Marriage Today Week 2- Biblical Marriage

July 21, 2024 Preacher: Phil Courson Series: Today

Topic: Marriage Scripture: Ephesians 5:22–33

Marriage Today

Sunday, July 21st 2024

 Ephesians 5:22-33

 Introduction

 “Marriage exists to bring glory to God and reflect Christ and the Church”

 “Marriage is an exclusive heterosexual covenant between one man and one woman, ordained and sealed by God.” J. Stott

 Marriage and the Glory of God

The ultimate purpose of marriage is the same purpose of our lives - to glorify God!

 “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

 “Marriage exists for the glory of God…That is, they [it] exist to magnify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God.” J. Piper

 “Marriage was not just invented by God, it belongs to God. He has a unique claim over its design, purpose, and goals. It actually exists for him more than it exists for you and me and our spouses…Marriage is for our good, but it is first for God’s glory.” D. Harvey

  1. Marriage Reflecting Christ and the Church

“This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

Marriage from the beginning in creation was intended to reflect Jesus and the church.

 v.22 - “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord…”

 Submit – "Submission" (hupotasso) carries the implication of voluntary yieldedness to a recognized authority.

 Biblical submission is appropriate in several relational spheres: (1) the wife to her husband (Eph. 5:22-24); (2) children to their parents (Eph. 6:1); (3) believers to the elders of the church (Heb. 13:171 Thess. 5:12); (4) citizens to the state (Rom. 13); (5) servants (employees) to their masters (employers) (1 Peter 2:18) (6) some believers to other believers (Ephesians 5:21).

 “The idea of subordination to authority in general, as well as in the family, is out of favor in a world which prizes permissiveness and freedom. Christians are often affected by these attitudes. Subordination smacks of exploitation and oppression that are deeply resented. But authority is not synonymous with tyranny, and the submission to which the apostle refers does not imply inferiority. Wives and husbands have different God-appointed roles, but all have equal dignity because they have been made in the divine image and in Christ have put on the new person who is created to be like God (4:24).” PT O’Brien

 “…as to the Lord.” – is the motivation of the wife to submit to the husband.

 “…husband is head of wife…” – this is the reason for her submission

Head – kephale – means authority not source!

“kephale here clearly refers to a husband’s authority over his wife and cannot mean “source” as some have argued. In fact, there is no sense in which husbands are the source of their wives either physically or spiritually. In addition in over 50 examples of hephale in ancient Greek literature, with the idea “person A is the head of person(s) B” person A has authority over person(s) B in every case.” ESV Study Bible

 “…as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…”

 “The husband is bound by love to ensure that his wife finds their marriage a source of rich fulfillment and joyful service to the Lord.” ESV Study Bible

 v.28,29 - “In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has hatred his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church because we are members of his body.”

 v.31 – leads us to see that we don’t hate our own flesh and in the context of marriage we become one with each other.

 v.33 - “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let his wife see that she respects her husband.”

 Paul closes with a directive to both husband and wife.

 Conclusion