Here's a powerful passage on husbands and wives, and how the marital relationship should be borne out of an increasingly deepening understanding of Jesus love for us His bride, His church. Read on and be blessed!
Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
“Wives, please submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is your head, just as Christ is the head of the church that you are part of. Christ is the Savior of the church and because of this, the church is subject to Christ. Wives, seek to understand this, how the church, you as part of that body, would have no salvation without Christ. When you understand increasingly the love of God in giving His Son for your salvation, you learn increasingly to be subject to your husbands in everything.”
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
“Husbands, love your wives as you know how Christ loves the church. Remember how He gave Himself for the church, of which you are a part. He gave Himself for you, too! He did this to sanctify, set this church (and you!) apart, and washed all with the water of the Word. This He did for the church, so that all of you (by grace) would be glorious, without spot or wrinkle, but instead holy and without blemish.”
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
“So love your wives, husbands, like your own bodies. Just as no one hates his own body, but looks after it, taking pains to nourish it and care for it, this is how Christ nourishes and cares for His church! Remember, you are a part of that very church that He gave Himself for. Like a husband and wife, Christ and His church are one and each of you as members of His church are really parts of His body, one for all eternity.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (NKJV)
“This great mystery is really about Christ and His church – the great love He has for us and the oneness we share with Him, but in understanding this, husbands, love your wives and wives, respect your husbands.”
Jesus and His church are so intimately one, that when His church is persecuted, He considers it persecution to Him:
Acts 9:3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (NKJV)
Our Lord did not say “Why are you persecuting My church?” but referred to the persecution as to Himself. Such depths of intimacy!
Truly, we learn to love only as we ourselves perceive His love.
1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. (NKJV)
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (NKJV)
He is the personification of love and His love for us is its manifestation:
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (NKJV)
He died for us while we were still sinners, before He ever had any promise of our decisions to believe in Him:
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV)
His goodness is what causes us to change our minds, to repent.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (NKJV)
As we perceive, understand, experience more and more of this love that goes beyond our intellectual faculties, we become filled will all the fullness of God:
Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)
Truly, God IS love and the more we encounter Him and His love, the more we become like Him.
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