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Family Ministry Center │ Love Your Wives

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

Husbands

Part Eleven

LOVE YOUR WIVES

The family holds a special place in the heart of God.  He ordained marriage, after creating man and woman.  He commanded the couple to be fruitful and multiply.  He set the male as the spiritual head of the family, and commanded both husband and wife to submit to Christ.  As we now take a look at the Scripture concerning husbands, we learn something that may surprise many husbands.  Husbands, not the wives, should be models of love.

Ephesians 5:25, Page 1833

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

Love Your Wives.   God commanded husbands to love (“ἀγαπᾶτε“) their wives.  Please recall that only born-again believers can love with God’s love, agape love, because only people born of God can be channels of God’s love (1 John 4:7, page 1908).   Many people talk about a mother’s love for her children.  We all applaud such human love.  Many spiritual mother’s, born again by faith in Christ Jesus, also receive praise, as well they should.  But the Word of God puts a special emphasis upon husbands loving their wives.  Husbands can only love their wives through the power of God’s love flowing through them.  Every daughter and every son should learn to love by watching their father love their mother.  The human father’s love should fully embody the heavenly Father’s love for the wife.  The love of Christ for His church illustrates the divine love that the husband must have for his wife.

As Christ Loved the Church.  We see that Christ loving His church sets the perfect and timeless example of the husband’s love for the wife today.  Paul describes the love of Christ as Christ gave Himself up for the church.  This phrase “gave up” (“παρέδωκεν“) renders just one word in the original text.  The word means to deliver, or hand over.  In this case, we find it well described in Romans 8:32, page 1779, where we read that God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over (“gave up”, “παρέδωκεν”)  for us all.   God planned the death of Jesus.  He sacrificed the life of His unique Son, so that we might be born again to eternal life.  This exact model of living means that husbands must “give themselves up” to their wives.  You sacrifice your life for the loving benefit of your wife.  No wonder she wants to submit to you when you sacrifice your entire life for her.  As a husband, you demonstrate that love means you have determined with complete commitment to sacrifice your life for your wife.  Because you made that commitment in the past, you now live every day bearing the fruit of that past commitment to live sacrificially for your wife.  Your love, however, built upon sacrifice, has a great effect in the life of your wife.  Just as the wife submits to her husband, and wins the husband who is disobedient to the Word of God by her chaste and respectful behavior, so also the husband produces, by his loving behavior, spiritual holiness in the life of his wife.

Ephesians 5:25, Page 1833

“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

Sanctify Her.  Jesus now draws the first of several intertwined conclusions about the husband’s love for his wife.  The supernatural love of the husband produces a specific effect in the wife.  That effect is that Christ sanctifies the wife through the love of the husband.  Sanctify means to make holy, to set aside for God’s own use.  We see marriages fail all around us today, and we worry for our children as they contemplate marriage.  We see Christian couples having trouble with their marriages.  What should we do?  We should turn to Christ, take His yoke upon us, and learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-30, page 1519).  In Christ we learns as husbands to love our wives.  As a husband, you have a duty to sacrifice your life to your wife, so that your love for her will produce holiness in her life.  If you complain about your wife, go straight to the bathroom and look in the mirror.  You may see there the root of the problem.  You do not love her enough to produce holiness in her.  You are still holding back.  Of course, sin in each of us makes each of us responsible for our own behavior.  So, when wives act badly, they cannot blame anyone but themselves.  Husbands, however, like wives, have specific duties to their wives regarding holiness. Husbands love their wives so that Christ will produce more holiness, and less sin, in their wives.  You want a more holy wife, more submissive to you and more like Christ, then love her more in Christ.  She will blossom before you through the power of Christ working in your marriage.  Loving her means that you read the Bible with her, pray with her, and establish a family time when you rise up, when you lay down, when you go in the way, where you teach your entire family what it means to love someone like Christ loves each one of us and gave Himself for us.

Having Cleansed Her.  Paul expands the concept of sanctification here to focus upon cleansing.   The terms “having cleansed” (“καθαρίσας“) translates just one word in the original text, and that term carries great importance for wives.  Christ cleansed the church by His single act of sacrificing Himself on the cross.  He took all the stains of sin and completely removed them forever from the church.  He did not die in vain, but with purpose fully achieved.  Christ cleansed the church, and now He loves the church.  We must grasp what Paul teaches us here about husbands and wives.  Every wife in Christ has already been cleansed by the washing, literally  “in word” (“ἐν ῥήματι“).  Based on this context, this “in word” probably refers to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:14, page 1721).  The Gospel of Jesus Christ not just changes a wife, it creates a new wife in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, page 1809).  Paul harkens back to the spiritual and theological significance of what Christ has already done for every believer through His sacrificial act of redemption as the model for Godly living in marriage.  As husbands, we love our wives in Christ and sacrifice our lives for them knowing what Christ has already done for the wife.  We treat our wife like He treats the church, and we keep in mind what Christ has already done for our wives.  He has sanctified them, washing them in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Tomorrow, we will se more of the results of the work of Christ in the marriage of believers.

So we learn more about spiritual husbands today and their role in daily devotions.

       ●  Being a husband in Christ means that you love to realize that Christ has sanctified your wife and cleansed her by His Word.  You now live with His spiritual creature.

       ●  Being a husband in Christ means that you set the example of love, building upon the sanctifying work of God in both your life and the life of your wife.

       ●  Being a husband in Christ means that you live before the Lord Jesus Christ, following the commitment you made to Him to sacrifice your life to Him for His service.  You live and love according to the power from Him that works within our marriages. 

Application for Today

Today I want to love my wife, just like Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it.  I will be looking at my wife today through the eyes and with the heart of Jesus Christ.  I will feel the Holy Spirit of God reminding me of His great love for my me and my wife.  As God empowers me, I will love her more and do the things God wants me to do for her today.  Will you love your wife today?  Will you encourage your husband to love you today?  Will you encourage your father or your son to love his wife today?  Will we act like the family of God today?

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Christ Assembly dedicates this website to the Family Ministry Center. Special content on this website focuses upon fathers, mothers, children, families and spiritual life. The family of God relates directly to the kingdom of God. You cannot see the Kingdom of God without being born again. Likewise, you cannot join the family of God without being born again. Many people living in the family of God have severe spiritual challenges in their lives. Adult children who have embraced sin and fallen into a life of sin cause great concern. Spouses who do not believe. All kinds of issues face the family of God. At Christ Assembly, we seek to minister to all families, particularly the family of God. Christ Assembly provides free access to various studies from the Bible, the Word of God.

 Christ Assembly Basics 

Christ Assembly dedicates this website to the Family Ministry Center. Special content on this website focuses upon father, mothers, families and spiritual life. Christ Assembly provides free access to various studies from the Bible, the Word of God. The studies in this website are not inspired, but God produced the Bible, consisting of sixty-nine books (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament). The Holy Spirit inspired authors to produce original autographs of the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Those original authors wrote over the course of many centuries. They wrote divinely inspired words and every word was divinely inspired. The authors communicated in their own styles, and with their own vocabulary, but God breathed out every word of the final autographs. The words in the Bible really matter, and deserve careful study. 
 
As we study, we seek to love Jesus more because His word has instructed us so that we learn His ways. Eternal life consists in knowing God the Father, and Jesus Christ Whom God sent. As the eternal God of Glory, One with His Father, the Son of God took flesh and dwelt among us. Because of His death, He used His blood to purchase our redemption. He was raised for our justification. We now live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit abides in every born-again believer and fills us with His presence and blessings. He leads us into all truth. Jesus is the truth, and the way, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, our Lord. 
 
We look forward to His imminent return to the clouds of earth, to snatch away the believers alive on earth, so that we may be forever with the Lord. When He returns to the clouds, He will bring with Him all those people in Christ who died before His return to the clouds. We encourage one another with the promises of God, Who makes our path grow brighter and brighter, until the full light of day shines forth. We love Jesus and look forward to seeing Him soon. After Jesus removes the believers from the earth, then a terrible period of seven years follows where God brings measured and precise judgments upon the people alive on earth. God cut those days of  Tribulation short, or no flesh would have been saved. Jesus will then return to earth, slay His enemies, and place His feet on the Mount of Olives where He ascended to heaven. He will then reign on earth for a thousand years, and believers will reign with Him. After the Millennial Reign of Christ, all unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, and they will suffer according to their deeds done on earth. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire, a place of torment night and day for eternity, because they never received the free gift of salvation while alive on earth. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God. Today we invite you to come and see Jesus, and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart. Take His yoke upon you, for His burden is easy and His yoke is light. He will give you rest for your soul as you trust Him. We receive salvation only from Jesus, by faith alone in Jesus, Who gives us the free gift of eternal life. 
 
We accept the teaching of the Word of God. As born again believers, baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, the anointing from God teaches us all things. We love to study the Word of God as we abide in Christ Jesus our Lord. God blesses all of us when we read His word, hear His word, and heed His word. We share original studies of the Word of God without cost and we do not receive donations. We support the finances of this ministry through private means, so that we are not a burden to anyone. We oppose charging people to read books, articles, journals or other studies of the Word of God. Such work should be supported by donations, but not in prescribed amounts and not as a requirement to gain access to what God has freely provided. What God has freely given, we should freely share. Just as Paul worked making tents, so we work to support this ministry. 
 

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The author of all original material on this website retains all legal and equitable rights to the properties at issue. The author granted Christ Assembly a limited-use, revocable license to publish material on this website, while reserving all ownership rights to the original author. You may use any original material on this website to the glory of God, but you may not receive anything of value for such use. You may not receive any donations related to any original material on this website. All use of original material on this website is subject to the revocable, limited license above. You must conspicuously indicate on any use of the original material that it originated from ChristAssembly.org.  Any revocation of the license shall be posted on this website and all rights to use material may be revoked without prior notice. By copying and using any original material from this website, you consent to such license. Christ Assembly opposes any payment for access to studies, articles, journals, or other publications of studies concerning the Word of God. As God has freely given, so also the products of His grace should be freely shared. 

Lorem 

 Christ Assembly Basics 

Christ Assembly provides free access to various studies from the Bible, the Word of God. The studies in this website are not inspired, but God produced the Bible, consisting of sixty-nine books (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament). The Holy Spirit inspired authors to produce original autographs of the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Those original authors wrote over the course of many centuries. They wrote divinely inspired words and every word was divinely inspired. The authors communicated in their own styles, and with their own vocabulary, but God breathed out every word of the final autographs. The words in the Bible really matter, and deserve careful study. 
 
As we study, we seek to love Jesus more because His word has instructed us so that we learn His ways. Eternal life consists in knowing God the Father, and Jesus Christ Whom God sent. As the eternal God of Glory, One with His Father, the Son of God took flesh and dwelt among us. Because of His death, He used His blood to purchase our redemption. He was raised for our justification. We now live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit abides in every born-again believer and fills us with His presence and blessings. He leads us into all truth. Jesus is the truth, and the way, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, our Lord. 
 
We look forward to His imminent return to the clouds of earth, to snatch away the believers alive on earth, so that we may be forever with the Lord. When He returns to the clouds, He will bring with Him all those people in Christ who died before His return to the clouds. We encourage one another with the promises of God, Who makes our path grow brighter and brighter, until the full light of day shines forth. We love Jesus and look forward to seeing Him soon. After Jesus removes the believers from the earth, then a terrible period of seven years follows where God brings measured and precise judgments upon the people alive on earth. God cut those days of  Tribulation short, or no flesh would have been saved. Jesus will then return to earth, slay His enemies, and place His feet on the Mount of Olives where He ascended to heaven. He will then reign on earth for a thousand years, and believers will reign with Him. After the Millennial Reign of Christ, all unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, and they will suffer according to their deeds done on earth. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire, a place of torment night and day for eternity, because they never received the free gift of salvation while alive on earth. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God. Today we invite you to come and see Jesus, and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart. Take His yoke upon you, for His burden is easy and His yoke is light. He will give you rest for your soul as you trust Him. We receive salvation only from Jesus, by faith alone in Jesus, Who gives us the free gift of eternal life. 
 
We accept the teaching of the Word of God. As born again believers, baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, the anointing from God teaches us all things. We love to study the Word of God as we abide in Christ Jesus our Lord. God blesses all of us when we read His word, hear His word, and heed His word. We share original studies of the Word of God without cost and we do not receive donations. We support the finances of this ministry through private means, so that we are not a burden to anyone. We oppose charging people to read books, articles, journals or other studies of the Word of God. Such work should be supported by donations, but not in prescribed amounts and not as a requirement to gain access to what God has freely provided. What God has freely given, we should freely share. Just as Paul worked making tents, so we work to support this ministry. 
 

 Christ Assembly License

The author of all original material on this website retains all legal and equitable rights to the properties at issue. The author granted Christ Assembly a limited-use, revocable license to publish material on this website, while reserving all ownership rights to the original author. You may use any original material on this website to the glory of God, but you may not receive anything of value for such use. You may not receive any donations related to any original material on this website. All use of original material on this website is subject to the revocable, limited license above. You must conspicuously indicate on any use of the original material that it originated from ChristAssembly.org.  Any revocation of the license shall be posted on this website and all rights to use material may be revoked without prior notice. By copying and using any original material from this website, you consent to such license. Christ Assembly opposes any payment for access to studies, articles, journals, or other publications of studies concerning the Word of God. As God has freely given, so also the products of His grace should be freely shared.