Gaining a Husband

What do Christians gain from the work of Jesus on the cross? We cannot be exhaustive here, so I will focus this blog series on four overarching blessings that come from Jesus’ work of salvation. The four things we gain are a Father, Husband, Family, and Ministry. We will split each of these up into a different blog post. We will focus on Husband today.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27).

We, as the worldwide church, have Jesus as a husband. The Scriptures repeatedly say that we are the bride of Christ. Jesus, as our husband, performs the most sacrificial act that any husband could ever do when he “gave himself up.” As pastor Mark Driscoll often says, “He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died.” Jesus loved his bride, the church, so much so that he took responsibility for our sin and paid the penalty for it.

Jesus not only died to pay the penalty for our sin, but to make us “holy and blameless” (Eph. 1:4). This is what is so beautiful about the storyline of Christianity. Jesus wants us as his bride but can’t have us because we aren’t worthy enough for him. So, he steps down from heaven, enters human history, takes responsibility for our sin on the cross, and purifies us so that we can be deserving of him.

Just as a husband and wife become one flesh, we become one flesh with Jesus through our union with him. To this point, Paul says, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church…” (Eph. 5:29-30). Jesus is our husband who chooses us, offers himself up for us, and takes care of us daily. He is strong and courageous in his sacrifice, yet also tenderly “nourishes and cherishes” us. In addition to his sacrifice and ongoing nourishment, he protects us by dressing us with the armor of God so that we are able to “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Jesus’ work on the cross disarmed Satan and at the same time armed us with the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:14-17).

Jesus is the perfect husband.

I Want Blood

I've been reading "Death By Love" which is a new book by Mark Driscoll. I have to share an excerpt from the book that is absolutely fascinating.

Pastor Mark Driscoll talked to a Christian guy in his church directly after his wife confessed to him that she had cheated on him by sleeping with his friend in their own marriage bed (back before she became a Christian). As you could imagine, this guy was ticked off. Driscoll said, "What do you want?" to the guy. He replied, "I want blood."

Here is an excerpt from the pastoral letter (found in the book Death By Love) to this man regarding the friend who stabbed him in the back:

"God does not have a heart of grace toward [your friend], because he is an unrepentant sinner. Second, Christ's death has not applied to him and will not unless he repents of sin and receives Jesus. Third, he is not justified and, therefore, stands guilty and condemned before God. Fourth, he is an enemy of God. Fifth, he is not reconciled to God. Seventh, the wrath of God remains upon him. Eight, if he continues in unrepentance and unbelief, Jesus' blood will not cover him, and he will spend eternity suffering in conscious, eternal torment. [He and the other] unrepentent sinners will be thrown like grapes into the winepress and Jesus will stomp them underfoot so that their blood flows as high as the bit in a horse's mouth for one hundred eighty miles (Rev. 14:19-20)."

Driscoll wrote this to encourage this guy by reminding him that he will get the justice he wants. He will get his "blood" in the future when his friend finds himself under the "boot of Jesus."

HOWEVER...

Driscoll reminds the guy that IF his friend-turned-enemy becomes a Christian and truly repents and follows Jesus, that Jesus' blood on the cross will cover his sin and cleanse him. When someone comes to Jesus, the punishment and wrath that the person deserves is absorbed by Jesus. Justice is served - but not on the guilty party, on Jesus. He substitutes himself for the guilty.

So, once again, if his friend-turned-enemy repents and follows Jesus, the justice blood that he wants and will get... will be Jesus' blood, not his friend's.

Pretty profound if you ask me.

Driscoll's last piece of advice is this: "Though not to minimize what your wife has done in any way, your sin against God is even more painful for [God] to bear than your wife's sin against you. Therefore, I would encourage you not only to look at the sin of your wife [and friend] but to also look at your own sin in other parts of your life to see where you too have betrayed God as your wife has betrayed you... Simply, your wife treated you like God's people in the Old Testament treated him, which is why the Bible repeatedly calls Israel a whore. Yet Jesus lovingly pursues and redeems [her]."

Wow.