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful and useful book. This month marks 19 years married to a wonderful man. And I was encouraged to find that much of the wisdom in this book is something I have already learned. But boy would it have been helpful to have it explained to me instead of having to learn so much of it the hard way.I recommend this to anyone who is currently married (happily or not so happily), and certainly anyone considering getting married (with someone you know or someone you hope to meet), and even anyone who hopes to never marry (because they (men/women pick the one that fits) are impossible).The book is well written, easy to understand, engaging, wise, and gentle while still being convicting.It explains the meaning of marriage and does a good job of showing why the Christian meaning of marriage works well.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    The Meaning of Marriage Study Guide - Timothy Keller

    INTRODUCTION

    Love is as strong as death,

    its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

    It burns like blazing fire,

    like a mighty flame.

    Many waters cannot quench love;

    rivers cannot sweep it away.

    If one were to give

    all the wealth of one’s house for love,

    it would be utterly scorned.

    — King Solomon (Song of Songs 8:6 – 7)

    We are obsessed with love. Our Billboard charts, movie theaters, and all of our screens pile stories upon stories about our longing to love and be loved. The greatest novels and plays of all cultures in all times are filled with love stories. Some are tragic and some end in happily ever after, but every culture has love stories because love is at the core of the human experience. Simply put, we are always pursuing and longing for love.

    Over time and through a variety of big and small moments in marriage, you will encounter many of your life’s greatest joys and sternest tests. That is why most married people will tell you that marriage is hard work — because in marriage you are regularly handling the powerful forces of selfishness and love, and that requires patience, hope, repentance, forgiveness, and great intentionality.

    The primary goal of this study is to help all of us, regardless of our marital status, to see the marriage covenant as a reflection of Jesus’ love, grace, and power in our lives. In these sessions you will explore the profound mystery of the love described by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church. There he shows us that the love of God, given to us in the gospel, is the only inexhaustible source for sacrificial love between spouses — as it is for all human love in general.

    After all, the climactic I do in a wedding ceremony seals more than just a romantic moment. It is a public promise to love our spouse in a way that can only happen through knowing Jesus as our ultimate, true spouse. But that will involve a reconstruction of the way most of us have been taught to think about marriage, singleness, and love.

    We hope discussion groups will go through this material together because truth is transformative when processed in community — and we encourage you to include both married and single people in that community as you work through the material.

    HOW TO USE THIS STUDY

    The Meaning of Marriage is a six-session video study designed for small groups but adaptable for use by couples and individuals, both married and single. The video sessions are facilitated by Jeff White, a pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and feature Tim and Kathy Keller and participants with a variety of spiritual beliefs and life experiences in both marriage and singleness. All participants read the book and reread certain chapters in preparation for the filmed discussions. We are grateful for each of their voices and thoughtful perspectives in these discussions, and we hope their insights will fuel similar dialogue in your group as well.

    WHAT YOU WILL NEED

    In addition to The Meaning of Marriage DVD (one per group) and this study guide, each person or couple will need the following:

    A copy of the book The Meaning of Marriage. While the Group Times are designed so that you can participate without this book, you will need this book for your Home Study. (Page numbers noted throughout this study guide are from the paperback edition, Riverhead Books, 2013.)

    A Bible. If you don’t have a copy, there are plenty of free apps you can use to download a free copy of the Bible. You will have the opportunity to read sections of the Bible throughout these next six weeks as a central part of this experience.

    EACH SESSION HAS THREE COMPONENTS

    1. Home Study

    To get the most out of this experience you will interact with concepts before, during, and after your group gathering. Each Home Study is designed to help you reflect on the content from your most recent Group Time, and then prepare for the upcoming session by reading and reflecting on a selected chapter or two from The Meaning of Marriage.

    2. Group Time

    The Group Time component walks a small group through key concepts from the book The Meaning of Marriage. Each group discussion will include a video (about 20 – 25 minutes long) that covers selected ideas from each chapter. The study guide will then lead your group through a discussion to help you apply the principles from the book, the video, and your Home Study. Most questions are relevant to both married and single people; a few in each session apply only to married people.

    3. Marriage Plan

    In addition to the Home Study and Group Time, an exercise specifically for married couples is built into each session. These exercises — designed to do at home or on a date — will help married couples apply what they are learning in practical ways.

    NOTES FOR LEADERS

    If you are leading the discussions, please see the Notes for Leaders section in the back of this guide for helpful commentary on various questions.

    GETTING READY FOR SESSION 1

    Please

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