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Friday, May 23, 2008

Marriage? Y

I was discussing this with my friend, who's getting married end of this year... And we were talking about what marriage would be, and what's it like (with a fellow Christian brother).

(Ephesians 5)

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

I think it’s safe to say that half the truth is probably worse than none at all. OK, so according to the Bible, wives are to “submit to their husbands in everything.” But what does the rest of this passage say?

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

If your wife is submitting you but you are not submitting to Christ as His servant, then your wife is being obedient to Him but you are not. You were never meant to be your wife’s master. You were meant to be her spiritual leader. And if she is obeying Christ by following you but you are not obeying Him by following Him, you will leave your wife bitter and resentful toward you and toward God.

What rights does a servant have? None at all. A servant who obeys his master is simply doing his job. (Luke 17:10) And if you’re not doing your job in submitting first to Christ, brother, you’re missing the point altogether. The purpose of your marriage has much less to do with you and your spouse than it does with how your marriage glorifies Christ. And if you are not submitting to Christ–and if in the process you are not loving your wife as Christ loves the church–then you’re not obeying Him. The point is not your wife. The point is Christ. If your relationship with Christ is not right, then your relationship with your wife will not be where He wants it, either. And if your relationship with Him isn’t right, you’d better do what it takes as soon as possible to get right with Him and to let Him take you where He wants you. And the longer it takes you to do it, the longer you’re robbing the woman He gave you in marriage to love as Christ loves us. What’s it going to take for you to get where He wants you to be? And how long will it be before you start heading that way?

It does seem like alot of pressure is placed on the guys to be the authoritative figure. To love your wife to the point where you'll be willing to sacrifice everything for her, up to and including your own life.

Will we all be able to find such a husband? O_o