How Husbands Should Love Their Wives
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Feb 3, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 17, 2023
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. (Colossians 3:18-19)
When people talk about biblical marriage principles, the conversation always gets around to the topic of submission. In Colossians 3:18-19, Paul wrote for wives to submit to their own husbands. Paul did not say all women have to submit to all men and the wife who submits to her husband should do so out of love, not out of fear!
Unfortunately, some men understand Paul’s direction for wives to submit to their husbands as permission to treat their wives harshly. However, that is completely wrong! If you read the second part of the verse above, you see husbands are commanded to love their wives in such a way that they will not become bitter.
The word love in Colossians 3:19 is agapao in Greek, from agape, which is the God kind of love. So, Paul said that husbands are to love their wives the way God loves them. The description of how God loves us is in 1 Corinthians, chapter thirteen. God’s love is long-suffering. We would use the word patient. Regardless of what a wife may deal with, the husband is to help, to minister to her, and even give her space when she needs it.
God’s love does not seek its own way. In other words, husbands shouldn’t insist that his wife do everything to always meet his personal wishes.
God’s love always believes the best about people. So, a real man, walking in love with his wife, doesn’t assume, “She did that because she’s trying to get under my skin!” Instead, he will think the best. He may say, “I don’t know why she did that, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it. I don’t know that the reason is right now, but I trust what God has given me with her.”
Practical Application
God’s love never fails, so when a man loves his wife the way God loves, he will never give up on his marriage.
