The following paragraph is from the Chief End for Which God Created the World 8 (Marriage). It is meant to give context.
We need to look at the big picture for a moment before we have a short look at some of the particulars. If we desire marriage for selfish and self-centered considerations, then we do not desire the glory of God and the true good of the other. Most marriage counseling appears to be done on a needs basis, that is, that one spouse is to meet the needs of the other. Other forms of counseling are more behavior oriented and verses are prescribed as behavior modifiers in much the same way as medical doctors prescribe medication. The one says meeting the needs of the other glorifies God and the second says that certain behavior glorifies God. But does it really do that? Do certain behaviors in and of themselves glorify God according to His terminal purpose for humanity and all of creation?
The third particular in marriage is that of God’s command for man to love his wife as Christ loved the Church. How did Christ love the Church? He gave Himself for her so that His love would dwell in Her. He gave Himself for Her so that the love of God would dwell in Her and so that He could give Her Himself in love and live within Her and be one with Her so that She would have His love and that love would flow from the Father through Him to His bride and then back to the Father through Him. What we see in the love of Christ for the Church is a love that gives itself and not just things. It gives itself so that His Church can have what is very best and that is the love of God dwelling in Her. Christ did not just do something for the Church, but He gave Himself for Her so that the love of the Father would be in Her and that He would live in Her.
Boiled down, what we do that is not an expression of the indwelling glory of God is selfishness and pride. When a husband does not love his wife with a biblical love, that is selfishness and pride which is to say that the husband values himself and his own ease rather than the Bible and the glory of God. Biblical love is far more than just actions as is commonly taught. It is also far more than having exalted feelings. To love another is ultimately to have the love of God in the heart and to express that love toward others. It is to have God’s love for Himself in us and for God’s love to work itself in us and then through us.
We must know that I John 4:7-12 is key to this thought. “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”
The text above should be at the center of all teaching on love. Why should believers love one another? The text tells us that we should love one another because love is from God. Don’t miss a vital point of this text. Love is from God, that is, even the love that one human has for another is from God. Love is not just a behavior, it is something that has its source in God and God is the only source for love. We see more proof of that as we go on in the text. “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” In other words, the only people who truly love are connected to love by being born of God and having eternal life which is to know God. Knowing God is to be in an intimate relation with God. Only believers love and have a capacity for God and His love. Therefore, those who do not love in this way do not know God. Without going into verses 9-10, we can see that Christ came and took away man’s sin so that the love of God would and could dwell in man. The text then goes on to say that “if God so loved us, we also out to love one another.” We can see from what has went on before that God so loved us by sending His Son to die for His people so that they could have the new birth and know God. That entails the love of God abiding in them, that is, the God who is love abiding in them. God gave Himself from love to express His love in human beings so that His terminal end of manifesting His glory would be accomplished.
God Loves... Himself 
Leave a comment