FIREPROOF (the movie) helps Prepare you to Protect your Marriage

My whole family and I went to see it together. It is great for preparing people for the struggles that can take place in a marriage; especially when a spouse becomes selfish. If you plan to get married one day, are engaged, or have been married for years...go see it. I highly recommend this movie!

I am very thankful that the movie was a positive option for families to enjoy; without the fear of blasphemous language, nudity, and things that are offensive to God and those who follow Christ. Knowing that Kirk Cameron, who met his real wife on the set of Growing Pains, came to Christ, and has a ministry that proclaims the biblical gospel… I decided to see the movie.

Kirk Cameron plays the leading role, where much of the plot was focused, his professional experience and quality acting made “Fireproof’s” overall a quality movie. Once the story line “grabbed” me… I was sucked in and enjoyed the movie and the lesson they were teaching the audience. There were several very good action scenes, and one that really shocked me. The seriousness was also broken up at the right times with some well-placed moments of humor. There were several twists and turns in the movie which made me realize in the end, that there were actually several plots taking place all along in many of the earlier scenes. This aspect makes me want to see it again so I can see those plots in more detail in the early parts of the movie.This movie hit on more serious and theological elements than other Christian movies out there. The most obvious was the scene where the gospel message was presented. Leading up to this scene, credibility was given to the gospel by having true Christian character being witnessed by others. In one previous scene, Kirk says to one firefighter, about the faith of another, “You may not agree with him, but you and I both know he is the ‘real deal’.” A comment that all Christians should hope others would say about them.

In the scene where Kirk hears the gospel - I was most impressed. The gospel was presented to him in the correct biblical way (as someone who has violated the commandments of God and is in need of redemption). In a great play on words, after hearing the gospel, Kirk vents to his dad about his wife and their problems, and the words he uses to describe his wife are the very words God uses to describe a sinner’s attitude toward God. The holiness of God and the desperation of man in need of a Savior were clearly articulated in this scene. It gave me goose-bumps to be honest. I prayed that any man in the audience who was not saved and treated his wife as Kirk’s character did, (or a man who claims to be a Christian and yet treats his wife that way), would fall to his knees before Jesus Christ in prayer repenting of his attitude and behavior towards his wife, get right with God, and without any pre-requirements he may think of for his wife… put those aside and be the husband he was created and called to be in Christ.

Another Biblical aspect of the movie that I really liked was the clear demonstration of how the gospel truly changes someone. Paul says that we are “new creations” when we are “in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17). Contemporary evangelical Christianity often promotes the idea that Christians should behave like the world in order to be “relevant.” The attitude of “You’re cool, and I’m cool, and I like Jesus, so you probably would like Jesus too, why don’t you try Jesus and see how cool He is,” has become a common false “gospel” of our day. This often leads to professing Christians continuing in sin and being a part of the world, when in reality the Bible teaches us to be holy, forsaking sin, and be among the world but not like those in this evil world.

In “Fireproof” the message is very clear that sinners are expected to act like sinners, but that the gospel changes one’s desires from loving their sin to hating their sin, and from hating righteousness to hungering and thirsting after righteousness. It achieves this. The reality of how hard the Christian life can be comes out and brings more Biblical credibility to the story. The movie demonstrates well that “the way of the transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15) and that “obeying God often prevents sinful consequences”, and it does it without insinuating that becoming a Christian will fix all the problems that person has or will have in life (as the false gospel does).

Biblical messages are highlighted throughout the movie in the wisdom of mature Christians. The Biblical idea that “love” is not a feeling or an emotion, but is a decision, is demonstrated both in the gospel presentation, as what Christ has done for us, as well as in how we should love others. Forgiveness also is demonstrated Biblically, not as simply forgetting what others have done to us, but as a decision to not hold anything against others or use the things from the past to harm the relationship; just as Christ has done for us.

“Fireproof” succeeds in showing that the gospel is powerful in killing sinful desires and wrong motives, and in saving sinners for the glory of God. While the movie adequately moved me unto the end, I felt like I had been in a Biblically-centered two-hour counseling session when I left. That may sound negative to some, but I don’t mean that in a negative way. The messages were very clear and Biblically sound and demonstrated how powerful the true gospel of Christ is in repairing relationships as well as in saving lost souls.

I would highly recommend the movie to anyone, as well as the “Love Dare” bible study materials for church study groups. Besides the new movies “The Gospel of John” and “Time Changer”, Fireproof is now one of my top favorite Christian movies. May the messages in it reach the hearts and minds of spouses in this country, and world, as well as in Christian homes –for the saving of souls and the complete transformation of personalities and mind frames within the family unit.