Ephesians 5:31, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold
fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
This verse is quoted at least 5 times in the Bible. This is the covenant
verse for marriage. God established this covenant in Genesis 2:24. Let’s go
look at that verse real quick.
Genesis 2:24, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold
fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
We see here the words hold fast. If you look at those terms elsewhere in the
bible you will see that they are used in terms of covenant making.
A covenant is a agreement between 2 or more persons, in this case between
the man, woman, and God.
You have made a covenant. Husbands and wives are now one flesh! What God has
joined together let not man separate!
We see that Paul actually quoted this verse to emphasize the importance of
the marriage covenant.
Notice we see here that God told Adam and Eve this before there was any such
thing as a mother and a father. They were the first humans on Earth. God was
establishing His covenant before there was such a thing as fathers and
mothers.
Ephesians 5:32, This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to
Christ and the church.
The mystery that Paul is talking about here is the mystery of the gospel
that has played out for the gentiles, (that is the non-jews). The mystery of
marriage is a sacred reflection of the magnificent and beautiful union
between the Messiah and His church.
Our marriages should reflect the covenant between us and our Savior. When
others look at our marriage they should see the great relationship that
Jesus has with His church. Think about that for a minute! Does your marriage
reflect the great love and sacrifice that Jesus shows for His church?
Ephesians 5:33, However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and
let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Here Paul sums up this section on marriage. Husbands are you loving your
wives as yourself? Our natural tendencies are to be selfish and live for us,
but we should nurture and cherish our wives.
I want to close with a verses, Romans 12:9-10. Let love be genuine. Abhor
what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly
affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Let your love be genuine! Out do one another in showing honor! That is a
verse I try to live by daily in my relationship with Mary. When she does
something good for me I try and return the favor but even better. This is
all out of love too! We constantly strive to out do each other in showing
our love for one another. We don't focus on the negatives in each other but
the positives. This is how we show love for one another. Try this in your
marriage! Try to out do one another in showing love for each other. Don't
focus on what your spouse is doing for you but focus on what you are doing
for your spouse. Do it all out of love, not out of what you might get from
it!
Husbands love your wife as Christ loved the Church!
