基督徒家庭
以弗所书五章22至33节
22你们作妻子的,当顺服自己的丈夫,如同顺服主。
23因为丈夫是妻子的头,如同基督是教会的头;他又是教会全体的救主。
24教会怎样顺服基督,妻子也要怎样凡事顺服丈夫。
25你们作丈夫的,要爱你们的妻子,正如基督爱教会,为教会舍己。
26要用水借着道把教会洗净,成为圣洁,
27可以献给自己,作个荣耀的教会,毫无玷污、皱纹等类的病,乃是圣洁没有瑕疵的。
28丈夫也当照样爱妻子,如同爱自己的身子;爱妻子便是爱自己了。
29从来没有人恨恶自己的身子,总是保养顾惜,正像基督待教会一样,
30因我们是他身上的肢体(有古卷在此有:就是他的骨他的肉)。
31为这个缘故,人要离开父母,与妻子连合,二人成为一体。
32这是极大的奥秘,但我是指着基督和教会说的。
33然而,你们各人都当爱妻子,如同爱自己一样。妻子也当敬重他的丈夫。
信息分享
保罗在这段经文教导作妻子的要顺服丈夫,就正如教会顺服基督一样。做丈夫的,也当爱妻子,像基督爱教会一样。在接着的下一章,保罗将谈及父母与儿女间的关系。
保罗要求做丈夫的承担更重的责任。丈夫在家中也许是头,但在他之上却有基督。丈夫要爱妻子,以致妻子乐意回应他的爱,就正如教会乐意回应基督的期望一样。请记着,基督爱教会,并非是要教会去服侍祂,反之,祂却是要去服侍教会。
基督的爱是舍己的爱,是使人成圣的爱和满足人心的爱。爱驱使基督去保养顾惜教会,这意味着基督会供应教会的一切需要,和竭尽所能地爱护她。丈夫们,你们也是这样爱妻子的吗?
做妻子的,要负责营造家庭的气氛。一些家庭的重大决定,最终可能由丈夫去作决定;可是,如何去执行这些决定,妻子却是关键人物。她若是以一种对抗或消极的态度去回应,家庭的合一便遭到破坏;反之,她若以尊重与合作的态度去回应,便能促进家人之间的互爱。
愿我们都为自己的家庭向主祈求:「主啊,帮助我们竭尽所能地爱护家庭,使它在各方面都能成为一个真正的基督徒家庭。帮助我们懂得彼此相爱,像你爱我们和我们学习爱你一样。」
CHRISTIAN FAMILIES
Ephesians 5: 22 – 33
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 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.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Message
Do you notice what Paul wrote? Wives should be willing to obey their husbands in the same way that the Church obeys Christ. Husbands should love their wives in the same way Christ loved the Church. In the next chapter he deals with parents and children.
Paul puts the greater responsibility on the husbands. The husband may be the head of the family, but he has someone over him – Christ. The husband’s love for his wife should be such that his wife will gladly respond to it just as the Church should respond to the wishes of Christ. Remember, ‘Christ loved the Church not that the Church might do things for him but that he might do things for the Church’.
Christ’s love is sacrifice, sanctifying and satisfying. Christ nourishes the Church and cherishes it. To nourish is to provide everything necessary. To cherish is to do anything extra that we can do. Husband, is that how you treat your wife?
Wives are responsible for the atmosphere of the home. They may not be responsible for the final decisions in the family. But they must see that those decisions are carried out, not in a rebellious spirit but with willingness and in a loving atmosphere of family unity.
Here is a prayer for your home and family: ‘Lord help us to make our home a truly Christian home in every way. Help us to love each other even as we love you and you love us.’

