Marriage is a wonderful thing. "The estate of marriage," said Martin Luther, "is God's good will and work. He who recognises the estate of marriage will find therein delight, love, and joy without end, for it is pleasing to God and precious in His sight."When you read Ephesians 5, you realise that marriage is intended to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His church.
Marriage breakdown is a disaster. Not only for the couple involved: children, family, friends and society as a whole are diminished by it. How especially sad it is when Christians fail to extend Christian living to their marriages, so that even Christians' marriages become subject to breakdown and divorce.
Does it not seem sensible in marriage to follow the Maker's instructions? There is a recipe for successful marriage in that same portion of Scripture in Ephesians 5.
According to the recipe, there are two things a husband needs to do.
First, he needs to love his wife as he loves himself. When he takes a wife, he and she become one. She is an extension of himself. An extra part for him to care for. No healthy person hates himself. He needs to be as concerned for her welfare as he is for his own.
Second, he needs to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Christ put the church's needs, the church's wellbeing before His. The husband needs to have the same sort of thought for his wife.
Love is not just a feeling. Love is a choice. You can't say you love God and not love your wife. Loving your wife is an expression of your love for God.
And what, you might say, is the wife doing all this time? Is she to do what she likes and live how she pleases? Of course not.
More soon.
