Perspective
( 1 Pet. 3:1-7 ; Rom. 8:15-17 ) In God's eyes men and women are joint or equal heirs, husband not above wife nor wife above husband. Husbands are to know their wives by loving and tenderly taking care of them with warmth and tenderness, as joint heirs of the grace of life. Wife is to submit herself to her own husband's God given authority, influence and leadership. Wives stand in awe and reverence of God to help complete her husband, to provide support, encouragement, so that both husband and wife operate in order, in cooperation, in relationship and partnership. Thus, walking together, hand in hand throughout life.
Hope
( Eph. 5:18-21 ; Col. 3:17 ; John 14:21 ) In order to fulfill one's responsibilities and functions, to counteract the inclinations of the flesh, we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, that is, being conscious of His Presence at all times. Accordingly, being filled with the Spirit rests on the shoulders of the believer, that is, he is filled only as he walks obediently to Christ, denying his own self and interest in order to be a blessing to others.
( John 7:38-39 ; Heb. 13:17 ) As we obey, Jesus' Presence is illuminated, manifested and quickened in the life of the believer, within their hearts and lives. When a believer needs to fulfill his/her role and function, God's Presence gives a deep sense of His love and care, helping and giving confidence, forgiveness and assurance-giving wholeness the believer needs. This process begins at the point each dies to their own need and desires in order to complete and fulfill the other.
( Rom. 5:5 ) All the love we will ever need is already residing within us. All we have to do is exercise it by an action of our will as God commands. Love is not biblical love unless it involves an element of sacrifice: as an illustration, to respond kindly when treated harshly ( Matt. 5:43-48 ; 1 Pet. 3:9 ).
Change
( Matt. 18:4 ; Matt. 11:28-30 ; 1 Pet. 5:5 ) A spirit-filled person has a submissive and respectful spirit. He does not have a spirit of criticism, dissension, envy, divisiveness, or selfishness, but he goes out of his way to minister and to serve. Even upon the most dire situations when one is heavily laden, weary and burdened, exhausted and despairing, Christ will enable the believer to work through any struggle. Under His leadership, direction, guidance, and care, one can learn from Him how to live and labor in a spirit of rest in any challenging situation ( Heb. 4:1-13 ).
( Eph. 5:22-24 ) To submit is God's will. We submit because we love God, we do it as to Him, to please Him. It is the God given authority and function in the person we honor, not necessarily the person or his actions. Christian wives do not obey the Lord out of resentment and reaction - they need to check this spirit. They focus their lives to please the Lord and then their husbands. their function is to encourage and develop a partnership and order in the family. Need of woman today is not to compete or long after man but to find herself in a recognized position, and a honored relationship. Thus she fulfills her role by being the number one encourager, to back up her man, to stand firm, to cover his weaknesses, to share in his leadership by providing godly wisdom and influence.
( Eph. 5:25-33 ) Husband is to love wife by a selfless and unselfish love, a giving and sacrificial love, a love of the mind and will as well as the heart. A love that works for the highest good of the person loved, to nourish and to cherish. He is to be a leader in developing relationships by being intimate with wife and children, and for disciplining children in the Spirit of Christ. He is to be the ultimate servant in the home. He is to establish values, order, harmony, and to exemplify traits of integrity, honor, justice, courage and self-denial. Accordingly, the Christian home is to be lived in the very presence and atmosphere of the Lord, to be governed by the Lord. Decisions are to be made in the light of the Lord and His will. Thus, the Christian home is not to have two partners, but three - husband, wife and Christ.
Work Out Your Salvation (Phil. 2:12-13)
BSAF for Titus 2:4 ; Prov. 31:27 ; 1 Pet. 3:7 .
The Christian life is not one of doctrines only, but of relationships. Read 1 Cor. 13:4-8 , God's kind of love. Review Eph. 4:1-32 on how we should relate and communicate with one another: thinking, speaking and acting out the truth in love. Note how we should speak to one another in verses 25 through 32. For additional insights, see worksheets Section 5.3, “What Makes a Man a Man” and Section 12.13, “Fulfilled and Fulfilling Wife and Mother” as well as Section A.3, “Love Is An Action” .