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| Steve & me on our wedding day! |
Welcome to the 2nd week of "A Great Mystery." Last week I shared my thoughts on Ephesians verses 22-24. This week let's delve into 25-30. The verses read as follows: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.
Why do you think husbands were instructed to love their wives? Love in a marriage should be second-nature, shouldn't it? Men are protectors and providers, not lovers. Just for clarification purposes, love and sex are not synonymous. Unlike a woman, love is not constantly in a man's mind! Husbands are given a specific example of how to love wives. They are instructed to love with a "supreme, sacrificial, blameless" love just as Christ loves the church.
If a husband loves his wife like Jesus loves the church, she will be the most beautiful thing in his life. Christ gave his life for the church just as a husband devotes his life to his wife. I believe a certain cleansing happens through the marriage ceremony within a new union. The woman becomes holy by becoming a wife, selected by the man who loves her. This "setting apart and joining" of two bodies from the single world into matrimony is a beautiful picture of Christ and his Church. When a husband looks at his wife he sees perfection in every way because he selected her and she accepted him. He views her as innocent, not finding fault, not accusing or assigning guilt. Another beautiful picture of the forgiveness of Christ!
Okay, I'm going to say it! Men are self-absorbed. That's why they don't have babies, not designed for it. Husbands can understand the example of loving their wives as their own bodies. If you can love yourself, you can love a wife. Verse 29 proves that everyone loves themselves "no one ever hated their own body." It also proves that men are protectors and providers saying "they feed and care for their body." As believers are members of the body of Christ, a wife becomes a member of the body of her husband. Husbands know how to care for themselves and can bestow the same love and protection upon their wives.
Guys, if you can get these verses right, your wife will submit and subject herself to you without hesitation! And on the flip side, ladies, if you can submit and subject yourself to your husband, he'll have an easier time loving you!
Feeling the husband love,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thanks for all the communication last week. Let me know how you feel about these verses too! Leave me a comment...
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