Today we conclude our study on the God-ordained roles in a Christian marriage. As we now look at the role of the husband, we see that he is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. When we digest the thought of how Christ did this, we are presented with a picture of dying to self for the sake of our wives.
While the wife is called to submit to her husband, the husband is called to die to self and love, cherish and nourish his wife. Just like Jesus loves His church, we are to be motivated by love for our wives in all that we do. Just like the love of Jesus gives to our souls security, peace and assurance, when the love of God is expressed by a husband for his wife, she will likewise have a sense of assurance, security and peace.
Although the love between a husband and wife does include times of emotion and intimacy, the love that a husband is called to give to his wife is deeper than an emotional kind of a thing. It is an act of the will. It is a deliberate, thought out decision, that Peter tells us, is dwelling with our wives according to knowledge. In a sense we become ‘students’ of our wives. As we learn more and more about them, we then seek to minister to them accordingly, for the glory of God.
This act of love is practical, provisional and pure. It is a love that is both nourishing and cherishing. Because only Christ’s love is sinless and perfect, the standard that we are given as husbands can never be fully reached in this life. In other words, this command to love our wives is a never ending act. We will never this side of heaven ever be able to say, I’ve fulfilled my quota of loving my wife, now on to the next thing!
As a husband, I realize that I do not have the capacity as a sinner to equal the same level or degree of love that Christ has for me. However, I am able, by His grace, to draw power from His Spirit to follow His example. So may God grant to every single husband and man who will one day be a husband, the revelation that loving our wives is an act of worshipping God that is only second to our direct worship of Him. May the overflow of our vertical love for Christ be poured out upon our brides in such a way that the Name of Jesus would be magnified and praised.
