Ephesians - Rules for Life and Marriage
Ephesians 4:29-5:20 basically tell us how to live as Christians. Even more so, these ‘rules’ should apply to our marriages. Somehow, many Christians seem to think their marriage relationship is exempt from the rules in the Bible that refer to dealing with other people. Our spouses and our families are the ones we should hold in the highest esteem and treat them better than anyone else. We often fail to do that.
Eph. 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” If we would always strive to treat our spouse this way, there would be no divorce.
I don’t think we understand how important forgiveness is. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Remember, unforgiveness is like taking poison and hoping it will kill the other person. It will do you more harm than the person you can’t forgive.
If you haven’t read these verses in Ephesians lately, 4:29-5:20, take the time to look at them when you have a chance. We sometimes forget to behave in the way God desires us to act.
Eph. 5:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The next verse talks about wives submitting to their husbands. We tend to focus more on the submissive thing for wives and ignore this important verse that comes before it. We are ALL called to submit to one another--out of reverence for Christ.
In verse 22 wives are told to “submit to your husband as to the Lord”. We are called to do that as an act of submission to the Lord, not as a commandment of obedience to their husband.
Verse 23 continues, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
If we look at the relationship of Christ to the church, we see it as a give and take partnership. As the church submits to Christ, she receives blessings from Him. Christ in turn is blessed Himself from the love and devotion of the church.
It is the same way in a marriage relationship. The wife submits to her husband by putting his needs ahead of hers, and he in turn is blessed. Then what does he do? He returns those blessings back to her by taking care of her the way God commands him to and by loving her as Christ loved the church.
Eph. 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” If we would always strive to treat our spouse this way, there would be no divorce.
I don’t think we understand how important forgiveness is. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Remember, unforgiveness is like taking poison and hoping it will kill the other person. It will do you more harm than the person you can’t forgive.
If you haven’t read these verses in Ephesians lately, 4:29-5:20, take the time to look at them when you have a chance. We sometimes forget to behave in the way God desires us to act.
Eph. 5:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The next verse talks about wives submitting to their husbands. We tend to focus more on the submissive thing for wives and ignore this important verse that comes before it. We are ALL called to submit to one another--out of reverence for Christ.
In verse 22 wives are told to “submit to your husband as to the Lord”. We are called to do that as an act of submission to the Lord, not as a commandment of obedience to their husband.
Verse 23 continues, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”
If we look at the relationship of Christ to the church, we see it as a give and take partnership. As the church submits to Christ, she receives blessings from Him. Christ in turn is blessed Himself from the love and devotion of the church.
It is the same way in a marriage relationship. The wife submits to her husband by putting his needs ahead of hers, and he in turn is blessed. Then what does he do? He returns those blessings back to her by taking care of her the way God commands him to and by loving her as Christ loved the church.
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