All that Jesus said—and the New Testament's human authors wrote—about marriage is based on two succinct statements: Genesis 1:27 & 2:24. God forms and equips men and women for differing tasks. In marriage, which God instituted, their relationship ideally symbolizes Christ and His Church.

1. Since male and female are different, with both patterned after God, does either sex fully express His image? Is either created superior or inferior?



2. Paul acknowledges that the way the man and woman are united—as described in the second Genesis creation narrative—is "a great mystery." What ways do you see, in addition to sexual union, that they should be "united into one"?



3. Does oneness in marriage mean losing your personality in the personality of your wife? How about the other way around?



4. If oneness means that little can affect your wife without also affecting you, can you give an example?



5. What steps are you taking to anticipate your wife's needs? … to help her become all she can be?



6. How have you seen loving sacrifice for your mate reflected back to you?

Ask God to make the way you and your wife relate to each other a worthy example of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

²⁷So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

²⁸In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰And we are members of his body.

³¹As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." ³²This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. ³³So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, You designed male and female to complement each other. Help me mesh with Your design.

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