Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church …
Summary: Wrapping our heads around Christ’s love for the church is a tall order. To get the big picture, we need to step back and look at the whole story from Genesis to Revelation.
One of the biggest challenges I find in reading the Bible is trying to get my head around the Author’s perspective. If I come at the Bible from my own perspective, it is like an ant looking up at the underside of a forty-foot-long bus. He can see bits and pieces, but there is too much for him to take in at one time.
A hawk, on the other hand, has a different view. He can fly over the bus and see the entire picture at once. Then he can fly closer or land on the bus to examine the details. The bird’s-eye view is the one we want to use when trying to grasp how Christ loved the church.
Looking at the Bible as a whole, we have to start with Genesis and end with Revelation. In between is the birth of Jesus and his crucifixion and resurrection, but that is not the beginning or end of the story. The Gospel of John begins with this iconic phrase:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
With those words, the Word of words, Jesus, began loving his church. From the moment of the first sin to the end of time, Jesus loved and loves his church.
Perhaps that is the lesson for husbands today. God’s love is timeless. Christ loved the church from the beginning of time. He loves the church today, and according to the Book of Revelation, he loves the church until the end of time.
The word that best describes this is faithfulness.
God’s love is not occasional or temporary. God’s love does not disappear or go away, even when he disciplines his people. God’s love is eternal.
As a husband, we are wise if we start planning for our wife before we even meet her. Proverbs 19:14 says, “Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.” Knowing this, the wise young man trusts the Lord to provide the perfect wife. He keeps himself from the “wayward woman” (Proverbs 2:16) and prepares himself to be a good provider.
The wise husband trusts in the Lord and does not lean on his own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). This is important because loving someone else doesn’t always make sense. Faithfulness is a commitment, and love is more than an emotion. Christ’s love for the church is beyond understanding and beyond time. The husband who emulates Christ will do the same.
Application: Think of love as more than emotion.
Food for Thought: What comes to mind when you think of Christ’s love for his church?
Many things. But above all, the cross. The cross encapsulates the enormity of Christ’s love for His church.
Thanks Rich!
Yes, the cross has come to symbolize the whole of God’s love for us. It is amazing to think that God took what was a symbol of terror and turned it into what it is.
R, amen. Two passages come to mind; John 15:13 and Lamentations 3:22,23.
JEC
Great verses! Thank you!
09-09-2023, What comes to mind when you think of Christ’s love for his church?
My family and I live in His Peace and Security, which we are committed to share with all who will receive. We live physically in this world, in obedience to the laws of man, however we are spiritually sustained and remain eternally secure in the love of Christ who is our power to grow in Him as we simply turn from the increasing spiritual perversions and decay being promoted by mankind.
Nicely said, Ron.
Wholehearted devotion. Giving grace. Forgiveness. Self sacrifice. Building up.
“To the end” (John 13:1)
Thanks Chris!