ICS Daily Devotions
Necessary Elements of a Covenant Marriage
A covenant marriage mirrors God’s covenant with His people. There are elements of a covenant marriage which are necessary to strengthen it.
A marriage covenant has the same components as God’s covenant with His people:
1) An initiative of love inviting a response and creating a relationship;
2) As God’s covenant of grace was made sure by an oath, so the essence of the marriage covenant is the vow of consent, which guards the relationship;
3) An obligation of faithfulness;
4) Includes the promise of blessing to those who remain faithful to the covenant;
5) Both require sacrifices.
In fact, sacrifice is at the very heart of a covenant. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God’s covenants with His people were secured by blood – by laying down one’s life in death. Likewise, the security of the marriage relationship is based on a “walk of death”:
1) Death to certain freedoms
2) Death to dependency on parents
3) Death to prior relationships
4) Death to self
All of these are necessary for a marriage to have a life of its own and a new wholeness as two become one.
Another is a connection with God, which in turn is the best connection with our mate. A Christian covenant marriage is designed to be a triangle where the bond is as strong as it can possibly be when the husband and the wife are woven into a tight relationship with God, and the three always touch each other. A three-strand rope is stronger than a rope with four or five strands, because with only three strands, each strand is constantly touching the other two, forming the strongest and tightest bond possible.
Ephesians 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church…. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Finally, another necessary and key element to a covenant is keeping our word. We do what we said we would do. This is essential in maintaining covenant relationships and being a person of integrity. God stands behind every word that He speaks and so should we as we are made in His image.
Jeremiah 1:12b You have seen well for I am vigilant to perform my Word
Sermon Series: Marriage covenant
