Today we are starting a series based on Tim Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods, wherein we’ll consider a number of idols that vie for worship in our society. In this episode we consider Aphrodite, the ancient goddess of love, and her modern counterparts. We begin by examining the somewhat dysfunctional love story of Jacob and Rachel in the book of Genesis. We conclude that love and romance are goods God has given people, but they should not be our ultimate pursuit or what we look to for salvation. In addition, Rose rebukes the tendency among Christians to hold out romance and marriage to singles as an ultimate goal to find completion. Dan also shares some great advice about attracting a godly spouse. Whether you are married or single, this Off Script episode will help you think through the proper place you should have for romantic love in your life.
Notes and Links:
- Episodes in this series on Counterfeit Gods:
- For an excellent overview of this topic, listen to Tim Keller’s talk on Podcast 41: Counterfeit Gods or watch it on YouTube
- To purchase the book, go here
- Intro music: “Protofunk” by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
In Bible times people got married at a very young age in line with their culture of having large families, and that would have been a safeguard for them too. A problem today can be that people reach physical/sexual maturity whilst emotional maturity takes longer to develop; and so it would be advisable to wait until ready for marriage, and take that time to develop a personal relationship with God always putting Him first in our lives. Being close to God will help a person to exercise self-control until finding a suitable partner at the right time.
I thought it was interesting how the years Jacob spent waiting for Rachel seemed like days to him, because he loved her so much (Gen 29:20).
We are always happy when people get married because it seems so natural – weddings are such a happy time. Singleness can be very lonely at times, especially as you get older I think, but the scripture you brought out was very encouraging:
“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – and how he can please his wife, and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” 1 Cor 7:32-35.