What Does The Bible Say About Relationships? Series

Instructions for Christian Living Series 2

What does the Bible say about relationships?

Selected verses

Hey Good Morning everyone- Today we continue in our series Instructions for Christian Living.

Prayer-

We have laid some groundwork and discussed what it looks like to be a Christian.

We know that is not just a word for a group of people

It is a person who follows Jesus and who desires to want to be more like Jesus than who wants to look like the world.

In fact, if you are a longtime Christian and you look more like the world than Jesus, you are missing out what Jesus wants to do in your life.

There is new life in Jesus and it has to be intentionally lived out daily in our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.”

We saw that we are not to live our lives like we used to live but be the new creations that God has created us to be.

Our identity has changed and our lives should be changed. If that is not happening, it is not that the Lord does not want to do it, it is probably that we are not letting go of the things that He desires to take out of our lives.

I want us to look today at relationships.

We saw how we should be living in our relationship with the Lord.

He has to be first in every part of our lives.

He is priority and He does not take second place in our lives.

So knowing our relationship with Him… how does that affect how we live and interact with each other?

Relationships are complicated because there are so many different kinds of relationships. We do not act the same in every kind of relationship.

Contrary to society rules, the married are not in the same relationship as those who are dating.

The engaged couple is not in the same relationship as ones who are casually dating.

Your relationship with your parents is not the same as the love for your siblings.

Your cousins are not in the same relationship as your best and closest friends.

Acquaintance should not be the same as your best friends.

Someone you just met does not move into a trusted relationship because there has to be time to earn that kind of relationship.

You get the point,

It is complicated because society wants to mix it all up and moves way to fast to move people into wrong relationships and heartache and hurts come when you have moved someone into a relationship and privileges that they have not earned yet or been committed too.

There are reasons God says there has to be a ring on that finger to enjoy the privileges of marriage and have the blessing of heaven on that marriage.

So let me make this clear that as a believer, you are held to a different standard than the world places on itself.

The believer lines up with what the word of God says and the world lines up with what they want and if it goes against the word of God it is justified in their mind as a choice.

Let’s look at God’s word and what God says to believers that want to follow Jesus and maintain proper relationships.

Even from the beginning with Adam and Eve God has said that any relationship that is to remain strong and focused must be with God as the center of it.

Genesis 2:18-25-“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ...”

Out of the heart of God relationships are born. Notice it is from the heart of God and not man because man’s heart can be tainted and taken away from what God intended for us to be in a right relationship with each other.

God joins companionship of a man and a women in fellowship with each other.