Making the Diverse One

Posted on March 2, 2009
Filed Under Marriage & Family |

“…a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound…” Ephesians 5 31-32

Two days ago, I stood on a stage at Focus on the Family and had the privilege to address 75,000 people in 500 churches around North America on the profound mystery of marriage.

75,000 people? All over this continent?

How is this possible?

As I was ready to go on, I wondered how you would explain all of this to my great grandfather in the 1800’s?

Easy.

First, you catch the wavy lines in the air that come from my voice and the light waves that bounce off of my face. Then you change those wavy lines into a bunch of 1’s and 0’s and throw those numbers up to a metal scarecrow that is several hundred miles up in the sky and flying around the earth at thousands of miles per hour. The scarecrow doesn’t want those numbers, so it throws them down into a big salad bowl mounted on a pole outside of each of the churches. Somebody in the church changes some of those 1’s and 0’s into red, green and blue pixels of light and throws them at a white piece of cloth hanging from the ceiling. The other 1’s and 0’s are changed into wavy lines again and shoved into one end of a wire attached to a big box sitting on the floor. People then come to a church in Presque Isle, Maine and look at that piece of cloth and listen to sounds coming from that big box and know instantly and exactly what I am saying and what I am drawing on a board thousands of miles away in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Sure.

What a day and what a time we live in!

All through the power of satellite broadcast technology as Focus held its first Marriage Simulcast. I was one of five speakers and the least of the bunch, for sure.

However, since the issue of marriage is so very critical today and since I am still “jazzed” about it, you have to endure it with me again.

The Scripture clearly tells us that God’s nature has been stamped upon His creation. Psalm 19 states “the heavens declare the glory of God”. In other words, what God has created reveals His glory. Job 12 states that the animals and fish and birds “teach” us, or reveal to us, that God has made them. This must include baboons. Romans 1 tells us that even the invisible attributes of God are so “plain” and “evident” from what God has made, that man is left without any excuse.

If all of this is true, then we should expect to see the image of God stamped not only upon man, but also upon the mysterious unity that He made when He created marriage. Malachi states that “God MADE them one”.

Marriage is, therefore, no less a part of God’s creation than the moon or stars or fish of the sea. And, as are all the social systems that God has made, it, too, is a reflection of His own nature. And if this is the case, then it is not simply a capricious, evolved social arrangement open to our fickle or selfish designs.

I am convinced that no aspect of God’s character is more directly revealed in marriage than the fact that God is socially complex. He is not monolithic. Yes, there is only one God, but internally He is socially complex, existing as three persons—three persons in perfect and complete unity. Each of these persons is fully God, yet each is distinct in their roles.

He is a unity of diversity.

This aspect of God should not surprise us, for we see everywhere in His creation both immense diversity and awesome unity. That unity is found in the myriad of complex systems that make up our universe—systems that defy the notion that randomness could have ever brought them about: atoms and quarks, photosynthesis and blood-clotting, light and pollination, ham and eggs. (I added that last set to see if you were listening—although the chicken egg is itself an amazing “system”. How did the hen figure out how to make a shell with the right number of pores so the chick could breathe, or an air-pocket at the end, or the four vessels that attach to the yoke and to the outer membrane?)

So, this eternal and majestic Diverse Unity created a cosmos filled with immense diversity that is unified in awesome relationships.

Not surprising.

And equally unsurprising, He also created social relationships made up of diverse elements, yet unified as a system.

The family is one of those: the diversity of a man and a woman brought together in a unity so intimate that God declares they are “one flesh”—and not to be separated.

Paul calls this a “profound mystery”.

Indeed it is. But it is a mystery that is one of the most beautiful in all of God’s handiwork.

Comments

12 Responses to “Making the Diverse One”

  1. William on March 3rd, 2009 8:31 am

    Hey Del,
    Not to disappoint you, but Presque Isle is not actually an island. (It’s name is apparently taken from the French word for peninsula.) Just thought I’d let you know! It took me many years to realize that, even though I’ve lived in Maine my whole life.

  2. Jayne on March 3rd, 2009 11:07 am

    WOW!!!! That was my husband comment after you spoke on Saturday at the Focus on Marriage Conference. I also said WOW. But THANK YOU!!!!!! My husband sat on the edge of his chair. You were great. My husband and I are on the verge of DIVORCE. I KNOW WE WILL WORK!!!! I’m doing the LOVE DARE. please pray for us.
    thanks,
    jaynie

  3. Curtis on March 3rd, 2009 11:10 am

    Ham and eggs, hot coffee, Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza, rhubarb pie—the taste buds we take for granted are an amazing wonder that defies evolution. The mystery of marriage, not “falling in love” but committing to love is also an amazing union that throws a sandal in the machine of evolution. Taste buds, marriage and the eye all cause me to agree with the Psalmist when he said, “Taste and see The Lord’s goodness.”(the new Curtis Paraphrase)

  4. Aaron on March 3rd, 2009 3:27 pm

    Del,
    I have a few relatively quick things.
    1. Thanks for speaking at the Marriage conference, My wife and I had the pleasure of watching the conference from Midland Texas. (Where we also met you earlier that year at a friend’s house). We were honored to meet you and blessed to hear you as a teacher from Colorado. I am a stronger Christian and my marriage is stronger due to the work God has done through you.
    2. Thanks for running this Blog (or at least hosting it) I have signed up to get the updates.
    3. I share your deep awe of creation. I can sit in traffic on a busy day and be amazed that God made the trees so green or be driving home from work and be in amazement that God can create such large dust storms out here. I get lost thinking about the expanse of the universe and how it can be so large but yet the sub particles that make up quarks that make up protons and neutrons can be so small. The range of those two sizes is as close as I can come to understanding infinity, but then I know God is infinitely larger than that. That’s the stuff I enjoy and I can tell you do too.
    4. I am curious if you share any of your “millions” of pictures that you have taken in your travels that you shared a bit about on Saturday.

  5. Rachel on March 3rd, 2009 3:31 pm

    Most of my Truth Project group (4 married couples) and my 19 year old daughter and her on- again off-again boyfriend (since 8th grade) attended the Focus on Marriage simulcast event together in Eugene Oregon. We all had a great time, and were most excited when you were being announced…we wanted to shout “yeah, go Del”! Listening to you every Friday night, we feel like we know you personally! You were great, as usual, and we are all looking forward to taking tour #5 with you this Friday! You are a very gifted teacher and we thank you for sharing that gift with so many.

  6. Scott on March 4th, 2009 10:00 am

    Good morning Del,
    Here in Hershey today the sun is shining, the snow is glistening, the air smells like chocolate and the bird feeders are full…of birds! All a testimony to the creator of diversity and author on unity. Thank you for all of your efforts to hold such truth up before the world.

    In our ministry to the trucking industry (Transport For Christ) I don’t often have the opportunity to physically revel my senses in the purity of the Lord’s created order. So, I have to bath my thoughts in images written on my heart and mind. Can you just imaine what it will be like to experience this world, in total, the way God intended! Would that be…awesome, astounding, cool or what!

    God bless, Scott

  7. Denise on March 4th, 2009 12:26 pm

    Dear Del,
    We really enjoyed the Focus on Your Marriage simulcast! It was a great event. We really enjoyed your teaching but then we knew we would because we enjoy your teaching in The Truth Project. Thank you so much for being an inspiration to so many.

  8. Jeff on March 4th, 2009 2:43 pm

    Del -
    Thanks for your great talk on Saturday. I am still emotional about your statement that Jesus’ comments in the garden were not about the suffering he was about to endure but that for the first time ever that he would be separated from the Father. So simple yet so profound. Please pass on my thanks to the Focus staff. A great day!

  9. Sandy on March 4th, 2009 4:49 pm

    Del,
    My husband and I attended the simulcast in San Antonio, Tx and loved every speaker. We learned so much and hope that Focus on the Family does this again. In the Truth Project we learned about the relationship with the Trinity and how God designed relationship. It just makes sense. It was a great reminder. Thank you for being a part of this simulcast and the ministry at Focus.

  10. julia on November 17th, 2009 7:53 am

    My heart gets sad when I think of the divorce rate in the United States.When I go to a wedding I pray for the couple to stay married.

    We must teach our children what God’s intent for marriage is. This should be done with high school children through the church. I have been praying with my children since they were born that they will marry a Christian mate.
    You are more likely to find most of today’s youth on an athletic field on Sunday instead of in church.
    Here’s the kicker, our children are learning “character traits” in the public schools starting in first grade. This sounds good on the surface and I’m sure it is positive for the children who are not in church but they are getting instruction on “character traits” WITHOUT scriptural backup.
    The middle school and higher children are getting this type of instruction in the new “Home Economics” class, which by the way does not teach sewing and cooking (as I thought it did).

    We need to ask our schools to make these classes optional. If you have a child who is instructed at home about Christianity and who attend church, I suggest they opt out of these classes and use the time for a study hall.

    These classes are teaching a “blanket” tolerance. Teaching tolerance without scriptural knowledge is inconsistent with Christian beliefs, and this I feel is why the divorce rate is so high.

    start informing other Christian parents and take your concerns to the school board.

  11. Rosanne on February 16th, 2010 1:10 pm

    “…a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound…” Ephesians 5 31-32

    Del, these Biblical words above are what I once told my ex husband when we were married but they meant nothing to him; he just could not cut those apron strings to his parents. Needless to say, we are divorced 17 years now and have remarried others. Thank you for all you do to keep married couples together!

  12. Donny on February 16th, 2010 10:33 pm

    Amen!

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