SATURDAY August 7, 2021

The Two Become One

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:31-32

God designed marriage. It is a loving relationship between two people who have become one flesh. Therefore their personal rights become subservient to the love they now share together. A husband is to love his wife, and a wife is to be submissive to her husband. A marriage can become an institution that is cold, demanding, shackling, limiting, and dead or it can become a living relationship, warm, loving, enriching, vibrant, and liberating.

In Genesis 2:18 we read: And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” God never intended for man to be alone. Yet most men love to be independent. There are so many distractions to pull a husband away from his marriage and his children. There has to be a balance in his priorities.

Think of all the marriages today that are suffering because there is no longer any love between the husband and wife. In counseling, I often find that both partners are blaming each other for their marriage problems. Nobody will humbly take the fault. If God is in control, a husband or wife can trust that He will humble a difficult spouse if He needs too. Christians must be obedient to what the Word of God teaches about their roles if their marriage is going to be successful.

A husband or wife should allow God to work in the life of their spouse. For instance, if a husband makes a mistake in a decision, the wife should allow him to do so. He can learn through his mistakes. If your husband loves you and is trying his best, then come alongside him as his helper.

To submit to anyone less than Christ is difficult in a marriage. Yet it is Christ who commands women to be submissive to their sinful, fallible husbands. In this sense Christ is the silent partner of the marriage. It is hard for a wife to submit when she disagrees with her husband. But when she knows her submission is an act of obedience to Christ and honors Christ, it is much less difficult.
~R. C. Sproul~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!