Apr 28, 2019
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:18-24
From the beginning of time, the union of a man and a woman in marriage was designed to picture something infinitely glorious. When the Scriptures say, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh" there was something else in view that marriage was meant to illustrate. After quoting Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:32 says, "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church."
The mystery Paul is referring to is the person of Christ and His wondrous work, which was not fully revealed for thousands of years after creation. The design of marriage, like the design of everything, points to the person of God. The center of the universe is the triune God and human history, as well as marriage, revolves around Christ.
The union of a husband and a wife is meant to be a picture of Christ and His people. Tucked away in the middle of Paul’s discussion about the Christian marriage, in Ephesians 5, is a brief, but profound description of the work of Christ on behalf of His church. In this description Christ is pictured as the groom and the church is pictured as His radiant bride. This confirms the idea of marriage and lifts it to the highest degree. Nothing, including marriage, exists as an end in itself. All exists for the honor of the Creator, Sustainer, and Goal of all . . . Christ the King.