The union between Christ and His church is the pattern for all human marriages. Is your marriage reflecting the relationship between Christ and His church?
Christ and the Church as a Pattern for Marriage
Ephesians 5:22-33
Why marriage? Why did God create marriage? We know that He did, because He first created the man, then put him to sleep and took a rib from his side by which he created the woman. Then he brought the woman to the man as His gift. The result? Moses writes, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).
Well, one reason was because marriage is for procreation. Marriage provides the necessary stable, loving and nurturing environment for children. God’s original mandate to the original couple was “to be fruitful and multiply.”
Another reason for marriage was for companionship. After God made Adam, he said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18).
But the highest and greatest reason God created marriage, in my opinion, was to display the gospel.
This brings us to our text which is Ephesians 5:31-32, which is actually also Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
Here we discover that God did not start with marriage, and then pattern the union of Christ and the church after it. Rather, God started with His purpose to unite Jesus with the Church, and then used that as a pattern for marriage. The union of Christ and the Church is the prototype. Human marriage is a picture, a type, a portrait of the original blueprint of the union of Christ and His church. Our marriages are to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Your marriage should be a signpost pointing people to the gospel. Husbands, when the world looks at how you treat your wife, they should see how Jesus treats His Church. Wives, when the world sees how you treat your husband, they should see how the church responds to Christ.
Well, if that is true, then what should marriage look like? In order to decide that question, we need to examine the relationship between Christ and the Church.
I’m going to present five truths about Christ’s relationship with the Church, so that we can see what the relationship between husband and wife should be.
1. Christ left His Father in heaven to be joined to His church
Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore the man must leave father and mother and be joined to his wife.” This is true because Christ left His Father in heaven, and came to earth, in order to be joined to His bride, the Church. There was no way for a union to take place between Christ and His people, unless He left heaven and came to earth.
Therefore men, you need to leave father and mother if you want to take a wife. You can’t just stay living in your father’s home and invite your wife to share your bedroom with you! You need to establish authority in a new family, not be the submissive son under your father’s authority. When you marry a woman, you are the head of the wife. In order for that to happen, you need to leave father and mother, in the sense that you become her authority, not your father. You establish a new family unit. That’s why I think it is important for married couples to have their own home away from their parents. As husband and eventually father, you need to provide leadership for the rules you will establish in your family. I know sometimes this is not possible for financial reasons, but I think you should make it a goal and work towards it.
- Christ became “one flesh” with His church. Refers to the Incarnation. Jesus took on human flesh, and became one of us. / So too, when a man is united with a woman in marriage they become “one flesh.”
- Christ is Perfectly Faithful to His Church. He calls the church to be faithful to Him. That’s why in the OT, idolatry was seen as adultery. / The husband and wife are to be faithful to one another. When a man marries a woman, they must forsake all others. When you said Yes to your wife, you said NO to every other woman on the planet. You made a covenant with that particular woman, and pledged your exclusive love to her alone.
- Christ is the Initiator with His Church. We love because He first loved us. “He loved me ere I knew Him…” “In love He predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ.”
- Christ Paid the Ultimate Sacrifice for His Church. / The husband is to demonstrate his love and commitment to his wife through sacrifice. Laying down his selfish desires, for her good.
______________________________
© The Bridge
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by The Bridge.
Follow Us!