Tag: Spirituality and Truth

The Bible Says Marriage Is to Picture the Relationship of Christ to his Church

In Ephesians 5:22-24(KJV) the Bible says the following:

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

Ephesians 5:22-24 teaches us the important Biblical principle that God designed marriage to be a picture of the relationship of Christ and his church.  This tells us that we can and should look, not just at Ephesians 5:22-33, but also at all other references to how Christ and his church interact with one another throughout the Old and New Testaments to understand how marriage should operate.

A marriage built only on the principles of Ephesians 5:22-33 will be missing key and important attributes of Christ’s marriage to his church mentioned elsewhere in the Bible.  In other words, a marriage modeled exclusively after the attributes described in Ephesians 5:22-33 will not fully and completely picture the relationship of Christ to his Church.

For example, Ephesians 5:25-29 commands men to love their wives a Christ loves his church and lists several attributes of Christ’s love for his church including him sacrificing himself for her, him washing her spiritual spots and wrinkles with the Word of God and him providing for and protecting his wife as he would his own body.

But Revelation 3:19 mentions some other attributes of Christ’s love for his church not found in Ephesians 5:25-29.  In Revelation 3:19 (KJV) the Christ said the following to his seven churches:

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

A husband’s love for his wife includes not his spiritual washing of her, his provision for her and his protection of her – but it also includes his rebuking her and chastening her.

The Biblical truth that the wife is to picture the church in relationship to Christ and the husband represents Christs means that a wife is to obey all the commands of God to the church relating to Christ, with the notable exceptions of worshipping her husband or seeing him as her savior from sin.  Those qualities belong to Christ alone and not earthly husbands.  I will address the worship issue more as this post progresses.

And now that we have firmly established the Biblical principle that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church – we will explore another passage which shows other aspects of the relationship of Christ and the church which also apply to marriage.

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Why Christian Women Should Bow to Their Husbands SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 / BIBLICALGENDERROLES

The custom of women bowing to their husbands, otherwise known in older times as “obeisance”, goes back to the beginnings of human civilization. This custom is still regularly practiced throughout many African nations today as well as other parts of the world.

As Christians we know that not all cultural customs are Biblical.   And we also know that the commands of the Bible transcend all cultures and times.  In this post, I will prove that the ancient custom of wives doing obeisance toward their husbands is not simply a relic of ages past, but that it is indeed a command to wives found in the Bible.

But before we can present the Biblical command for wives to bow to their husbands, we must first present some other commands that form the foundation upon which this command is built.

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A Shape-Shifting Sin

Pride deserves to die, but it is hard to spot and even harder to kill. Pride is a slippery sin because it is a shape-shifter. Jonathan Edwards said pride is “the most hidden, secret, and deceitful of all sins.” Let me give you an example. Here is a conversation that I might have with myself after a meeting at church:

“That meeting went really well. I think the turning point might have been when I asked that question which no one had thought to ask before. Wait a minute! That was such a prideful thought. It sounds like I am taking credit for the meeting going well. I am such a prideful person. I hate my pride.”

Meanwhile three seconds later, “I fight pride pretty hard. I’m glad that I caught that initial prideful thought. I wonder if other people are as aware of their pride and fight it as hard as I do. Wait a minute! It just happened again. I am taking pride in my awareness of pride. O, deliver me from this body of death, Lord Jesus! Thank you God that you give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Think of Yourself Less Fighting Pride’s Preoccupation with Me Resource by Jason Meyer

I am very qualified to speak on pride because I am so proud. I hate my pride, but what I take even more seriously is how God hates it so much more.

Pride is our greatest enemy because it makes God our enemy — an almighty opponent. “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Why? What makes pride so singularly repulsive to God is the way that pride contends for supremacy with God himself. Pride is not one sin among many, but a sin in a class by itself. Other sins lead the sinner further from God, but pride is particularly heinous in that it attempts to elevate the sinner above God.

Pride is not just a sin, but a sinful mother — a sinful orientation that gives birth to more sins. For example, pride can lead to lying. You tell a lie because you are too proud to admit you were wrong or you did something wrong. But the problem is so much bigger. Pride doesn’t just tell lies; it is a lie.

Why? Pride is self-obsession; pride is preoccupation with ourselves. Therefore, it is a lie about reality. It says I am worth thinking about all the time. It is an orientation that wrongly assumes that everything revolves around us.

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But some soul ties are unholy. Instead of being based on a holy relationship, they are based on unholy relationships–or based on situations that keep you in chains.

And what started off badly–the relationship–doesn’t get any better just because a bond forms.

For example, let’s say you dated someone who abused you. You really loved them, but they weren’t willing to change, so you found the courage to end the relationship. You try to move on, but you just can’t get that person out of your mind.

Or maybe …

You used to be married, but your spouse cheated on you and left years ago. You’ve forgiven them, and you really meant it when you did. You don’t harbor any animosity toward your ex. However, you still can’t stop thinking about them. You haven’t been able to get free from the memories of what they did, even though you’ve tried.

Or maybe …

You used to be bullied a lot when you were growing up. In the adult world, people no longer bully you; but you still catch yourself shying away from people, thinking that they will. You feel like the bullying happened just yesterday, even though it was years ago. And like the situation above, you may have even forgiven them–but you still suffer from the damage inflicted on you.

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What is a soul tie?

A soul tie is a spiritual phenomena that happens when your soul (your mind, will, and emotions) become linked to another person. Some soul ties are good. For example:

  • The loving bond between a godly parent and a child is a holy soul tie. God designed the family so that mothers and fathers and children would be connected to each other in love.
  • Another holy soul tie is the relationship between a husband and his wife–one man and one woman, bound together in holy matrimony. When a man and a woman get married, the Bible says that God has joined them together. The two become one flesh, and they are simply two halves of one whole. Husband and wife become one.
  • Another example of a godly soul tie could be a godly relationship between a parishioner and his or her pastor. The parishioner can love, honor, and serve the pastor as his/her spiritual leader (always making sure that everything lines up with God’s Word first, of course).

In that situation, with the pastor and his/her sheep, the parishioner can have a real fondness or even brotherly love for the pastor, and the pastor appreciates the parishioner and has a fatherly love for that person. That kind of relationship is a good thing. God’s Word tells us to love and honor our pastors.

In all these situations, the bond that forms between the people in these holy relationships is a godly thing. It edifies, encourages, and lifts up both people who have the connection with one another.

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How To Break Unholy Soul Ties (with FREE Printable Guide)

Have you ever tried to stop thinking about someone or something, but you just haven’t been able to? Have you tried and tried to forget about that ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, ex-husband, ex-wife, or the friend who did you wrong … to no avail?

Have you ever gotten frustrated with yourself because you haven’t been able to just move on … even though you’ve tried so hard?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you may have a soul tie.

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How to Find Freedom From Past Sin and Shame *This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of my links, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps cover the many costs of running this site and allows me to help provide for my growing family. Thank you!

1. Confess Your Sins

If you are a Christian with sin in your life that you have yet to ask forgiveness for, you should feel some degree of guilt or shame. It is this guilt and shame that compels us to turn to God and seek forgiveness.

So start with confession, or admitting your wrongdoings. Be honest with yourself and own up to whatever it is you have done or failed to do. Confess your sins to God first (He already knows about them anyways), and then to whomever your sins have hurt, as well as a fellow sister-in-Christ who can help hold you accountable.

Sin and shame thrive in secrecy. Don’t give them the chance. Get everything out in the open where you can remove it properly.

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How to Find Freedom From Past Sin and Shame 🌺 Written by Brittany Ann

If you had the opportunity to change anything in your past, would you? Would you rectify mistakes and start over fresh? Or are you happy with everything in your past just the way it is?

It’s a tricky question, and honestly, I’m not sure how I would answer it personally. While I’m very happy with where I am in life right now, that hasn’t always been the case.

You see, I spent a lot of years being ashamed of my past. Convinced that if anyone knew everything I had been through and done, they wouldn’t like me. That they would reject me, and I’d be all alone.

Can you relate? Have you ever felt that way?

This is actually a topic I dive into way more in-depth in my new book, coming out March 20th. So if you want all the juicy details, you’ll definitely want to check it out to learn more.

But today, I wanted to offer six very practical tips straight from the book for anyone else who may be in the exact same situation I was – tips I really think will help.

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Prayer of Release from the Stronghold of Rape and the Spirit of Baphomet Posted on 14 Aug 2012 by Truth in Reality

[Please leave out what does not apply.  As an example, someone raped, but not by a family member, can omit forgiving the sin of incest.  However if the rapist had already committed the sin of incest that spirit may also have been transferred.  The spirit of Baphomet will almost certainly have been transferred from a perpetrator of rape or sexual abuse. Transference of sexual demons can also take place in consenting sex.  If your marriage partner has been infected through previous partners then those demons will attempt to transfer even within godly marriage.]

I forgive ______________________ the Abuser/Rapist for what they have done to me.  I release them into the freedom of my forgiveness.  I forgive the sin of rape and abuse and incest.

Father, I ask you to lift the shock and trauma of this act of violence from off my spirit and my emotions.

Father, I ask you to sever the ungodly one-flesh tie formed through this violation of my will, in the name of Jesus.

[For those still married to the person who raped them, please note it is the ungodly aspect of the tie you are asking God to break.]

I ask you to lift off every thing of the perpetrator’s spirit and soul that has touched me and does not belong to me.  Please cleanse me of all defilement in the name of Jesus.

I now break the image of the perpetrator’s personality that has imprinted me.  I break it in the name of Jesus.  I break every uncleanness and every unclean desire.

I rebuke the spirit of rape and command that spirit to leave in the name of Jesus I rebuke every spirit of the Baphomet, lust, misogyny and perversion and command it to leave in the name of Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I ask that the Holy Ghost will now come and lift off all the pain and trauma and bring a complete healing in the name of Jesus.

Thank you for delivering me.

Amen.

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