Marriage is not a state institution, dreamed up to give couples a break on taxes. And no matter how a country or state may define it, it originated with God and therefore and its true meaning from him and his Word. Marriage was designed to be a dance of death and submission, as his image- bearers spread God’s glory throughout the earth. While the husband is called to lead in humble submission to Christ, giving himself up for his wife’s good; the woman is to submit to his leadership, as the marriage head, even as Christ is the head of the church. This institution is a picture of God’s love for his people in Christ: as Christ died for the church, the church submits to his leadership over their lives. In this dance we discover that marriage was designed to make us holy, not happy. Though certainly there will be times of great happiness, that’s not the goal of its design.

Beautiful By Design | The Dance | Ephesians 5:22-33; Matthew 19:4-6; Genesis 2