Section 8
the content into the vessel. The vessel may be earthy, not at all honorable or glorious, whereas the content is altogether honorable and glorious. When such a content is dispensed into the earthy vessel, the vessel becomes a vessel of honor, a vessel of glory. This is not exchange; it is dispen sation.
A UNION OF LIFE
Paul's second illustration is that of married life. Marriage is not an exchange of life, but a union of life. In marriage, the husband becomes the very person of the wife. For this reason, the wife takes her husband's name as her own.
In weddings throughout the world, the bride's head is covered. This indicates that in the mar riage union there can be just one head. Hence, marriage is a union of two persons under one head. In such a union there is no trade or exchange but identification. The wife is to identify herself fully with her husband. In this union, this iden tification, the wife is one with the husband, and the husband is one with the wife. This is a union of life, not an exchange of life.
In 7:4 Paul speaks of our being married to Christ: "So that, my brothers, you also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ,