We humans are often challenged to love one another and the adversary can often divide us because of our differences in race, nationality, religion, financial status, culture, physical appearance, or intellect. I believe that the biggest hurdle we have to overcome is the difference between the sexes.
Made by the Creator: Our Differences
Why do I think so? Because God originally set up a “man” and a “woman” to begin all of human society and their success was based on how well they could work together within God’s love. The future of all mankind depended on it and we know how well that worked out. (See Love and Marriage: Biblical Examples – Adam and Eve.)
The adversary has been hard at work ever since to exploit the God-ordained difference between men and women so that he can destroy the basic unit of all society, the family. (See Love and Marriage: God’s Design.) His current line of attack has invaded at least Western society to the extent that some no longer recognize the two sexes, male and female; instead we are pressured into buying the line that people are whatever “gender” they “feel like.” This earthly wisdom promotes envying and strife, which produces confusion and every evil work. (James 3:16)
God, of course, wants something far greater for us, His children. His wisdom guides us into His love without partiality. No one of us in the body of Christ is considered any better than another or any more loved by God. All have accepted and been redeemed by the same savior, Jesus Christ.
James 3:17:
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
As Christ Loved and Gave Himself
Last time (Love and Marriage: As Christ Loved Us) we made note that in Ephesians 5:2, every born-again believer is to “walk in love, as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us.” And then later in verse 25, God instructs husbands to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.” These are very similar commandments from God, but with notable differences.
In these two verses, the common points are: 1) love, and 2) as Christ loved and gave himself. The differences show us how a husband is to love his wife in the unique, God-ordained relationship of marriage.
The differences are:
1. All believers walk in love with every other believer; a husband is to love his wife.
2. All believers walk in love together as Christ loved each and every one of us and gave himself for us; a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (the church).
Everybody is to be walking in love toward every brother or sister in Christ just as Christ himself loved and gave himself for each of us. We learn from his example how to love one another. Jesus Christ never used any one for his own purposes, but gave of himself to heal, bless, teach, and edify others. However, the husband is directly instructed to specifically love his wife as his top “love” priority just as Christ loved and gave himself for the church.
Love Priorities
Does this mean that God loves some people more than others? Absolutely not! John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world…” That means He wanted any one and every one that has ever lived to accept His love that He gave in His son Jesus Christ. We also know that God is love (I John 4:16) so there can be no quantifying or qualifying of that love; it is pure, complete, eternal so that there is no respect of persons with God.
However, limited as we are in time and space on this earth, we can’t share God’s love with everyone everywhere all the time. So, our heavenly Father defined our “love” priorities, and this is one of them: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
There is so much more here in Ephesians 5 about a husband’s love for his wife and we will get into that soon. But before we do, let’s see NEXT TIME (Love and Marriage: Submit) how a wife completes the marriage relationship with her response. Meanwhile, let’s all keep walking in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us!
