4 Good Bible Study Topics For Couples

Here are four good Bible studies for married and even engaged couples to do together.

A Threefold Cord

I believe that Solomon may have displayed some of his greatest wisdom in the Book of Ecclesiastes, particularly where he wrote “though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12). The context of this was in the preceding verse where he wrote that “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up” (Eccl 4:9-10)! The fact is if you have two cords, you can easily separate the two, but if there’s a third cord added to them, it makes it a threefold cord and it’s a lot stronger and that makes it a lot more difficult to break (Eccl 4:12). I would say that these verses point out that it’s not a cord another until a third cord is added; otherwise it’s simply two cords. Alone, it’s even worse, as it’s simply a strand. One is a strand, two is a cord, and a third makes it a threefold cord. That “third fold” would obviously be the Lord God, Who has held together many marriages through biblical counselors and abiding in the Word of God together, as a couple. The Book of Ecclesiastes would make a great Bible study for couples but for married couples, the Song of Solomon might even be better.

Love and Respect

What do men and women desire most? Women would tell you that it’s to be loved and not just told they’re loved but shown that they are. Some men are silent about expressing their love audibly while others are silent in expressing it by action. In the truest sense, women need to hear that they are loved but also to be shown that they are loved. As for men, it’s good to hear they’re loved and that they’re shown it by their spouse or girlfriend but more importantly, the crave respect. A man that is respected will feel loved and a woman who is loved will feel respected. We were created to complete one another or to fulfill areas where we lack strengths. A woman’s strength can be a compliment to the man’s weaknesses and a man’s strength can complement a woman’s weaknesses. Together, they are able to do more as a couple. The woman’s need to be loved and the man’s desire to be respected may be why Paul summarized this part of Ephesians that covered marriage (Eph 5:22-33) by his conclusion, “let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph 5:33).

Walking with God

If you are married to an unbeliever, you may have the most difficult of all marriages to be in because two cannot walk together easily if they’re not in agreement with one another over a lot of different issues. Those issues might be childrearing preferences, lifestyle, priorities, and putting God first or not (Matt 6:33). That’s the teaching of Scripture too where Amos the Prophet writes “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet” (Amos 3:3)? Many of the biblical heroes walked with God which meant that they were in total agreement with Him. We know that “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Gen 5:24) meaning that Enoch was in such complete agreement with God that God saw that he was ready to be with the Lord and then, “he was not” on the earth anymore. I believe the reason that God spared Noah and his family was because “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” as “Noah walked with God” (Gen 6:9). What does it mean by walking with God? It means you’re in agreement with God, you’re not walking behind His sovereign will for your life nor are you walking ahead of Him, trying to make your own will supreme over God’s and by your walking with God and not running ahead or lagging behind Him, you are in agreement over what He wills for your life.

Two are Better than One

God saw that it was not good for man to alone (Gen 2:18) and neither is it for the woman be alone. That’s not my opinion but that comes from the Word of God, the Bible. The reason is that God created us to have fellowship and relationship with others, especially with Him. There are advantages to being in a relationship or there being two, rather than one. For one thing “if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone. And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Eccl 4:11-12). I think the third part in this “threefold cord” refers to God Himself because He is the one who joins the two and they become one flesh as it says in Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh,” something that Jesus referred to regarding marriage on more than one occasion (Mark 10:8). Not only would Jesus’ teachings on marriage and divorce make an outstanding Bible study for married couples, it would for any couple.

Conclusion

I hope these give you at least some ideas about what to study as a couple. I suggest going through the Bible together and then stopping to reflect upon and meditate in what was just read. One person might see something that the other missed so two really are better than one since “a man (or woman) might prevail against one who is alone [but] two will withstand him [and] a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12), especially if that third cord is God Himself.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.