People are often pictorial in their thinking. We may not\u00a0be very good with amorphous concepts which consist only of words, but\u00a0when we attach the words to an image the words make sense. For\u00a0instance, the idea of a \u201csingularity in space and time whose escape\u00a0velocity exceeds the speed of light\u201d makes more sense when described as\u00a0a \u201cblack hole\u201d. The mind went from a mathematical construction right to\u00a0an image of a swirling mass of darkness with maybe a little spaceship\u00a0being pulled into the vortex.<\/p>\n
God often employs illustrations to get us to understand what he\u2019s
\ntalking about\u2026be it inanimate objects (the tabernacle) or living
\nadvertisements (Pharoah). One particular illustration in the New
\nTestament has an incredible double-edge. The word-picture paints a
\nmural of love for husbands to learn from and at the same time forms
\npart of the greater canvas of Christ\u2019s love for the Church.<\/p>\n
\nI speak, of course, of {{Ephesians 5:25-32}}\u2026probably one of the most read \u00a0passages of scripture next to {{1 Corinthians 13}}. So often read, in fact,that it is possible to miss some of the intimate details of the
\npassage. Some have taken these verses and applied them to men\u2019s dark
\nmoods (especially after work) and have pointed out that men should be
\nkind to their wives.<\/p>\n
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also\u00a0loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify
\nher, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He
\nmight present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or
\nwrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So
\nhusbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who
\nloves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh,
\nbut nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
\nbecause we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE
\nHIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO
\nSHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with
\nreference to Christ and the church. ({{Ephesians 5:25-32}})<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cHusbands, love your wives\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/strong> seems to imply the idea
\nof men being friendly, but this is only the tip of the major iceberg
\nthese four small words are saying. Husbands, specifically being
\naddressed, are called to perform their duty as the head of the
\nhousehold ({{Ephesians 5:23}}). Not to be confused with the idea of head as\u00a0teacher or spiritual leader (although both are implied) the thrust is
\nas a sacrificial deliverer. In this duty of sacrificial deliverer where
\nthe man is to lay down of himself for the woman, a man may find his
\ncommitment waning. Therefore the commandment to love, not in the
\nbrotherly-and-kind-love sense (although that is definitely included) but
\nspecifically the\u00a0]moral imperative of constant active love based not on the recipient to receive or continue that love but\u00a0on the constancy of the giver of that love with abundant emotion] (agape<\/em>).<\/p>\nSome have taken agape<\/em> to mean unconditional and that is not the thrust of the verb. Philein<\/em> love is that love which finds warmth by the warmth emanating from the other person. It is reciprocal. Eros<\/em>
\nlove is that love which finds fire in the physical depths of a
\nperson\u2026it doesn\u2019t consider the warmth of friendliness but the fire of
\nthe passion. Agape<\/em> is not based on the worth of the recipient, though it might include it,\u2026it is grounded in the mind and unified with action and bubbles with emotion.<\/p>\nThe warmth of the love of friendship within the husband and wife is\u00a0then an imperative which springs forth from this \u00a0love. The\u00a0passion of eros<\/em> (never used in the Bible) is one which springs forth from this love, seeking not ones own eros<\/em> but the other\u2019s eros<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Paul draws a parallel to another head and another body, Christ and
\nthe Church. Christ gave Himself entirely for the Church, no concern for
\nHimself and with a specific purpose. \u201cTo sanctify the Church,\u201d<\/em>
\nsays Paul and this should resonate within husbands for he doesn\u2019t end
\nthere with what this sanctifying mean. It was the washing of the Church
\nwith the water of the word so that she may be spotless and presented to
\nHim without spot or blemish.<\/p>\nAlthough the idea of being a spiritual head is implied, the focus is
\non the man\u2019s imperative to have a self-less love. Not by pulling out
\nevery speck from her eye or picking out her faults, but sacrificing of
\nself to the point that she finds herself rejoicing in submitting to his
\nlead. Not presented in mere words but in everyday, constant, selfless
\naction. Not puffing himself up because he is so self-less and
\nself-sacrificing but in complete unadulterated humility and meekness.<\/p>\nShe wants to go to a woman\u2019s conference? Take her. The family needs
\nto be led in prayer every evening? Do it. She needs to go to the
\ndoctor? Take off of work and take her. There are dishes in the sink and
\nyou\u2019ve done them for twelve nights? Do them again. Not out of duty but out of actual feeling! Erase the idea of\u00a0roles with limits, as if the dishes is woman\u2019s work and the trash is\u00a0man\u2019s work. Once men realize the upper heights of what it is to have\u00a0agape towards one\u2019s wife, there should inevitably be fear because of\u00a0the grandness of this concept. Doing for her and enjoying it! I don’t get it but it’s right there.<\/p>\nMen are to nourish their wives in every single conceivable and
\ninconceivable way. The idea that the God of heaven would presence
\nHimself here on earth and die for rebellious men, for the very people
\nat the foot of the cross who taunted Him and scorned Him should make
\nmen shudder at the profundity of what they\u2019re being called to do. It is
\nto cherish and nourish in ways we haven\u2019t thought of and to seek out
\nnew ways to do this. If the men can\u2019t find the way, they are to
\nask\u2014either their wives or other spiritual men but above all the Lord in
\nHeaven.<\/p>\nIn light of doing this, men can become the very imitators of God<\/em>
\nwhich Paul is addressing in the beginning of the chapter (Eph 5:1-2).
\nAn action that renders a sweet smelling aroma so that others around may
\nturn at the beauty of the fragrance and see a man in his proper role as
\nhead and husband, giving himself for his wife.<\/p>\n-r-<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
People are often pictorial in their thinking. We may not\u00a0be very good with amorphous concepts which consist only of words, but\u00a0when we attach the words to an image the words make sense. For\u00a0instance, the idea of a \u201csingularity in space and time whose escape\u00a0velocity exceeds the speed of light\u201d makes more sense when described as\u00a0a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church","category-human"],"yoast_head":"\n
Husbands Love Your Wives - Rey Reynoso's Bible Archive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/biblearchive.com\/blog\/husbands-love-your-wives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Husbands Love Your Wives - Rey Reynoso's Bible Archive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"People are often pictorial in their thinking. We may not\u00a0be very good with amorphous concepts which consist only of words, but\u00a0when we attach the words to an image the words make sense. 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