Journey to Surrender

I spoke in my previous post about the importance of “The Bridal Paradigm” to my understanding of how marriage is supposed to work. This may seem like an odd phrase if you are not familiar with the IHOP (International House of Prayer not the pancake place).

In Scripture there are many metaphors used to describe the relationship between God and his people. We, the church, are described as adopted sons in the household of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, citizens of the Kingdom, the priesthood of all believers, the army of God, and the sheep of his flock, among others. All of these define and inform various facets of our relationship with God the Father, with his son Jesus, or with the Holy Spirit.

But it is our understanding that we are the bride of Christ that gives us unique insight into God’s design for marriage. Paul makes this clear near the end of the famous chapter on marriage.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32

The implications for this are vast, and I will begin to unpack it some in coming posts. For now just appreciate how this statement hugely impacts my understanding of everything that the rest of the chapter says about marriage.

Go read the rest of Ephesians 5 with this vital connection in mind.