The power of the covenant (Part 1)
When we speak of covenant, everyone refers to the union of a man and a woman for marriage but there is another covenant that is very neglected by Christians while it is the most important: The covenant between God and his children.
There is a difference between a covenant and a partnership. A partnership can be broken at any time when things do not work out as planned but the covenant will not break easily. When two people engage in a partnership, it means that everyone gives his contribution and the two put together their parts to be stronger. But when two people engage in a covenant, it is more than a contribution because in order to get a covenant, there must be a SACRIFICE.
To find out if someone is married, we check whether he wears a covenant ring on his finger, but the ring is not the symbol of the covenant, but rather a sign that the person is married because the covenant is not justified by a ring but by a commitment of the heart and the conscience with a spirit of sacrifice.
In the Bible, the covenant between God and his children is illustrated by the relationship between Christ and the Church. The Church is the image of the bride of Christ and the relationship between the Church and Christ is often compared to the relationship between a wife and her husband because both relationships are based on a sacrifice.
There must be a sacrifice on both sides: Christ sacrificed his life on the cross for the Church while the Church has to sacrifice his own interests to satisfy Christ. Whoever does not understand this principle can never understand the meaning of the covenant.
Concerning the sacrifice of married women, the Bible says: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord; For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church which is his body, of which he is the Savior. Now, just as the church is subject to Christ, women must also be to their husbands in everything "(Ephesians 5: 22-24).
By experience, I have noticed that many women do not like this passage that seems to be too demanding for them because it asks the wives to submit to their husbands in everything but I think the sacrifice reserved to the husband is even more demanding because the same Word says to the men: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5: 25). In other words, the Word asks to the husbands to sacrifice their lives for their wives. In your opinion, what is the heaviest sacrifice? Total submission or Sacrifice his life?
God gave us his only son who is very precious to him. He was crucified on the cross for us, and He asks us to sacrifice our own interests for Him.
To be continued in Part 2
Chris Ndikumana
