My wife and I recently began premarital counseling with a young couple from our church. We’re excited for the opportunity to invest in them and build a friendship with them that, Lord willing, God will use as they begin their marriage and family for the glory of Christ. As I was preparing for our time with them, I plowed through a handful of the best gospel-centered marriage books out there. Married and unmarried Christians alike have much to be thankful for these days, as there are tons of great resources available to help us understand what the apostle Paul himself calls a “profound mystery” (Eph 5:32) – the physical/spiritual union between husband and wife that displays for the world the glory of Christ by revealing the nature of the gospel.

The world assumes that marriage is for the benefit of the married. When successful, it helps establish economic…