02.03.2021
IBC Admin
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord... as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
Eph 5:22–25
Christ's love needs to be the basis of a healthy marriage. It is His perfect love that was demonstrated at the cross that shows us the way. There we see what real love looks like, sacrificial agape love. There was never a time when Jesus did anything out of a selfish motive. His life on earth, from beginning to end shows us what God's love looks like and now we are invited to express that kind of love within the context of marriage. In Romans 5:8 this truth is expressed this way, "God demonstrated His love in this, while we were sinners, Christ died for us."
When those around Jesus misunderstood Him or persecuted Him, Jesus did not let bitterness and disappointment capture His heart. Absent from His life was anger and or even a hint of keeping a record of wrongs. Even when His enemies mocked Him at the foot of the cross, Christ said, "forgive them Father for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Jesus never did anything out of selfish motive and His life should become our guide if we are to see God's love within our marriages.
Our culture teaches us a different way. Instead of agape love, the way forward in a marriage is self fulfillment and meeting one another''s needs. Not so, says the Scripture. "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church." "Wives, submit to your husbands." (Ephesians 5:22-25) Both commands imply a surrender of the will. This stands at great contrast to romantic love or our world's twisted understanding of marriage, that puts one's own needs and desires first.
If a marriage is built on the foundations of self fulfillment, then when things get difficult our culture conveniently directs the person to say, "it wan't meant to be" or "it isn't working out." With that kind of foundation, we shouldn't be surprised that within our culture, divorce rates are greater than those who stay together "til death do us part."
Hebrews 12:2 invites us to look to "Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that as set before Him endured the cross." And we know what the cross brought forth, the salvation of men. Now we too are to live sacrificially and by doing so we will bless others in Jesus name, especially our spouses if we are married. So let us look to Jesus, and let His life and example guide us and love as He loved.