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When was the first time you looked at your spouse and thought, “How in the world did I choose to marry this person?” Yes, marriage needs nurturing and care, just as a seed needs to be watered and fertilized for healthy growth. If not, what will fester are bitterness, anger and a lack of respect for one another. More importantly, a couple should not disregard the importance of the Bible in their marriage. When Christians marry, they take on the responsibility before God to nurture their marriage through Christ. In Ephesians, Apostle Paul gives instructions for Christian households, pertaining to submission and headship. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the Church, His body, of which He is the Saviour. Now as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything” (Eph. 5:21–24).
The Bible here is specifically referring to husbands and wives who have made the commitment to God and to each other in Christian marriage. The wife submits to her husband “as … to the Lord” (Eph. 4:22). The example she follows is: “as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything” (Eph. 4:24). When she submits, she willingly acknowledges the headship of her husband over her and has confidence in God that He has set this authority over her for her own good. The husband’s headship is not harsh and domineering: “Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly” (Col. 3:19). Headship for the husband means that he respects his wife, that he does not embitter her and that he takes responsibility for making decisions that will build up the family and glorify God. The example he follows is: “love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph. 4:25).
Trust God with your marriage and see what He will do. When the Christian husband and wife act upon the principles in phesians with faith, the marriage will grow as will the husband and wife. A Christ-centered marriage can occur at the start of a marriage, or at any time, even after much difficulty has been experienced. It is never too late with God to work out the wonderful relationship that can exist between husbands and wives.
