Short Studies in Biblical Theology

Marriage

and the Mystery of the Gospel

Ray Ortlund

Dane C. Ortlund and Miles Van Pelt,

series editors

wheaton, illinois

Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel

Copyright © 2016 by Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Pedro Oyarbide

First printing 2016

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked REB are from The Revised English Bible. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Published by Oxford University Press.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-4687-7

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-4690-7

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-4688-4

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-4689-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ortlund, Raymond C., Jr., author.

Title: Marriage and the mystery of the Gospel / Ray Ortlund.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2016. | Series: Short studies in biblical theology series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016019913 (print) | LCCN 2016023839 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433546877 (tp) | ISBN 9781433546884 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433546891 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433546907 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Marriage—Biblical teaching. | Marriage—Religious aspects—Christianity.

Classification: LCC BS680.M35 O78 2016 (print) | LCC BS680.M35 (ebook) | DDC 261.8/3581—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016019913

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

For my wife

Contents

Preface

1 Marriage in Genesis

2 Marriage in the Law, Wisdom, and Prophets

3 Marriage in the New Testament

4 Marriage in the World Today

For Further Reading

General Index

Scripture Index

Preface

Marriage is not a human invention; it is a divine revelation. Its design never was our own made-up arrangement of infinite malleability. It was given to us, at the beginning of all things, as a brightly shining fixity of eternal significance. We might not always live up to its true grandeur. None of us does so perfectly. But we have no right to redefine it, and we have every reason to revere it.

Only the Bible imparts to us a vision of marriage so transcendent and glorious, far beyond ...