Have you ever thought of marriage as reflective, in certain ways, of the doctrine of the Trinity? Most Christians are aware that marriage, by God's design, reflects the relationship of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:22-33), but few are aware that marriage also reflects the relationships that exist among the persons of the Godhead.  

Made in the Image of God

Recall Gen. 1:26-27: "Let us make man in our image . . . in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." There is both equality and distinction among the three persons in the Godhead. Each divine person is equally and fully God, but each also has his own distinctive roles and relationships among the others. Equality and distinction, sameness and difference, mark the Trinitarian persons in relationship; and similarly, equality and distinction, sameness and difference, mark the relationships of the original man and woman that God created.

The implications of this connection between the Trinity and male-female relationships in marriage are both huge and glorious. May God grant us eyes to see more of who he is, and more of how he has made us to reflect something wondrous of his own triune relationships in our marriages and through our homes.

Dr. Bruce Ware gave a free lecture on Marriage and the Trinity at Mars Hill Church's West Seattle Campus on September 10th, 2010. For more on the Trinity, check out his book Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.