Husbands and wives. A series on Ephesians Part 10. Ephesians 5:22-33



Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Corinthians 11:3

There's a very distinct hierarchy given in our passage today. Christ is the head of the church, and the church submits to Christ. This relationship is compared to the relationship between a man and his wife. Just as the church submits to Christ, so also, wives should submit to their husbands. Our society balks at this idea because they don't understand what it means. The relationship between a husband and wife is a beautiful thing. As a wife, it is easy for me to submit to my husband because I've been blessed with a loving and good man. This doesn't mean he's perfect; only Christ was perfect, and He loved us so much He was willing to suffer and die for us. He "gave Himself up for her (the church) to make her holy" (Verse 25). 

The love of a husband should be Christ-like. In all he does, a husband should love his wife more than he loves himself. He should feed and care for her, "just as Christ does the church" (verse 29). As it says in Colossians 3:19, "Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." Duty does not, however, rest on the husband alone. Colossians 3:18 says, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." And if we look at our text, it starts with the woman submitting to her husband, as to the Lord. God made man and then gave woman to be his helper. Genesis 2:18 says, "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him'."  Women were made to be helpers, not leaders. Our job is to be a helper to our husbands. We must respect them, and they must love us, as the text says in verse 33, "each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." So we are given a two-fold command. We are to be a good helper and respect our husbands. Both the duties of the husband and wife make for a caring, unselfish, and perfect relationship. Unfortunately, we are sinful people living in a sinful world. We don't live as we ought to, so even the relationship between husbands and wives is never perfect. But if both strive to fulfill those roles in the Lord, then the relationship will be blest and easier to be in. If a husband loves his wife more than himself, he will take care of her and put her needs above his own. If a woman acts as a good help mate and respects her husband, it is easy for the husband to put her first, after the Lord. When both man and woman put God first, finding your way through marriage becomes easier, and the relationship will be stronger; so trust in the Lord, and let Him guide you in all you that you do.

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