Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
Week 1: Introduction — The Holy Pursuit
Read the Introduction of Sacred Marriage by Gary L. Thomas. Key passages: Ephesians 5:25–32; Genesis 2:18–24.
Before a single chapter begins, Thomas lays down the provocative thesis that will govern everything that follows — take a moment to sit with his opening question and consider honestly how you have thought about marriage up to now.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Thomas frames his central question as: "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" Before reading any further, how would you have answered that question? What assumptions about marriage did you bring into this book?
2.Thomas observes that most marriage books are essentially self-help books — their goal is a better, more satisfying marriage for you. How does his reframing shift the goal? What is at stake in that shift?
3.He draws on Paul's sweeping statement in Ephesians 5 that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. Had you thought of your own marriage as carrying that kind of prophetic weight? What does it feel like to view it that way?
a.What does it mean for your marriage to be a picture of the gospel — not just theoretically, but in everyday interactions?
b.Where does your marriage currently reflect that picture well, and where does it fall short?
Closing Prayer
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