God, Marriage, and Family (Excerpt) - Monergism Books

“The richness and beauty of God’s character and ways are most evident whenwe observe his entire redemptive story, from creation to final restoration. Afterall, though parts of a portrait might be interesting, it is the beauty and wonderof the whole that reveals the author. The unique contribution of God, Marriage,and Family is Köstenberger’s approach: he carefully traces God’s unfolding planfor marriage and family from creation through to the end. This holistic approachnot only raises intriguing issues generally left unaddressed in a book on marriage,such as the miserable failure of some Old Testament marriages, but more importantlythis approach offers a rich and unified biblical theology of the family andmarriage.“Köstenberger tackles difficult topics like divorce, homosexuality, and sexualreproduction within the framework of God’s plan for marriage and family asrevealed from Genesis to Revelation. Given the complexity of such issues, somewill surely disagree with points here and there, but there is no wrangling abouthis approach. The true beauty of marriage and the family shines most brightlywhen one looks at these topics as they are developed throughout God’s entirestory.”—RICHARD W. HOVECampus Crusade for ChristDuke University, Durham, North Carolina