In this episode of The 5th Gospel Podcast, Anthony Serino sits down with Pastor Sam Edwards for a candid conversation about the biblical foundations of marriage, the responsibilities of husbands and wives, and why a healthy Christian marriage has to begin with your relationship with Jesus.

They explore that marriage is more than two people simply choosing to spend their lives together. From Genesis through the New Testament, they discuss marriage as a covenant in which two become one and as a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church.

For husbands, that creates a serious standard. Drawing from Ephesians 5, Anthony and Sam unpack the command for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church—a sacrificial love that requires a man to lay down his own desires rather than making his love dependent upon his wife's behavior.

They also get practical about the issues that can slowly break down a marriage: unspoken expectations, unresolved wounds, lack of transparency, finances, communication, intimacy, resentment, love and respect, accountability, and expecting your spouse to fix something only God can heal. Pastor Sam explains that when people enter marriage expecting another person to make them whole, those expectations can eventually produce disappointment and resentment.

Anthony and Sam discuss why marriage isn't always 50/50, why husbands and wives must take responsibility for their own actions instead of withholding love or respect until their spouse "earns" it, and why becoming a better spouse starts with examining yourself first.