Tuesday, February 14th
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
– Ephesians 5:31-32
Marriage: A Gospel Metaphor
This Sunday at NorthStar, Mike taught on the tension of “Spouse vs. Kids”. So this week through Digging Deeper, we are going to look at three passages that highlight the covenant of marriage and 2 passages that speak to parenting and leaving a godly legacy.
Ephesians 5:31-32 is a portion of Paul’s teaching which surrounds the ethics of marriage. We see that he (like Jesus), quotes Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”. It’s interesting that the very next verse, Paul points us to what we really think about marriage as he states, This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Ultimately, marriage is a metaphor for the Gospel.
What that means is that marriage points us to, brings clarity to, and shines a light upon the Gospel of God. If you track with Paul’s quotation of Genesis 2:24 as the fundamental passage on marriage, which emphasizes that the two shall become one. And similarly, that is our Gospel.
We were made to be one WITH GOD. We were designed to be connected with Him forever. But due to our rebellion and sin, that oneness with God has been fractured, and we are now two separate entities. But Christ, in his mercy, has come to earth to save sinners and reconcile back to God a group of his beloved….the Church! All of this so that we could be united with God, once and forever.
Every time a bride and groom stand there and take their vows, they are reenacting the biblical love story, whether they realize it or not. The Son of God stepping down out of eternity, entering time, taking on flesh, pursuing and winning his bride as his very heart and body with his inmost, sincerest love so that he can fit her to be with him forever above—that dramatic super-reality is the breathtaking reason why human marriage exists. It is truly profound. And Christian married couples have the privilege of making the mystery of the gospel visible in the world today by living out the dynamic interplay of an Ephesians 5–quality marriage.” – Ray Ortlund (Marriage and The Mystery of the Gospel)
As Dr. Ortlund stated so well, every time we witness a wedding, we are witnessing a picture of the gospel. So today, as you reflect on your own wedding day or look forward to a friends, may you remember that Christ is the true groom and the Church is the true bride.
PRAYER
Our Father,
Thank you for your Word. We pray that by your Spirit, Ephesians 5:31-32 would change us into the likeness of Christ. Thank you for coming to get us. Thank you for your gospel, that you save broken sinners like us. We long for our ultimate union in heaven, Lord! Father, we pray this now through The Son and By the Spirit. Amen.
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