The Pact

“This work is inspired by Ephesians 5:31-32, a passage which it brings together great mystery and relevance.  Love is a voluntary sacrifice without receiving anything in return.  The image shows a young couple who are united in the same feeling and conviction, laying their foundation on the eternal rock, in a new birth that is redemptive and hopeful.  Having a covenant in the gospel of Jesus as a couple is a joy and great privilege which becomes robust and inspiring.  Formally, the color is warm and full of light, there is a contrast between the first plane and the second , aligning with the idea of forming something new and lasting full of new fruits for the gospel.  God bless this beautiful couple who fills their days with His amazing grace and even when difficulties come they will not prevail before the covenant in the gospel.”
 
“Therefore 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, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:31-33 ESV)
 
Additional details to note (intentional differences between the photo & the painting):  
– There is a subtle cross implied in the sky & clouds
– On the hill behind both Justin & Baylor there is a small house… representing how each are leaving their home of birth to join in a new union
– Justin & Baylor are no longer standing on a bare rock… they are standing on a subtle cross of green grass & vines that is entwining their feet together with new growth & tiny fruit buds
– The tree above them on this proposal-day scene originally had some leaves on the branches.  The artist intentionally removed the former leaves, because what this couple is growing is an entirely new thing, as evidenced by the singular new fruit cluster (heart shaped) on the branch above them, that matches the flowers growing from theirfoundation, the cross.

acrylic/canvas