Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Oct 29, 2024 - How Jesus Transforms Marriage”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsHow Jesus Transforms Marriage
Reading: Ephesians 5:22-33
Paul introduces this section on family relationships by urging all Christians to continue “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ”(Eph 5:21). Submission—the willingness to forgo my will and yield to another—is not a sign of weakness, but a standard part of Christian living. When we place others’ needs above our own and serve them in love, we submit to them because we follow a submissive Savior. Paul applies Jesus’ crucifixion to marriage. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands”(Eph 5:22-24). The church (the people of Jesus) is intimately connected to Jesus, like a body and its head. The church submits to, trusts, and loves Jesus. Wives submit to, trust, and love their husbands. This does not mean that husbands are permitted to act as infallible tyrants, but that wives’ submission is appropriate because Jesus has shown us that there is no shame in submission.
The cross also changes husbands. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word”(Eph 5:25-26). Jesus’ act of complete self-sacrifice sets the tone for marriage. Husbands love like him, willing to forgo their pleasure, comfort, and even life itself because they long to bless their wives. Just as Jesus desperately wanted to purify his people, so husbands desperately want the best for their wives, even at cost to themselves. When husbands love in this way, wives can grow to trust and follow them. When wives submit in this way, husbands can grow to love in a sacrificial way.
The cross transforms marriage because it shows us that true love is not about what I get from others. When I forfeit my desire to please myself, I bless my mate by giving them the love and respect they most need. Christian marriage reflects the cross, reminding us that others are not here to serve us, but to be served.
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One Thing to Think About: Do I treat my mate in a way that reflects Jesus?
One Thing to Pray For: Courage to sacrifice my will and comfort for my mate
