“In Marriage, Look to Christ, Part 2”

In my sermon on August 23, the second of three foundation pieces I gave was this: Marriage is a mystery revealed.  Ephesians 5:31-32 says, “’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.”

I went on to elaborate on the mystery of marriage, quoting or paraphrasing from material found in This Momentary Marriage, by Dr. John Piper.  In reviewing my message later, I realized that I had forgotten to attribute ( as I usually do for any source) John’s work to him.  So herein I want to give John due credit for his helpful writing; I am committed to giving attribution to authors from whom I quote in my speaking and I apologize for leaving out this important note.

Here is the section of This Momentary Marriage to which I referred:

“In Genesis 2:24, the words ‘hold fast to his wife’ and the words ‘they shall become one flesh’ point to something far deeper and more permanent that than serial marriages and occasional adultery.  What these words point to is marriage as a sacred covenant rooted in covenant commitments that stand against every storm ‘as long as we both shall live.’  But that is only implicit here.  It becomes explicit when the mystery of marriage is more fully revealed in Ephesians 5:31-32.”

“Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 in verse 31: ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  Then he gives it this all-important interpretation in verse 32: “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and his church.”  In other words, marriage is patterned after Christ’s covenant commitment to his church.”

“Christ thought of himself as the bridegroom coming for his bride, the true people of God (Matt. 9:15; 25:1 ff.; John 3:29)…Christ knew he would have to pay for his bride with his own blood.  He called this relationship the new covenant—“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).  This is what Paul is referring to when he says that marriage is a great mystery: “I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”  Christ obtained the church by his blood and formed a new covenant with her, an “unbreakable” marriage.”  [pages 24-25]

And just as the covenant relationship of Jesus Christ with his church is permanent, so our marriages, by His design, are meant to be permanent.   

Jesus says to his people, “I am with you always.”

Husbands and wives vow to one another, “So long as we both shall live.”

What a great blessing, to be called to reflect the beauty of Christ and his church in and through our marriages!