Ephesians 5:22-32
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.
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.
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.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
This was a simple message shared on Sunday 30th August at Townhill Christian Fellowship, inspired by the wonderful news that Rick and Muriel Carr celebrated their 50th wedding anniversay the day before!
The Bible, both in the Old and the New Testament, has much to say about the subject of marriage. In the portion of Scripture above, this instruction comes at the tail end of Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesian church to live Godly lives, turning away from the things of the world, and towards that which is of the Spirit of God.
At first the discussion of marriage seems to be a little disjointed with the previous exhortations, yet as we read through verses 30-32, it becomes obvious that the instruction goes deeper than simple relationships within the congregation of believers. The pattern of marriage, laid down in the passage of Scripture, paints not only a clear picture of a healthy relationship on a personal level, but gives deep revelation to the relationship between Christ and those who love and trust in Him.
We serve a wonderful God who knows our weaknesses and frailties. He knows how the framework of our flesh blinds us to the ways of His Spirit, and so gives great attention to speaking directly to our human senses, deep revelation straight from His own heart.
He graciously gives us His Word in Scripture, fully able to make us complete in every good work, and tangibly confirming His Law that the Holy Spirit has inscribed upon the flesh of our hearts.
He gives us the sacrament of the bread and cup, that we may have a constant and tangible way, that He has ordained, in order for us to never forget the sacrifice made on our behalf.
He gives us a tangible reminder of our own death to ourself by way of water baptism, that like some monumental gravestone, we are constantly reminded that we no longer live for ourselves, but our lives are now hidden with Christ in God, should we be tempted to forget.
In the relationship we have with our children, we can begin to understand in some way, how precious God’s love is for us. We may not fully understand the fullness of the price He paid for us through Jesus Christ His Son, but we can somehow dare to believe that if our Father is truly in Heaven, then He would be willing to give His all for the children He loves and longs to be restored to Himself.
Finally, in the marriage relationship described above, we have a perfect example of the pattern of our relationship with Christ. There is a willing submission from wife towards husband, that does not give one more value than the other, but rather establishes a perfect and Godly relationship between the two, that they truly may harmoniously become one flesh.
In the same way our relationship with Christ is ordered. If we who believe, who are the Bride He will call unto Himself, will submit fully to His authority, He will become the perfect Husband to us. We no longer have to struggle to fend for ourselves, to protect ourselves, to provide for ourselves, or to teach ourselves; but He will be our all in all, and will meet every need we have.
Everyone who is married can testify that there are rough times and smooth times, anxious times and peaceful times, sad times and happy times, and it is no different with our relationship with Christ. However the one thing we can know without doubt, is that He is the perfect Husband. And if we will simply trust and submit to Him, He will never leave us, never forsake us, and will jealously guard us with all His might, every day we walk with Him from now until we are received into Glory.
Originally posted 2009-09-03 08:51:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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