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NASB | Ephesians 5:22 ¶ Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 5:22 ¶ Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as [a service] to the Lord. |
Bible Question: I know we are not supposed to get divorced, but is it a sin to stay married even though you don't love your spouse? |
Bible Answer: I don't know if you will ever get this answer since it has been so many years since you posted this, but I just came across it. Hopefully you are still married and have resolved this issue. First I'd like to recommend an excellent sermon series I'm currently listening to on marriage and it touches a lot on this question. I have it downloaded on my pc and if you are interested I'd be happy to send you the mp3 files free of charge. You can email me at rodent_tamer@yahoo.com Love is not merely a feeling it is a decision. Feelings come and go, but when you married your wife you vowed to love her in the future, not just in the present. You may have felt love for her when you married, but when you enter into a marriage covenant you promise to love her, to cherish her, to serve her, to be faithful, etc until the day you die regardless of the changes that may arise through out the years. The only time you are justified to be free from this covenant is if the other spouse breaches the contract through infidelity or dissertion. Love her through serving her first and the feeling of love will follow. Our modern culture has really fed us lies as to what love is. There are times you may not like the person or even feel affection, but love is unconditional and it is a verb; an action. Love is not something you fall into, a fever you catch, it is a decision of the heart/mind. Think of a child. As parents we love our children by giving and giving to them without getting anything back. A baby needs and takes from you. You take care of the baby and "serve" him through out all his life. By the time that child is 18, he could be the most degenerate person in society, but, for you, that love bond is so strong because you loved him through service and the feeling of love is the outcome even though you may not always be pleased or even like your child. I don't know your situation, but it is not a sin to stay married to a wife you are not choosing to love, the sin lies in the fact that you are not honoring your covenant by not loving the wife you promised to love. Don't delude yourself into thinking that love is merely butterflies in your stomach. That's sentimentality, not love. Hope this helps. |