Ephesians 5:22-33
22: Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23: For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
24: But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26: so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27: that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
28: So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
29: for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
30: because we are members of His body.
31: FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
32: This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Paul began a discussion on relationships. As we saw yesterday, he said to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Our relationship with the Lord does not excuse us from relating to one another in Christ. Paul gave instructions on how to relate with each other, beginning with the marriage relationship of husband and wife. This relationship is like that of Christ and the church.
He said wives were to subject themselves to their husbands as the church does to Christ. Husbands were to love their wives as Christ loves the church. In a marriage, one is not “better than” the other. As we saw in Galatians 3:28, there is no male or female in Christ. Yet we each have a position here on earth that we are to function in. When one part of the body, in this case the marriage, tries to do the part of another, it doesn’t function well, and it’s out of alignment with God’s design. When each one takes their place, the family functions well and honors the Lord.
Husbands love their wives as Christ did us, which means he loved first (1 John 4:19). Jesus, sent by the Father, took the initiative, and willingly sacrificed Himself while we were still sinners, ungodly, and unlovable. In the same way husbands, sent by Christ, take the initiative to love their wives, even if the wife is wrong, in sin, ungodly, or unlovable. Why? So she will love him, respect him, and subject herself to him willingly.
As the church responds to Christ’s love, she becomes cleansed, sanctified, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless through the washing of water with the word. The husband cares for the wife as he does himself, keeping himself right before the Lord so the sanctification of God is on him, and the wife as well. Jesus said He sanctified Himself so His disciples could be sanctified in truth--so all who believe in Him may be one as He and the Father are (John 17:19-21). The husband cares for the wife and her relationship with Christ just as Christ is the mediator between the church and the Father. The wife responds to this love, subjecting herself to him because of it.
Paul quoted Genesis 2:24 saying for this reason (because woman was taken out of man) a man leaves his father and mother, joins with his wife and the two become one flesh. Jesus (because the church is taken out of Christ) left His Father to join with us, bearing our sin, so we could all be one. What a wonderful example, and it is so we all may be one in Christ, with the Father, sharing in their love.
23: For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
24: But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26: so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27: that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
28: So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
29: for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
30: because we are members of His body.
31: FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
32: This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
***
Paul began a discussion on relationships. As we saw yesterday, he said to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Our relationship with the Lord does not excuse us from relating to one another in Christ. Paul gave instructions on how to relate with each other, beginning with the marriage relationship of husband and wife. This relationship is like that of Christ and the church.
He said wives were to subject themselves to their husbands as the church does to Christ. Husbands were to love their wives as Christ loves the church. In a marriage, one is not “better than” the other. As we saw in Galatians 3:28, there is no male or female in Christ. Yet we each have a position here on earth that we are to function in. When one part of the body, in this case the marriage, tries to do the part of another, it doesn’t function well, and it’s out of alignment with God’s design. When each one takes their place, the family functions well and honors the Lord.
Husbands love their wives as Christ did us, which means he loved first (1 John 4:19). Jesus, sent by the Father, took the initiative, and willingly sacrificed Himself while we were still sinners, ungodly, and unlovable. In the same way husbands, sent by Christ, take the initiative to love their wives, even if the wife is wrong, in sin, ungodly, or unlovable. Why? So she will love him, respect him, and subject herself to him willingly.
As the church responds to Christ’s love, she becomes cleansed, sanctified, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless through the washing of water with the word. The husband cares for the wife as he does himself, keeping himself right before the Lord so the sanctification of God is on him, and the wife as well. Jesus said He sanctified Himself so His disciples could be sanctified in truth--so all who believe in Him may be one as He and the Father are (John 17:19-21). The husband cares for the wife and her relationship with Christ just as Christ is the mediator between the church and the Father. The wife responds to this love, subjecting herself to him because of it.
Paul quoted Genesis 2:24 saying for this reason (because woman was taken out of man) a man leaves his father and mother, joins with his wife and the two become one flesh. Jesus (because the church is taken out of Christ) left His Father to join with us, bearing our sin, so we could all be one. What a wonderful example, and it is so we all may be one in Christ, with the Father, sharing in their love.
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