Acts 18
This chapter of Acts shows us some characteristics of a godly marriage. Before we talk about that, lets first set some context. Verse 1 tells us that Paul arrived in Corinth after he had left Athens. He was in Athens preaching Christ to certain philosophers and then left Athens on a somewhat good note… Getting mocked is the least of Paul’s concerns on his missionary journeys.
Corinth was a very influential roman city best known for its immorality. It was a very wealthy trade city that had a significant cultural influence. The last thing to mention on Corinth was that this was also a very pagan city. Just as Paul is getting acquainted with this city, he meets two people Priscilla and her husband Aquila.
The rest of this post will focus on these two individuals. We see from our passage in verse 2, Aquila and Priscilla were Jews who left Italy because of an order from Claudius Ceaser that all Jews must leave Rome. Once again, we see God turn what the enemy meant for evil into something very good. Our first point to notice is that Priscilla and Aquila displayed their love for Jesus through their hospitality to their brother, Paul. Aquila and Priscilla not only worked with Paul, but they opened their home to him. As I first read this I think, “well that’s so kind of them for hosting him so he can get on his feet!” And then I read verse 11, realizing that Aquila and Priscilla hosted Paul for a year and a half. That is hospitality.
I keep reading and see that in verse 18, Aquila and Priscilla leave their post in Corinth to continue on Paul’s missionary journey. They established churches in Corinth (Acts 18:1-11; 1 Cor. 16:19-20, Ephesus (Acts 18:19; 2 Tim. 4:19, and Rome (Romans 16: 3-5). The second point to mention of this couple is that they were fully devoted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Romans 16:4 Paul mentioned that they had “risked their necks” for his life. They were willing to put everything on the line for Jesus, even their life.
The last point is that Aquila and Priscilla were devoted to the teaching of proper doctrine! They met an eloquent speaker named Apollos in Ephesus. The NKJV states in Acts 18:25 that Apollos was “instructed in the way of the Lord” and “taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.” Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
To conclude, Aquila and Priscilla give us three traits that make a godly marriage. The first is being hospitable, the second is being fully devoted to the Gospel, and the third is being devoted to the teaching of proper doctrine. If you are married, evaluate your marriage with your spouse. If you are engaged prepare with your future spouse. If you’re single or dating use these characteristics to evaluate if your potential spouse will be your partner in a godly marriage!