Gospel-Shaped Marriage
A chapter-by-chapter course for couples, drawn from the book by Chad & Emily Van Dixhoorn (Crossway, 2022).
Nine sessions walking through the whole counsel of Scripture on marriage, from Genesis 1 to Revelation's wedding supper. Each lesson is self-contained: the two of you can learn the chapter together without ever opening the book. Read the passage, work through the teaching, answer the check, talk over the reflection, and do the one practice for the week.
How to use a lesson
- Read the passage at the top of the lesson aloud together.
- Work through the teaching, pausing at each Scripture block to let it land.
- Take the check at the end of the teaching to see what stuck.
- Do the reflection slowly, one question at a time, out loud.
- Commit to the one practice for the week, and bring a question to your mentor.
The course
| # | Lesson |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Bible and Marriage Genesis 1–2. What marriage is, who it is for, what it is for. |
| 2 | History and Marriage Genesis 3. Marriage in the four stages of redemptive history. |
| 3 | Grace in Marriage Ephesians 5:15–21. Mutual submission and the Gouge principle. |
| 4 | Women and Marriage Ephesians 5:22–24. The wife's glad submission as the church's. |
| 5 | Men and Marriage Ephesians 5:25–33. The husband's Christlike, self-giving love. |
| 6 | Winning in Marriage 1 Peter 3:1–7. Grace under pressure, winning without words. |
| 7 | Family and Marriage Ephesians 5:31; 6:1–4. Leaving, cleaving, parents, children. |
| 8 | Bedtime in Marriage 1 Corinthians 7:1–5. Intimacy as bond, gift, and mutual service. |
| 9 | Growing in Marriage 1 Corinthians 7:32–35; 1 Peter 4:9. Usefulness, grace, and years. |
| — | Appendix: How to Change Your Spouse in Three Easy Steps The book's one-line closing joke, and the Gouge principle behind it. |
The mission
A mentor is walking a couple through this book so that their marriage is built on the gospel of Christ rather than on cultural defaults. The couple may not read the book, so every lesson stands on its own.