The Blessing of Marriage as a Glimpse of God’s Love and Commitment to Us – Women’s Devotion
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:31-33
We perk up when we hear “for this reason.” For what reason? It’s Paul’s opening line in Ephesians 5:31-33.
The quote takes us all the way back to creation, to Genesis 2:24. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh”
The reason for this remarkable “one-flesh” miracle that occurs in the marriage of a man and a woman is found in the passage that precedes, Genesis 2:23:
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
Because God formed Eve from the very flesh and bone of Adam, marriage does nothing less than bring the two back into one. Paul speaks of this oneness reverently as a “profound mystery” on a level with the union of Christ and his church.
In Ephesians 5:22-30, Paul provides insights into the amazing gift we’re given in the one-flesh union that takes place through marriage. Take a moment to read those verses. Paul is bold to compare the marital union to the relationship of Christ and the church. We can learn much from this comparison.
The comparison is based on the fact that the church is the bride of Christ, a part of his own body of which he is the head. He sacrificed everything for her! Through Christ’s lavish love he presents the church as holy, cleansed, without blemish, and simply radiant.
Although our human love will always pale in comparison with the divine love, nevertheless, when husbands and wives love and honor each other, we catch a glimpse of how great the love of God in Christ for us is. Our love is a reflection of that love. At the same time Christ’s love is the motivating force for our love for each other. And it gives us the wonderful opportunity in our relationship to display Christ’s love to the world, as a powerful witness to our faith.
What a blessing on every side!
Prayer: Lord God, loving head of the church, thank you for creating the self-sacrificing estate of husband and wife in marriage. On all days, good or bad, may the image of your intimate oneness with your body, the church, be reflected in my marriage and in my status as your bride so that I may give honor to you and to my spouse. We thank you for this great opportunity to be a witness to the world around us. Amen.
Written by Sally Valleskey