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1 year ago
Reflecting Jesus in Marriage: Sacrificial Love and Submission in Husbands and Wives
Husbands and wives have unique roles in marriage that reflect the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:22-33, the apostle Paul describes the roles of husbands and wives in marriage, using the relationship between Christ and the church as a model. The husband is called to sacrificially love his wife as Christ loved the church, while the wife is called to submit to her husband as the church submits to Christ. These roles are not about dominance or inferiority, but about reflecting the love and submission that Christ exemplified.
Seeing Jesus in a Husband
As husbands, our role is to reflect Jesus in our marriage. We are called to love our wives sacrificially, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. This means that we should desire, plan, and act for the ultimate good of our wives, which is to bring them closer to God. We have the privilege of reflecting the sacrificial love of Jesus by dying to ourselves and putting our wives' needs and desires above our own.
Jesus humbled himself and served others, even to the point of death on the cross. Similarly, we must die to our own sin, selfishness, and interests, and instead prioritize our wives' joy in God. This means letting go of any ambition to be the center of our wives' lives and instead pointing them to God. By sacrificially loving our wives, we reflect Jesus to them and to the world.
Another way we reflect Jesus as husbands is by washing our wives with the water of the word. This means speaking God's truth to them, reading the Bible together, and holding each other accountable to God's commands. The Bible should saturate our marriage, guiding our conversations, conflicts, decision-making, and overall direction. By doing so, we echo Jesus's reliance on Scripture and his commitment to obedience to God.
Seeing Jesus in a Wife
As wives, our role is to reflect Jesus by submitting to our husbands. This does not mean we are inferior or have no voice in the marriage, but rather that we willingly follow our husbands' leadership, just as the church follows Christ's leadership. Jesus submitted to the Father's will, even to the point of death on the cross, and we can reflect this submission by submitting to our husbands' will.
Submitting to our husbands means that we trust their leadership and willingly follow their direction, even when we may prefer a different path. Just as Jesus desired to do the will of the Father above his own desires, we should desire to conform to our husbands' will. This does not mean blindly following our husbands into sin; if their will would lead us to disobey God, we should graciously resist and call them to repentance. In doing so, we reflect Jesus's call to obedience and his desire for holiness.
In our humble submission to our husbands, we can be assured that we will be exalted. Just as Jesus humbled himself and was exalted by God, we will also be exalted in due time. This may happen in this life, with our husbands and children praising and honoring us, or it may happen in the judgment to come, where we will receive our reward for our faithful submission. Either way, we can trust that our submission is pleasing to God and will be rewarded.
Marriage as a Reflection of Jesus
Marriage is a unique and wonderful stage where we have the opportunity to daily reflect the glories of King Jesus. Husbands have the privilege of sacrificially loving their wives and leading them closer to God. Wives have the opportunity to submit to their husbands' leadership, trusting their direction and reflecting Jesus's submission to the Father.
In our marriages, we can strive to be more like Jesus every day. We can ask ourselves, "How can I sacrificially love my spouse today?" or "How can I submit to my spouse's leadership in a way that reflects Jesus?" By seeking to reflect Jesus in our roles as husbands and wives, we will create a marriage that points others to the love and grace of our Savior.
References:
- Ephesians 5:22-33
- 1 Peter 3:18
- Philippians 2:6-8
- Matthew 4:4, 7, 10
- 1 Corinthians 11:3
- Mark 14:36
- Philippians 2:9
- James 4:6
- 1 Peter 5:5-6
- Proverbs 31:28-29
Seeing Jesus in a Husband
As husbands, our role is to reflect Jesus in our marriage. We are called to love our wives sacrificially, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. This means that we should desire, plan, and act for the ultimate good of our wives, which is to bring them closer to God. We have the privilege of reflecting the sacrificial love of Jesus by dying to ourselves and putting our wives' needs and desires above our own.
Jesus humbled himself and served others, even to the point of death on the cross. Similarly, we must die to our own sin, selfishness, and interests, and instead prioritize our wives' joy in God. This means letting go of any ambition to be the center of our wives' lives and instead pointing them to God. By sacrificially loving our wives, we reflect Jesus to them and to the world.
Another way we reflect Jesus as husbands is by washing our wives with the water of the word. This means speaking God's truth to them, reading the Bible together, and holding each other accountable to God's commands. The Bible should saturate our marriage, guiding our conversations, conflicts, decision-making, and overall direction. By doing so, we echo Jesus's reliance on Scripture and his commitment to obedience to God.
Seeing Jesus in a Wife
As wives, our role is to reflect Jesus by submitting to our husbands. This does not mean we are inferior or have no voice in the marriage, but rather that we willingly follow our husbands' leadership, just as the church follows Christ's leadership. Jesus submitted to the Father's will, even to the point of death on the cross, and we can reflect this submission by submitting to our husbands' will.
Submitting to our husbands means that we trust their leadership and willingly follow their direction, even when we may prefer a different path. Just as Jesus desired to do the will of the Father above his own desires, we should desire to conform to our husbands' will. This does not mean blindly following our husbands into sin; if their will would lead us to disobey God, we should graciously resist and call them to repentance. In doing so, we reflect Jesus's call to obedience and his desire for holiness.
In our humble submission to our husbands, we can be assured that we will be exalted. Just as Jesus humbled himself and was exalted by God, we will also be exalted in due time. This may happen in this life, with our husbands and children praising and honoring us, or it may happen in the judgment to come, where we will receive our reward for our faithful submission. Either way, we can trust that our submission is pleasing to God and will be rewarded.
Marriage as a Reflection of Jesus
Marriage is a unique and wonderful stage where we have the opportunity to daily reflect the glories of King Jesus. Husbands have the privilege of sacrificially loving their wives and leading them closer to God. Wives have the opportunity to submit to their husbands' leadership, trusting their direction and reflecting Jesus's submission to the Father.
In our marriages, we can strive to be more like Jesus every day. We can ask ourselves, "How can I sacrificially love my spouse today?" or "How can I submit to my spouse's leadership in a way that reflects Jesus?" By seeking to reflect Jesus in our roles as husbands and wives, we will create a marriage that points others to the love and grace of our Savior.
References:
- Ephesians 5:22-33
- 1 Peter 3:18
- Philippians 2:6-8
- Matthew 4:4, 7, 10
- 1 Corinthians 11:3
- Mark 14:36
- Philippians 2:9
- James 4:6
- 1 Peter 5:5-6
- Proverbs 31:28-29
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