Henderson Hills Baptist Church

The Ministry of a Spirit Filled Husband

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the Church, because we are members of His body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church." Eph 5:22-32 (ESV)

Yesterday we began a study of the Spirit-filled family with a consideration of verses 25-33. The first principle that we focused on at that time was Paul’s command for the husband to love his wife in the way that Christ loves His Church. If you didn’t read yesterday’s Didomi, I would recommend that you do now as it lays the foundation for today’s considerations.

Husbands are commanded to love their wives like Christ loves the Church. Verses 26 and 27 give us a wonderful insight into the motivation of Christ’s sacrificial love for His Church and how He illustrates the love of a Spirit-filled husband for his wife. I’ve got to admit that I absolutely love this brief passage because it presents the gospel with an economy of words yet with great power. Look at what Paul is telling us and let it sink into your mind. Christ loved the Church sacrificing Himself for her (the universal Church) in order to “present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything such thing....” God’s will is for the sanctification of His Church, His people. Those individuals will then be presented by Christ to Himself. I think that I could write a book on those few words. They are packed with poignancy and importance.

First, Christ died to sanctify the Church. To “sanctify” means to separate from the world (the culture, the darkness of human fallenness, the value system, and spiritual condition of our present setting) and to move us to Him. The key words here are “from” and “to.” We are transformed from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Light. Sanctification is the process that God is using to change us from sinners to saints. This happens in two ways. When we accept Christ and His death for us on the cross, we are immediately baptized (spiritually immersed) by the Spirit (Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13) into Christ. Because He is holy, we are made holy (Romans 6:1-9). That is what Jesus told Peter in John 13:10. Let’s make this personal. When you accepted Christ, you were sanctified eternally. We call this positional sanctification. The other side of this is practical sanctification. Christ desires that here in time we might become what we are in eternity. In other words, He is working in us with the aim that our position might be demonstrated in our practice (see Romans 8:28-29). Christ’s desires to present a holy Church to Himself.

What does Paul mean when he talks about Christ presenting the Church to Himself? This is talking about that future event when the Church, the bride of Christ, will be fully and finally removed from this world and united with Christ in eternity. In this final consummation of the ages, we will be with Him, without our sin; forever with resurrection bodies (1 Corinthians 15) and perfected spirits. In order for that to occur, Jesus is now in this process of changing us. How is He doing that? Paul says it happens by having cleansed the church by the washing of the Word. The result will be a Church that is given in splendor, “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” We must be changed, cleansed from our sins, to be presented to Christ, the holy Bridegroom. This cleansing is being carried out with the “washing of the water with the word” (see Rev 21:2). This is figurative language that speaks of a cultural aspect of Jewish life. The bride would be washed, perfumed, and adorned in wedding clothes at the consummation of the engagement process. So she would be presented to her groom in splendor. The Church, that includes us, is being washed today by the Word. “Word” refers to the Word of God, the Bible. Because it is the Word of God, it has a most unique power and effect on our lives (Heb 4:12-13). God’s Word, taught by the Spirit and through His convicting power will empower us to live as Christ desires (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Are you getting lost? Let me summarize. Christ died to make us holy here in time like He has already made us in eternity. This will happen by the work of the Spirit filling us, directing, empowering, and influencing everything about us through the convicting and empowering Word of God. Therefore, study the Scriptures; pray them back to God and submit yourself to the powerful working of the Spirit as He changes you.

What does that have to do with husbands and wives? Part of the sacrificial love that husbands are to have for their wives is the caring, loving, encouraging, provoking, and leading that he can give to encourage her growth in Christ. Husbands are you loving your wife like this? Do you focus on encouraging your wife’s spiritual growth? Do you pray for her, take her to Church, talk about spiritual things with her, live Christ before her, and lead her in service for Christ? That is your calling and it is a key to having a fulfilling marriage.

2 Peter 3:18
Dennis Newkirk 

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