"Oh… marriage…" (part 1)

Описание: Ephesians 5:22-33 says: "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. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

When the redemption of Christ becomes part of the husband-wife relationship, both partners willingly make sacrifices because of their shared resurrection experience. They do so because Jesus Christ died for them, bearing the price that neither of them was willing to pay. Furthermore, God's abundance is added to their lives through Christ. This enables both husband and wife to give freely, establishing a genuine and loving relationship. If Christ does not become the salvation of their marriage – He died for marriage, and He was resurrected for marriage – no marriage can rely solely on negotiation or self-control to establish a healthy relationship. Even when practicing self-control, the ultimate goal is often to change the other person.