Ephesians 5:21-30 (NKJV) say's,
Verse 25 tells the husband to love his wife as Christ loves the Church, but how often do we see this in our culture today. Where I live in the Appalachian Mountains it is not uncommon to see a family living in a tar paper shack, while the so-called "man of the house" owns thousands of dollars worth of hunting and fishing equipment, ATVs, boats, trucks, and coon dogs. When you go into the house you see the children wearing rags, the wife doesn't have two dishes that match, and the sofa is propped up with a cinder block. Hello? - sorry, got a bit excited there, but it's the truth, and yes I know I won't make many friends with this statement. That's okay for I'll trade in my "man card" for the "God's man card" any day.
Often the phrase after this "submitting to one another in the fear of God" is glanced over just as the rest of the passage where we find "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.."
Jesus loves the church sacrificially, so a husband must love their wife sacrificially as well. This means dying to himself and esteeming her needs as either just as important or even more important than his own. This sounds like something a wife could misinterpret and take advantage of now doesn't it? Well, it doesn't mean the husband should live as a hobo as the wife lives like a queen either. Remember, you are ONE FLESH now and you are to submitting to one another in the fear of God. It becomes a give and take, mutual, relationship - like a dance designed by the Divine Choreographer - God.
In a dance the 2 partners cannot be each doing something different, but each movement compliments and flows with the other person's movement. However in a dance one must assume the role of leading, and God has chosen the Husband for this role. This means the Husband is held with the greater responsibility not to jump out of the perfect rhythm or timing. The husband must not lead the wife into areas unpleasing to God, but must as verse 26 say's, "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,"
In other words, the husband can't lead in just anyway he feels that would benefit his own selfish desires. He is expected to follow the Lord of the dance. In other words lead his family in the way of righteousness.
This design isn't politically correct, and it isn't going to be popular, but it is God's design for the marriage to be successful. By the way - I'll keep my man card for now thank you, for I feel like doing it God's way IS the definition of being a real man - by being a real husband.
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. submitting to one another in the fear of God
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. 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.Many people feel like the woman gets the raw end of the deal here due to verses 22 and 23 in the above passage where it states the wife should submit to the husband and he is the head of the home. The comparison is even given for just as Jesus is the Head of the Church, the husband is the head of the wife, so one can only imagine how some husbands would misinterpret this role as a license to be a control freak.
Verse 25 tells the husband to love his wife as Christ loves the Church, but how often do we see this in our culture today. Where I live in the Appalachian Mountains it is not uncommon to see a family living in a tar paper shack, while the so-called "man of the house" owns thousands of dollars worth of hunting and fishing equipment, ATVs, boats, trucks, and coon dogs. When you go into the house you see the children wearing rags, the wife doesn't have two dishes that match, and the sofa is propped up with a cinder block. Hello? - sorry, got a bit excited there, but it's the truth, and yes I know I won't make many friends with this statement. That's okay for I'll trade in my "man card" for the "God's man card" any day.
Often the phrase after this "submitting to one another in the fear of God" is glanced over just as the rest of the passage where we find "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.."
Jesus loves the church sacrificially, so a husband must love their wife sacrificially as well. This means dying to himself and esteeming her needs as either just as important or even more important than his own. This sounds like something a wife could misinterpret and take advantage of now doesn't it? Well, it doesn't mean the husband should live as a hobo as the wife lives like a queen either. Remember, you are ONE FLESH now and you are to submitting to one another in the fear of God. It becomes a give and take, mutual, relationship - like a dance designed by the Divine Choreographer - God.
In a dance the 2 partners cannot be each doing something different, but each movement compliments and flows with the other person's movement. However in a dance one must assume the role of leading, and God has chosen the Husband for this role. This means the Husband is held with the greater responsibility not to jump out of the perfect rhythm or timing. The husband must not lead the wife into areas unpleasing to God, but must as verse 26 say's, "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,"
In other words, the husband can't lead in just anyway he feels that would benefit his own selfish desires. He is expected to follow the Lord of the dance. In other words lead his family in the way of righteousness.
This design isn't politically correct, and it isn't going to be popular, but it is God's design for the marriage to be successful. By the way - I'll keep my man card for now thank you, for I feel like doing it God's way IS the definition of being a real man - by being a real husband.
Be sure to read the next blog in this series for Wives!
