Exploring the importance of sacrificial love in marriage, prioritizing the spouse over others, and the transformative nature of marriage for personal growth and sanctification.
Marriage requires friendship and companionship as the foundation for a successful union.
Prioritizing marriage involves leaving old family patterns behind and focusing on building a strong partnership with one's spouse.
Deep dives
The Foundation of Marriage: Spirit-Filled Unselfishness
Marriage's power lies in the essence of being Spirit-filled, promoting unselfishness and a servant-hearted approach. Through the ability to hear and give criticism and practice forgiveness, individuals can cultivate a healthy marriage driven by selflessness.
The Definition of Marriage: Covenant and Commitment
Marriage is defined as a legal, public, exclusive, and permanent commitment to share every aspect of life with a partner. This covenant, marked by mutual promises to invest fully in each other, forms the core of marriage, transcending rituals or ceremonies.
The Priority of Marriage: Central Role and Vortex of Life
Marriage emerges as the principal relationship that shapes one's life, surpassing parental, career, or friend commitments. The prioritization of marriage demands leaving behind old family patterns and creating a new, shared foundation with one's spouse, establishing it as the cornerstone of life.
Leaving Past Patterns: Embracing a Fresh Start in Marriage
To cleave to one's spouse effectively, individuals must relinquish old family dynamics and embrace a fresh approach. By breaking free from parental influences and past patterns, couples can navigate challenges, discrepancies, and conflicts in marriage, fostering a healthy and transformative relationship.
The purpose of marriage is friendship, companionship. Your spouse has to be your best friend, or you don’t have a marriage. I know that’s not traditional, but it’s biblical.
We’re in a series looking at marriage: at its power, its definition, its priority, its purpose, its structure, and its mystery. So far, we’ve looked at the power of marriage and the definition of marriage. Now we’ll look more into the definition of marriage and then at the priority marriage.
We’ll look now at 1) three critical aspects without which a marriage will not run, 2) the definition of marriage, and 3) the priority of marriage.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 1, 1991. Series: Marriage. Scripture: Ephesians 5:22–33.
To receive the devo offer in this episode of "The Meaning of Marriage: A Couple's Devotional," visit https://gospelinlife.com/devo
Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.
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