Ephesians 5:21-33

Read Ephesians 5:21-33

Helpful Background Information: 

• Throughout the Bible, marriage is described as a covenant relationship. This is a voluntary partnership where a man and a woman commit to mutual submission (v.21) and sacrificial love (vv.25-30).  The basis for understanding this covenant, according to Paul, has to be rooted in God’s original design (Genesis 2:24) and the example of Jesus (5:25). Just as Jesus Christ fulfills God’s covenant promises to the Church, so too does a husband and a wife who follow Jesus’ example. 

• In order to guide married couples, Paul gives instructions for how the covenant relationship is supposed to play out for husbands and wives. He gives them principles and roles to help them uphold the promise that they’ve made to each other. In the biblical understanding, those who are joined in the covenant of marriage are united in such a way that the two actually become “one flesh” (v.31).

Reflection Questions: 

• Many people today are hesitant to commit to marriage, and many view it as a restriction of autonomous freedom by way of its permanence. In your own words, describe how a covenant actually promotes true freedom rather than restricting it.

• On a basic level, a covenant is a promise or an agreement. In your experience, when are promises hardest to keep? Why?

• Covenants are made all throughout the Bible. Based on what Paul says here in Ephesians 5, what makes a marriage covenant unique from other kinds of covenants? 

• Marriage covenants, in some ways, are meant to mirror and mimic the covenant God has made with His people. Describe some ways in which this is the case.