Do you realize that a Christian marriage is a testimony — a living picture of Christ’s love for His church? It displays an important biblical message.
“The relationship between a husband and wife in marriage models the gospel. When explaining a Christ-centered marriage, Paul says in Ephesians 5:32, ‘This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.’ The role of husband and the wife in a Christ-centered marriage is ultimately to point our hearts to the gospel of Christ” (Rick Pidcock, from internet article, “Having a Christ-centered Marriage”).
You can see this throughout the Bible where marriage is referred to as a living picture, a living example displayed through those who are married, of Christ’s love for the church. Christ is the bridegroom (a man who marries is to be a living example of Christ the bridegroom), and the church (His people) are the bride of Christ (a woman who marries is to be a living example of the bride of Christ).
Jesus Christ takes very good care of His bride — to the point that He sacrificed His life on earth for her. He showed us through His example how to sacrificially love. When we enter into marriage we become models of God’s love in how we treat each other for the world to witness.
The bridegroom (a married man) is to respond to his bride as Christ does for His church. He is to sacrificially love her in his words and his actions. He is to be faithful as Christ is faithful. Christ is then given the opportunity to display His loving nature through this man by how he treats his wife.
The bride (a married woman) is to show her loving respect to God through how she interacts with her husband. This is all a part of being in a covenant relationship with God and her marriage partner. She is to be faithful to her husband as “unto the Lord.”
Think about it, it’s got to break the heart of God when we distort His picture of marriage by mistreating each other. As author Charlie Shedd pointed out, “God wrapped His words around the relationship of marriage to describe God’s love and relationship with the world.” What does it say to the world of God’s promises to the Church of His love, faithfulness and devotion for them when we hurt each other as husband and wife? [Read more →]





