Ephesians 5:25,29 (Amplified) Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,…For no one ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
A blood covenant is the closest, most enduring, most solemn, and most sacred of all contracts. When you enter a blood covenant with someone, you promise to give them your life, your love, and your protection forever, “till death do you part”. It is a binding and unbreakable agreement in the absolute union of two parties. A covenant is the only secure foundation for a happy, fulfilling, and lasting marriage. Recognising the meaning of covenant will help us understand the importance of being “one”.
1 Corinthians 13:4a (NKJV) Love suffers long and is kind.
A husband needs to understand that his wife may lack a sense of security because she may have given up her job, income and career to look after the children. Since love is kind, he should ensure that his wife is not limited to having only a household allowance but also well cared for so she can feel secure.
Couples should be reminded that in a covenant marriage, everything is shared. This means having a joint bank account where all the money is put, and all assets, such as houses, are in both names. This will provide a sense of security to the wife. Money matters can be more easily resolved when she has a joint account with you, and if it is something that is important to her, it should be equally important to you. This exercise of transparency will help the marriage mature and grow into what Christ has designed it to be.
Also, we must never hurt our marriage partner, whether verbally or physically. Even though they are not perfect beings and may have even caused us wrong, we should honour and remember the marriage vows we uttered to protect and nourish each other and to never betray their trust by being unfaithful.
We should also lay down our lives, our rights, and our privileges for our spouse. We need to let them know that they matter to us more than our job and our hobbies, and besides God, they are the top priority in our lives. This way, we can truly experience how God can unite two lives into “one flesh” and make it through storms and challenges together.
Sermon Series：Before You Say “I Do” (Lesson 3 & 4)
合而为一
以弗所书 5:25,29 你们做丈夫的，要爱你们的妻子[为她寻求最高的利益，用关爱和无私的爱包围她]，正如基督爱教会，为教会舍己， …从来没有人恨恶自己的身子，[反而]总是保养顾惜，正像基督待教会一样，
血约是所有盟约中最亲密、最持久、最庄严和最神圣的。 当你与某人以血立约时，你承诺要永远交付你的生命、你的爱和你的保护给他们，“直到死亡将你们分开”。 这是双方绝对的联合，具有约束力且是牢不可破的协议。 盟约是幸福、充实和持久婚姻的唯一稳固基础。 认识盟约的意义将有助于我们理解成为“一体”的重要性。
哥林多前书 13:4a 爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈。
丈夫需要理解妻子可能会因为放弃工作、收入和事业来照顾孩子而缺乏安全感。 既然爱是有恩慈的，他就应该确保妻子不只是有家庭津贴，还要受到良好的照顾，这样她才能有安全感。
应该提醒夫妻们，在盟约婚姻中，一切都是共享的。 这意味着拥有一个联名银行账户，将所有资金都存在里面，并把所有的资产（例如房屋）都放在两个人的名下。 这会给妻子带来安全感。 当她和你有联名账户时，金钱问题会更容易解决，如果这对她来说很重要，那么对你来说也应该同样重要。 这种透明的运营方式将有助于婚姻成熟并成长为基督当初所设计的样式。
此外，我们绝不能伤害我们的婚姻伴侣，无论是在口头上还是身体上。 即使他们不是完美的人，甚至可能对我们造成伤害，我们也应该尊重和记住我们许下的婚姻誓言，互相保护和滋养，永远不要用不忠来背叛他们的信任。
我们也应该为我们的配偶舍命、放下我们的主权和我们的特权。 我们需要让他们知道，他们对我们来说比我们的工作和爱好更为重要，除了上帝之外，他们是我们生活中的重中之重。 这样，我们才能真实地体验到神如何将两个生命合为“一体”，共同渡过风雨和挑战。
讲章系列：步向红毯之前（第三第四课）
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