What is the meaning of Ephesians 5:32? This mystery Paul has just quoted Genesis 2:24 to show that marriage joins two people into “one flesh.” Turning to that union he says, “This mystery…,” a word he often uses for truths once hidden but now revealed (Colossians 1:26–27; Romans 16:25–26; Ephesians 3:3–6). God embedded in the very design of marriage a secret that would point beyond Adam and Eve to something greater. Like a treasure long buried in plain sight, the marriage covenant has always carried gospel meaning, but only in Christ has the full picture come into focus. is profound The mystery is no small footnote; it is “profound.” • It stretches from the first couple in Eden to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7–9). • It binds together heaven’s plan for redemption and earth’s most common relationship. • It magnifies both the holiness of marriage (Hebrews 13:4) and the glory of the gospel (1 Timothy 3:16). What God revealed in stages reaches breathtaking depth once Christ steps onto the scene. but I am speaking Paul pauses to make sure we do not miss his point. He is not merely delivering a sermon on human romance. He signals a deliberate shift of focus—“I am speaking.” Just as Jesus used parables to unveil spiritual realities, Paul is using the familiar picture of husband and wife to talk about something infinitely larger (2 Corinthians 11:2). about Christ and the church Here is the unveiled secret: marriage mirrors the covenant love between the Savior and His redeemed people. • Christ loves the church sacrificially—“Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). • He sanctifies her—“to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:26). • He nourishes and cherishes her—“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church” (Ephesians 5:29). • The union is permanent and joyful—seen in the coming celebration of Revelation 21:2. Every Christian marriage, therefore, preaches a living sermon: husbands embody Christ’s self-giving headship; wives model the church’s glad submission (Ephesians 5:22–24). When we treat marriage lightly we distort the gospel picture; when we honor it we spotlight the Savior. summary Ephesians 5:32 declares that the one-flesh union of husband and wife is a God-designed signpost pointing to the greater union between Christ and His church. The “mystery” hidden in marriage, now revealed, proclaims the depth of Christ’s love, the security of our union with Him, and the sacred calling of every marriage to reflect that gospel reality. |
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