Free Bible Study for Married Couples: Week 1, Companionship and Commitment

Here is a free Bible study for married couples you can do this week: Week 1 of Bible Studies for Husband and Wife, on companionship and commitment. Read the passages, answer a few questions on your own, then talk, pray and choose one shared action.

The passages: Genesis 2:18-25 and Matthew 19:3-9

Read both aloud, slowly. In Genesis 2 God says, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” The passage ends with a man leaving his father and mother and holding fast to his wife, and the two becoming one flesh; “the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” In Matthew 19 Jesus answers a question about divorce by pointing back to that design: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Reflect apart: sample questions for the wife

Answer on your own, in writing, before you talk. You do not need a polished position; the point is to hear your own thoughts clearly enough to bring them honestly.

Genesis 2:18 says it was not good that the man should be alone, and God made “a helper fit for him.” Where in your marriage do you experience genuine companionship, and where do you experience something more like parallel schedules? Be specific. Name a moment from the past two weeks when you felt truly alongside your husband, and name a moment when you felt alone in the same room.

Verse 24 says a man leaves and holds fast. Holding fast is an active verb. What are the smaller things in your shared life that pull at your grip on each other? It might be a work rhythm, a phone, a habit of criticism, a silence you have both agreed not to disturb. Name one of them honestly. You are not being asked to fix it yet. You are being asked to see it.

Reflect apart: sample question for the husband

Genesis 2:18 says it was not good that the man should be alone, and God made “a helper fit for him.” Where in your marriage do you experience real companionship, and where have you settled for logistics?

The full Week 1 has six questions for the wife and six for the husband, each with room to write.

Talk together

Set aside thirty to forty minutes and put the phones somewhere else. One of you speaks at a time; the other listens without interrupting or preparing a rebuttal, then says back what they heard and asks, “Did I get that right?” Only then does the other take a turn. Start with the passage itself (what did you notice this time that you had not noticed before?), then move to where you feel most like companions right now, and where you feel most like two people running parallel lives.

Pray, then choose one shared action

Pray a short prayer on your own, then one together. Then choose one small action for the week that you both freely agree to, something that makes companionship visible, and write down what it is and when you will do it. Next week, start by looking back at it.

Safety note from the workbook. Nothing in these studies asks anyone to stay in danger, keep silent about abuse, or submit to violence, threats, sexual coercion or control. If you are afraid of your spouse, skip the joint conversations. In immediate danger call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112 (EU). US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (or text START to 88788). UK National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247; Men's Advice Line: 0808 8010327.

Keep going after Week 1

Week 2 moves to Ephesians 5:21-33, and the course runs to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 in Week 8. See the full 8-week husband and wife Bible study plan.

Questions couples ask

Is this Bible study for married couples really free?

Yes. Week 1 is free on this page, and the printable 38-page Week 1 PDF is a free download. The other seven weeks are in the paid workbook.

Which Bible translation does it use?

The passages are quoted from the ESV, used by permission. You can read along in any translation; the wording will differ a little, and that is normal.

Can we do Week 1 in one evening?

Yes. Do the private questions beforehand (about 20 minutes each), then plan about 90 minutes together for the first meeting, because you are setting the pattern.