Christ Works Learning Series
Biblical Marriage
Recorded from the Rooted in Grace marriage gatherings, this course walks couples through covenant, communication, conflict, prayer, and everyday grace. Watch together at home or one lesson at a time.
Dana Ortiz · 5 lessons · 2 hr 10 min · Recorded meeting series · Rooted in Grace
Lesson 1 of 5 · 28 min
Covenant, not contract
Why Scripture describes marriage as a promise before God rather than an agreement between two people.
Background for this lesson
A contract protects each party in case the other fails. A covenant does the opposite: it binds two people together and asks each of them to keep their promise even when the other one falters. When Scripture introduces marriage, it uses the language of leaving, holding fast, and becoming one flesh — the vocabulary of covenant, not of terms and conditions.
That difference changes how a couple handles ordinary disappointment. In a contract, unmet expectations are grounds for renegotiation. In a covenant, they are the very ground where love is proven. The promise holds the couple steady long enough for trust to grow back.
This first lesson sets the foundation for everything that follows. Before a couple can talk honestly, resolve conflict, or pray together, both people need to know the marriage itself is not up for review every time life gets hard.
Passages in this lesson
Tap a passage to read it in full, with the rest of the chapter.
Questions to think through
- 1Where in your marriage have you been living by a contract rather than a promise?
- 2What does it look like this week to hold fast when it would be easier to withdraw?
- 3Who has modeled covenant faithfulness to you, and what did you notice about them?
Your notes
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