A note from our pastor:

”For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.”

Ephesians 5:31

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

In our study verse this morning, the Apostle returns to instructions for husbands in how they should love their spouse. In the verses which conclude this chapter, the teaching moves back and forth between how a husband is supposed to behave and how Christ loves the church. Christ is the antitype to which the Apostle keeps referring knowing full well no husband can live up to the example Christ presents.

In this particular instruction, Christ continues to be the example which should guide the behavior of husbands. The elect family of God, or the church, in scripture is pictured as the bride of Christ. When it came to redeeming the church Christ left his eternal home. He descended lower than the angels, took on the body of man, and left behind all that was rightfully his in heaven. In doing so he made the elect to be part of his body, making the elect and himself one flesh, through his redemptive powers.

There is certainly no way natural husbands can live up to this example. However, the core instruction remains the same. Husbands are to leave their natural homes, leave their mothers and fathers, and make their spouse to be the core focus of their love. They are to put Christ first in their lives and in so doing they are to love their spouse as their own body as Christ loves his church.

Without a doubt, when the Apostle wrote this letter to the Ephesians, there was some societal trend he was trying to address. Societies change and the concerning behaviors within them, though always present, change as well. Thus, the Apostle did not address a specific behavior to avoid but rather gives a positive instruction which does not change throughout time.

The positive instruction for husbands is when a husband commits himself to a marital relationship that relationship becomes his family. That is not to say he should not love and care for his natural relationships. His mother and father should still be honored and cared for, but not at the expense of his marriage. Decisions should be made within the marital bounds and not between the husband, his father, and his mother. The positive message which is true in all times is the focus on the love, respect, honor, and care the husband should give his spouse.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah