Using Hebrews 12:1-2 as his text, Dr. Will Senn challenges students to identify and discard the ten categories of baggage that couples bring into marriage before they reach the altar.

Scripture Text

Hebrews 12-13

Main Points or Ideas

Hebrews 12:1-2 presents two participles alongside the main verb "run": an aorist participle (lay aside — definitively, immediately discard sin and weight) and a present participle (look unto Jesus — a continuous, ongoing focus). Both are required to run victoriously; addressing baggage without looking to Jesus misses the solution.

• Bag 1 — Communication - The number one cause of relational breakdown. Vagueness, silent treatment, interrupting, and blame-shifting all erode relationships. Look unto Jesus, the perfect communicator — the Word who speaks and listens.
• Bag 2 — Commitment - Hardened hearts and emotional disengagement lead to contempt and divorce. Christ's commitment modeled in Hebrews 13:5 — five negative particles: "I will never, never, never forsake you" — is the standard.
• Bag 3 — Sexual Baggage - Past immorality, pornography, or abortion brought into marriage creates serious damage. Physical reminders of past relationships must be burned. God forgives and restores, but these issues must be addressed before marriage.
• Bag 4 — Financial Baggage - Debt and financial irresponsibility are real baggage. Dr. Senn urges students — especially those considering ministry — to graduate debt-free, noting mission agencies have turned away applicants over unresolved debt.
• Bag 5 — Incompatibility - Many differences can be overcome, but showstoppers — church, finances, children, education — must be discussed. Amos 3:3: "How can two walk together except they be agreed?"
• Bag 6 — Conflict Resolution - Do you have a track record of solving problems biblically? Bullying, avoidance, and blame-shifting destroy marriages. Hebrews 12:14 calls believers to pursue peace.
• Bag 7 — Abuse Baggage - Past abuse is real baggage, often not the victim's fault. Hebrews 12:3 — "Consider him who endured such hostility" — points to Christ as the one who understands and gives grace to move forward without bitterness.
• Bag 8 — Addiction - Alcohol, drugs, gambling, and pornography are non-negotiables. Victory must come before marriage, not be hoped for after.
• Bag 9 — Emotional Baggage - Anxiety, panic attacks, and chronic emotional instability carry into marriage. Look unto Jesus, "the same yesterday, today, and forever" — immutable and stabilizing.
• Bag 10 — Immaturity - Unrealistic expectations and selfishness signal someone is not ready for marriage. The call is simply to grow up before bringing someone else into unresolved immaturity.

Conclusion

Dr. Senn closes with a practical homework assignment: identify your baggage, deal with it before marriage using Scripture and recommended resources, and put it in the dumpster — no dumpster diving. The call is to lay aside every weight and sin and run the race looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith.