Week 1: Introduction — A Momentary Marriage with Eternal Meaning

1.Piper opens by saying there has never been a generation whose view of marriage was high enough. Does that claim surprise you? What would a 'high enough' view of marriage even look like, in your own words, before reading further?

2.The title of the book is This Momentary Marriage. Why do you think Piper chose that word — 'momentary'? What does it imply about the purpose and limits of marriage?

3.Piper describes the book as being for 'married, single, divorced, and remarried alike.' How does that surprise you? What does it suggest about the book's real subject matter?

4.The publisher summary quotes Piper: 'Staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant.' What is the difference between staying in love and keeping covenant? Have you ever seen that distinction play out in a real marriage?

5.Piper reflects on forty years of his own marriage. Why do you think he grounds an argument about the meaning of marriage in personal, lived experience rather than beginning with theology alone? What does that add to the project?

6.Ephesians 5:31–32 is the hinge text for the whole book: Paul calls marriage a 'profound mystery' that refers to Christ and the church. Before reading Piper's full exposition, what does that passage mean to you? What is confusing or striking about it?

7.Piper says marriage is 'the display of God.' What do you think it would mean for your marriage — or your understanding of marriage — to be shaped primarily by the desire to display God rather than to achieve personal happiness?

8.If the ultimate meaning of marriage is to reflect Christ's covenant-keeping love for the church, how does that reframe the most common reasons people get married today? Which of those common reasons do you find most sympathetic, and which most in need of correction?