"Jesus said to him [a lawyer], ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:37-40
I am certain that you are familiar with these verses. Do you understand that what God commands cannot be accomplished in the power of your flesh. Jesus was speaking spiritual truth and I am certain that the lawyer was thinking that he had to do that on his own with no help from anyone. The truth was that he could never obey a spiritual command on his own - in his flesh. BTW did you know that the 10 commandments (Exodus 20) encapsulate how we are are relate to God and man? The first 4 toward God and the last six toward others. But let's move on.
With respect to love towards others. Jesus said this.
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." - John 15:12-13
Jesus did not have a natural love for us - but a spiritual one - agape - sacrificial. That kind of love is when you place the welfare of others before your own welfare. Love God first - others next - ourselves last. Easy to say - hard to do if you are trying to do that on your own. Or maybe you stopped trying because you are like that lawyer.
So let's go deeper.
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." - Ephesians 5:22-24
Remember this is spiritual. Women are not being told to sin because their husbands want them to. This is spiritual. Women are to place their husbands before themselves - without resentment without an expectation of reciprocity from their husband, but always with God first. Remember that you cannot do this trusting in your own might. It's spiritual. That is why the Lord says.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" - 2 Corinthians 6:14
If you are married to an unbelieving husband or wife - it is impossible for them to reciprocate spiritual, sacrificial love. There is more to be said about a relationship like that - but that will be for another time. But do you see the impossibility of fulfilling God's intent for the marriage relationship?
Ok - let's go a little deeper.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own 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 the Lord does the church" - Ephesians 5:25-29
Our culture pushes back against the idea of mutual submission. But our culture is full of unbelievers struggling to live life in a way that they find satisfying and to make sense of it as far as their flesh will allow. So how can the man be the head and yet be a servant to his wife. He is supposed to be just like Jesus - (that is what Jesus did and is doing) but can't be apart the power of the Spirit in him and a heart submitted first to God by faith. And so must we all who call upon the name of Jesus.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:35
How we love - sacrificially - reciprocally - is light and a testimony to the world. When we fail to love like that we fail in our God-given purpose.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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