Domestic Violence by Dean Gotcher

Domestic Violence.

by
Dean Gotcher

The Lord's answer to domestic violence, something the apostate ('liberal') "church" refuses to accept: "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. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 5:22-6:4

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." Colossians 3:17-21

If you make pleasure the standard for life instead of doing the Father's will, i.e., doing right and not wrong then you add to your marriage vow "for better or for worse," the clause "till something better comes along," which is just another form of hate. The child loves pleasure thus naturally hates anyone getting in its way. If the husband or wife makes pleasure the standard for life then they, having the love (and mind) of the child, do not have the love (and mind) of the Father who loves his children, hating it when they do wrong, disobey, sin. Using the rod of correction on a child when he does wrong is right in God's eyes but nowhere does God justify it being used on the wife. To do so would make the husband a sadist and the wife a masochist (for accepting it). When 'liberals' attack the "church" which justifies the husbands "oppressing" of the wife they include the true church, whose husbands love their wives as Christ loves the church, something the 'liberal' can not understand, being in rebellion against all authority, whether it be dictatorial (like the world) or benevolent (like God). The wife is the husband's mission field and the husband the wife's. When they stand before the Lord may they both be able to look into one another's eyes and, in humble gratitude, say "Thank you for helping me get here." As a friend of mine says, "No one has ever come to the Lord in an argument." (Steve Rea) It is the hard heart, a heart that establishes pleasure over and therefore against doing right and not wrong, i.e., hating doing right when it gets in the way of pleasure, making doing wrong (rage) right when it "feels right" in the 'moment' that is at the heart of domestic violence. Hate (rage) is measured by the amount of pleasure a person thinks he or she deserves when being restrained (internally and/or externally) for doing wrong, both by the husband and by the wife. When God's love reigns in the husband's and wife's heart the heart is changed, no longer harboring hate, the love of pleasure no longer having sway, with both husband and wife desiring to do the Lords will in their thoughts and in their actions—something the world with its counselors (lusting after the pleasures of the 'moment' which the world stimulates) can not understand. Asking for forgiveness, forgiving, and being forgive is a healing balm when we have done wrong, both for the husband and for the wife.