Finally, a husband can lead his wife to corporate worship. He should be the one leading them to participate in Sunday worship, as well as Bible studies and fellowship with other believers. He should make possible the opportunity for her to be a part of women's Bible study groups. It is his responsibility to make sure he and his wife have plenty of opportunity to grow in their relationship with Christ. And if she has a question about the Scriptures, he needs to stand ready to help her find the answer (see 1 Cor 14:35).
Christ has cleansed us, the Bible teaches, "by the washing of water with the word" (Eph 5:26). Most Bible scholars believe that verse is a reference to our baptism and to our profession of faith ("the word"). The writer of Hebrews, however, has a different kind of cleansing in mind when he talks about how drawing near to Christ leads to our sanctification. "Since we have a great priest over the house of God," he says, "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb 10:21-22).
In John 17 Jesus prays for his followers that God will "sanctify them in the truth." God uses his truth -- his Word -- as his means of grace to make us more like himself. In that way God's Word is like water: the more we're immersed in it, the more it does its work of cleansing us and making us more like Christ. As we read, study, memorize, and meditate on God's Word, he will use his Word to change us. That's why Paul exhorts us to "let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another" (Col 3:16), and why David reminds us, "Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee" (Ps 119:11).
John MacArthur puts it this way: "Men, if you love a woman, you will do everything in your power to maintain her holiness, her virtue, her righteousness, and her purity . . . every day you live. You'll never put her in a compromising situation where she would become angered, because that's a sin. You would never induce an argument out of her, because that's a sin. You would do nothing to defile her. You would never let her see anything or expose her to anything, or let her indulge in anything that would in any way bring impurity into her life. Love always seeks to purify."3
A husband, then, is to follow the example of the Savior. He is to become an agent of sanctification, working with the Holy Spirit to encourage her to grow toward maturity in Christ. He will need to be a model of righteousness. He will need to lead her not into temptation, but to point her away from sin. He will provide her with opportunities to individually and together learn God's Word.
Next week: Cultivating Sanctifying Love in Your Marriage
Taken from The Christian Husband by Bob Lepine; Copyright 2005 by Bob Lepine; Published by Regal Books; Used by Permission.
Bob Lepine is the cohost of the popular daily radio program FamilyLife Today, aired in more than 200 cities nationwide. Before joining FamilyLife in 1992, Bob was the host of his own radio talk show and also served as news anchor, sales manager and station general manager. A frequent speaker at FamilyLife marriage conferences, he is a member of the board of directors for the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB). Bob and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married for 25 years and have five children. They make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas.
