Ephesians 5:25-33
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Reflection
When one views the verses on wives alongside Paul’s instruction to husbands it becomes exceedingly clear that he is referring to mutual submission. He is not talking about husbands lording over their wives. Paul is talking about a mutual giving of themselves to one another.
Paul tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. What did Christ do for the Church? He died for the salvation of the church. Paul tells husbands to love their wives as their own bodies. Husbands should treat their wives with the same care and respect as they would for their own bodies. Then the Apostle ends this part of his teaching by putting the relationship between husbands and wives in perspective, he says this: “...each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Paul is talking about the marital relationship being an example of mutual submission.
(As a side comment please note that it took three verses for Paul to get his point across to the women but it took nine verses to make his point with the men. I will allow all of you to come to your own conclusions.)
What do you think Paul meant when he said that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church?
How should we love a person if we love them the same way we love our own bodies?
