On Sunday January 24 
we looked through Ephesians 5:15-33
as we considered what God says to us in the Bible about the role of husbands. We saw that God set up the world with a certain order between men and women. Men and women are equal in God’s sight (both made in God’s image, Gen 1:27) but have different functions or roles to play. Woman was created to be a helper for man, and man was held responsible first when sin entered the world (Gen 2-3). But despite this ordering, men and women have found themselves in conflict ever since the curse of Genesis 3:16.
So how might we find out what it looks like to be a godly husband? The best example is God himself. God is often described as a husband to his people (see Is 54:5, Jer 3:20). He led them, cared for them, and showed them grace and mercy despite their failings. And we see this even more clearly in Jesus, who gave His life for His people (1 John 4:10).
Ephesians 5 brings these strands together and applies them to husbands and wives. Husbands are to love their wives as Jesus loves the church, His people: sacrificially, nourishing and cherishing. Husbands are to do whatever they can to present their wives pure and holy and perfect in God’s sight. Husbands cannot make their wives grow any more than a gardener can make his plants grow. But husbands can change the conditions in which their wives live to make it easier for them to grow. They can show love practically, help their wives use their spiritual gifts in church, help their wives to maintain a regular Bible reading habit.
If you are a husband reading this, ask yourself this: is your wife a better disciple of Jesus because of you? Are you helping or hindering her growth in Jesus? What can you do to be a husband more like Jesus?