H2O Church
In this 6th talk, we turn to the Christian teaching on marriage, found in the covenantal love modeled by Jesus, and explained in Ephesians 5.
#1—The Christian understanding of marriage is covenant.
#2—We desire intimate, deep companionship but we stink at it.
GENESIS 1: God manifested Himself in both man and woman in gender.
Genesis 1:27 ESV
GENESIS 2: Marriage, created by God, was designed to reveal God’s goodness.
Genesis 2:24-25 ESV
GENESIS 3: The entrance of sin into the world shifted this harmonious relationship into disharmony.
Genesis 3:16 ESV
Paul’s instruction on marriage
Ephesians 5:1-3 ESV
So when the scripture says to the man, do this, that instruction has to do with how, as a man, to love like God has loved. When the scripture says to the woman, do this, that instruction has to do with how, as a woman, to love like God has loved.
“In antiquity, when male supremacy was unquestioned and Christian ethics were still unknown, women were harmless but rather silly, and a man who took them seriously was somewhat despised” -Bertrand Russell
But then came the life of Jesus. AND JESUS DID TAKE WOMEN SERIOUSLY. Christian ethics DID become known. The cross of Jesus is meant to be the end of misogyny and inequality.
Galatians 3:28 ESV
Ephesians 5:25-31 ESV
How exactly did Jesus love the church? Through self-sacrifice.
Do we see Jesus regarding leadership as a position of power and prestige? NO!
“At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for and protect both marriage and family.”
Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV
Ephesians 5:33 ESV
Let’s redeem the word submission.
1. We’ve already defined it as the center of all relationships, putting my mission under yours, not insisting on my way.
2. In marriage, we see that it generally equates to respect.
3. Submission is also, according to scripture, meant to be mutual.
4. Submission is something we do all the time, in different contexts, without thinking twice.
5. Consider a simple definition= to be easily persuaded by, to give room for.
6. A woman’s submission and a man’s “love like Christ loved the church” are actually both love, putting the other in front of your own needs.
Ephesians 5:32 ESV