Extreme Love

Extreme Love

Words of Faith 4-13-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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Ephesians 5

 [25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [26] to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, [27] and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. [28] In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29] After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- [30] for we are members of his body.

      We must remember that these are not the words of Paul.  This is the Word of God, breathed and inspired by the Holy Spirit and then penned by Paul.  So it is the Spirit who calls now upon husbands to the greatest challenge in life—to love their wife. 

       This is not a call to be enamored or infatuated.  The call is to love her, and not in just any way.  The call is to love her as Christ loved the church and even as a man loves his own body. 

      The first call is to love her sacrificially as Christ gave himself up to make her holy.  The call is to love her in a way that is cleansing -- washing her with the water of the Spirit and the water and the Word.  This is a call to leadership in the Spirit and in the Word so that the wife may become all that God has designed her to be.

      The goal is to present her radiant before the Lord.  The word here means in glory, splendid, noble, glorious, gorgeous, or honorable. Without stain means with no defect, disgrace, wrinkle, or blemish– without blame or fault.  The goal is to present her before the Lord holy and blameless– which is not sinless, but rather with sins covered. 

      All this means that a husband will never ask his wife to sin—lie, cheat, steal, or do anything against the Word.  Submitting or giving in to the husband as unto the Lord means as you would the Lord, in accordance with God's Word.

      A husband is also called to love his wife as he loves his own body.  It is the Spirit who makes the observation that nobody ever hated his own body. Men tend to love their bodies, whether expressed through exercise or feeding.  The call of the Spirit is to surrender all selfishness.  A wife needs care and feeding.  She needs physical protection and provision.  She needs emotional investment and nourishment.  She needs spiritual feeding, exercise, and strengthening.

      Now don't misunderstand.  The call is for both husbands and wives to love each other sacrificially.   The call is to "give in" to one another– to be willing to consider another way, method, plan, or decision.  Wives are specifically called to surrender all willfulness in reverence to the Lord.  Husbands are to surrender all selfishness in reverence to the Lord.

    Father God, help me to be the Christian believer that You planned and designed me to be.  Help me to be the husband or wife You planned for me to be, whether that is now, in the future, or in eternity with Christ.  Help me to do everything possible to strengthen the marriages of those around me.  In Jesus' Name.