The Meaning of Marriage: A New Spiritual Formation Class for Adults.

Writing to a Greco-Roman world in which marriage relationships were seldom for love, and rarely monogamous, Paul penned these words to the church at Ephesus: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31-32). In just a few sentences, Paul laid the groundwork for the Roman world to receive the joys of Christian marriage. 

This fall, Redeemer is launching a new Spiritual Formation class for adults: “The Meaning of Marriage.” All adults, from those longing to be married to those who have walked many years in marriage are welcome to attend.

In our modern culture, marriage is often viewed as an outdated relic. But Paul’s teaching on marriage is as countercultural today as it was in ancient times. By connecting marriage to Christ, Paul insists that marriage is sanctified, more than a social contract, and your spouse is not a commodity. By calling the marital union a “one-flesh” relationship, Paul places love in the foreground of marriage and says that each spouse must sacrifice themselves for the other. By connecting marriage to the church, Paul intends our communion with our spouses to nourish and strengthen both our homes and the church. And by speaking of the mystery of marriage, he says that every marriage gives the watching world a dim but true reflection of the love of God for his people.

At Redeemer, we long to be a place where marriages are strengthened, because marriage is a good gift to God’s world. We also want to be a church that acknowledges the struggles of marriage. In our class, we will use a video curriculum developed to accompany Tim and Kathy Keller’s book The Meaning of Marriage, which is structured around Paul’s teaching on marriage in Ephesians. The Kellers are faithful to say that marriage is not easy, in part because it requires us to let another person see us in all our shortcomings. But in God’s design, the Kellers write, the challenges and joys of earthly marriage point us to the fullness of Christ’s eternal love for us.

“In Christ, God sees us as righteous, holy, and beautiful (2 Corinthians 5:21). The world tells us about our faults, and we know they are there, but God’s love for us covers our sins and continues despite them. So Jesus has the ability to overcome everything anyone has ever said about you or to you. In a Christian marriage, you’re living that out in miniature. Sometimes your spouse points you directly to Jesus’ love. Sometimes your spouse’s affirmation imitates Jesus’ love and stimulates us to more fully believe and accept the love we have in Christ.” (from The Meaning of Marriage)

In the class, facilitated by David and Jennie Schwab, we will hear testimonies of God’s grace from couples around different matrimonial topics and discuss and pray together in groups. The group format of this class is meant to facilitate not just growth in our knowledge of God’s meaning for marriage, but also to connect families together for prayer and support in our journeys.

The class begins on August 27^th at 11:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall and will last for seven weeks. We hope you will join us!