Profound Mystery: Marriage Lessons From EphesiansSample

Our Witness

A lot of thought goes into planning a wedding. Do you want it big or small, lavish or modest, traditional or something a little more edgy? The choices are so varied that a $70 billion industry exists to help couples craft a day that is as unique as they are.

While there is nothing wrong with working hard to orchestrate a beautiful wedding, Scripture offers a much higher view of marriage. Not only is marriage a celebration of our earthly love and commitment, but it also is a tangible picture of the relationship that Christ has with His church.

This means what happens in our homes, not only affects us, it also affects our witness for Christ. That’s a sobering thought. Paul calls this a mystery, and it is. Why would God choose to use something as imperfect as our marriages to reflect His image and to help people understand Christ’s relationship with the church? 

Christ came in humility, but our marriages are often filled with pride. Christ was a servant leader who suffered unjustly and gave up His rights, but we often fight to have things our way. Christ gave His life to offer us forgiveness, but forgiving our spouse is often the last thing we want to do. Yet God uses our imperfect attempts at marriage to teach us something about Christ’s relationship with His church.

Even though Christ’s church is an imperfect rebellious group, He loves it anyway. In fact, Romans 8:35-39 teaches that His love is so permanent that, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Christ’s love for us is unshakable, and the love we have for each other should be too.

Marriage is where the rubber hits the road in Christianity. If we are really forgiven, then we should be able to forgive. If we are really filled with his grace, then our homes should be grace filled. If we were really filled with His joy, then our homes should be joyful, even when facing hardships.

When people look at our marriages, they learn if what we say about Christ is actually true or not. When two Christians divorce, people are forced to wonder if forgiveness and grace are only words. Our marriages are not just about us, they’re also our witness to a watching world.

Pray: Father, our marriage is far from perfect. Help our home to be filled with Your love and grace, so that others will come to know You as well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For more on this topic listen to, “Why Does Marriage Matter?” on FamilyLifeToday.com.