Paul the
apostle gave the example of Jesus' “love” for His bride,
the church, to demonstrate how “husbands” are to “love”
their “wives”. Jesus seeks to “sanctify and cleanse”
the church“with the
washing of water by the word”. He does that so “He might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing”. He desired for His bride to be “holy
and without blemish”, and in chapter five and verse
twenty-eight of his letter, Paul directed “men to love their
wives as their own bodies”. We read:
So ought
men to love their wives as their own bodies.
He that
loves his wife loves himself.
The
verse begins, “So ought men to love their wives as their own
bodies.” Paul began with the words, “So ought men” which
means “in this manner men should owe and be in debt to the goodwill
due” “to love” which is the Greek word “agapao”
which means “welcome, entertain, be fond of, be pleased with,
contended and love unconditionally” “their wives” which
refers to “women who are betrothed or married” “as their
own” which means “that which pertains to oneself”
“bodies” or “physical flesh”. In the same manner that
“men” “love” their “own bodies”, they are
to “love their wives”.
The
verse goes on to say, “He that loves his wife loves himself.”
Paul continued, “He that loves” or “the husband that
welcome, entertain, be fond of, be pleased with, contended and love
unconditionally” “his wife” which refers to “a woman
who is betrothed or married” “loves himself” or
“welcomes, entertains, is fond of, is pleased with, contends and
loves unconditionally” His own self. When a “husband loves”
His “wife”, he puts himself in a position of the most
effective personal “love”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we see his desire for men to
“love” their “wives”. Jesus is our example, and
as Jesus gave Himself for His bride, the church, “husbands”
“owe and are in debt to to “love” their “wives”
as well. Paul notes that the “husband” who obeys his
command, “loves himself” in a manner that is not managed
otherwise. Let all “husbands” take heed, and be in
obedience to “loving their wives”, and in so doing, will
“love” themselves as well.
Next
time Paul shares how “nourish and cherish” their
own bodies “even as the Lord the church”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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