This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
Week 2: Chapter 1 — Solid Joys and Enduring Pleasures
Read Chapter 1 of This Momentary Marriage. Key Scriptures: Genesis 2:18–25; Ephesians 5:25–32.
Previewing Week 2 of This Momentary Marriage
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
Piper begins at the beginning — with God's own act of creating marriage — and asks us to see that the institution was designed to image something far greater than itself.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Piper argues that God's creation of marriage in Genesis 2 was not primarily to solve the problem of Adam's loneliness, but to put something on display. What is it that God intends to display? How does that reorder the way we read Genesis 2?
2.The phrase 'solid joys and enduring pleasures' suggests that the pleasures of marriage are meant to be durable, not just emotional or fleeting. What does Piper suggest is the foundation for that durability? How does covenant relate to joy?
3.Piper connects Ephesians 5 back to Genesis 2, arguing that Paul's 'profound mystery' was always hidden in the original creation of man and woman. Does it change the way you read Genesis 2 to know that God was already, from the beginning, picturing the relationship between Christ and his church? Why or why not?