A twelve-week study for husband and wife
Two Made One
One evening a week. One passage. Two hearts being made new.
Why this study
This study is built for a married couple who want God at the center of their home. Each week gives you one passage, a short teaching, questions to talk through together, and private journal prompts you each answer on your own. The goal is not information. It is a clean heart, an honest marriage, and a home where the love of God is obvious.
Written in keeping with the teaching of the Church of God (Anderson): salvation is a personal experience of God's saving grace, holiness of heart and life is God's real work in a believer through the Holy Spirit, the church is the people of God rather than an organization, and the New Testament is our creed. Nothing here asks you to accept a human tradition. Read the Scripture for yourself and let it speak.
How a week works
- 1Pick one evening a week and guard it. Phones down, television off, door closed.
- 2Read the passage out loud together before you look at any notes. Take turns reading.
- 3Work through the Talk Together questions slowly. One honest answer is worth more than five polite ones.
- 4Answer your journal prompts on your own during the week. These are private. You are never required to read them aloud.
- 5Do the one practice for the week before you meet again.
- 6Close by praying out loud for each other, even if the prayer is only one sentence.
Our promises to each other
- What is said in this study stays between the two of us and God.
- We will not use anything shared here as ammunition in a later argument.
- We speak about our own sin before we speak about each other's.
- We can say 'I am not ready to talk about that yet' without being pushed.
- We will not end an evening angry without praying together first.
The Twelve Weeks
12 eveningsGenesis 2:18-25 · God's design for marriage
Two Made One
Marriage was God's idea before it was ever ours. He made one out of two on purpose, and He is the one who holds it together.
Printable sheetEphesians 5:21-33 · A holy heart makes a whole home
Christ at the Center
A marriage does not get better by two people trying harder. It gets better when two hearts are being cleansed and filled by God.
Printable sheet1 Corinthians 13 · Love is what you do
Love That Acts
Paul never defines love by feeling. Every word he uses is a verb or a behavior. Love is what you do when you would rather not.
Printable sheetEphesians 4:25-32 · How we talk to each other
Words That Build
Nothing shapes the climate of a home faster than the way two people speak to each other.
Printable sheetMatthew 18:21-35 · Grace given the way we received it
Forgiveness Without a Ledger
You cannot hold a grudge against the person you are one flesh with and expect the marriage to breathe.
Printable sheetPhilippians 2:1-11 · Humility in conflict
Fighting Fair
Most marriage arguments are not about the topic. They are about who is going to be considered first.
Printable sheetMatthew 6:5-15 · A shared altar
Praying Together
A couple that prays together is doing the one thing no marriage advice can replace.
Printable sheetMatthew 6:19-24 · One purse, one purpose
Money and Trust
Money arguments are rarely about numbers. They are about fear, control, and what we actually trust.
Printable sheet1 Corinthians 7:1-5 · Intimacy, delight, and faithfulness
Kept for Each Other
Physical intimacy in marriage is God's gift, not a concession. Guarding it is part of guarding the marriage.
Printable sheetRomans 5:1-5 · Suffering that binds instead of breaks
Through the Hard Seasons
Trouble will come to your home. It can drive a wedge or weld a seam, and that is largely decided beforehand.
Printable sheetDeuteronomy 6:4-9 · Choosing for your household
A Home That Worships
Faith is passed on in ordinary rooms at ordinary hours, not mainly in a church building.
Printable sheetActs 2:41-47 · A marriage that gives itself away
Serving Side by Side
The healthiest marriages are not turned inward. They have a shared work and an open door.
Printable sheet