25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 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.
God expects women to submit to their husbands, even in difficult circumstances, but He places complimentary expectations upon husbands. He demands that they not only love their wives, but also love them to the degree that Christ loves His own bride, the Church. The Lord demands faithful, gracious, sacrificial love from husbands. He demands patience and humility. He expects husbands to love tirelessly, working to help the wife to become as complete and pure as God intends. It is a responsibility for a man to be a husband – something precious has been entrusted to him. Husbands minister the word, and put their wives' needs above their own. It is no wonder that wives are told to submit to their husbands – the husbands are to be worthy of such a response! If the man is doing what he is supposed to do, then it is truly in the woman's best interest to do what she is supposed to!
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
A husband has no excuse to miss the point: it is in his best interest to do what he is supposed to do in the marriage relationship, too!
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
This adds perspective to the doctrine of the Bride of Christ worth exploring. Christ is the Second Adam (I Corinthians 15:45) and, like the first Adam, has a Bride that is also part of His body (Romans 7: 4, I Corinthians 12:27). So when a man and a woman marry, they become one flesh (Genesis 2:23-24) and Ephesians 5:22-28 detail how that relationship is supposed to work. However, God also makes plain the parallel between a marriage and the relationship between Christ and the Church. Therefore, every directive given to the woman applies to the members of the Body (Church), and every directive given to the man is what we can expect from Christ, perfectly done at all times. Christ cannot hate His Body, of which we are part (Romans 5:9, Ephesians 2:15-16). Rather, we are nourished and cherished by virtue of being one flesh with Him.
31 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.
The reference here to Genesis 2:24 further cements God’s intent for marriages, and the parallel to Christ and His Bride.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
On this particular subject, God is emphatic: consider the amount of space He has devoted to it in Ephesians. I suspect this is not only because the Lord wishes to make clear his expectations for such a significant earthly relationship, but also because, as reemphasized here in verse thirty-two, that relationship is a direct type of the Church’s relationship with Christ. What a blessing to note, then, passages like Romans 7:1-4, where we see that a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives; Christ lives eternally, and we His bride are bound to Him. Passages such as I Corinthians 7:10-11, Luke 16:18, Mark 10:2-12, and II Corinthians 11:2 connected and applied spiritually make it clear that Christ will not leave His bride. What does all that amount to? Eternal security!
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
The transition word here once again makes God’s instructions inescapable. It is as if to say, "Whether you get the mystery or not, you still need to love your wife as yourself, men, and ladies, you need to respect your husbands." It does not seem to come easily, and so it needs to be said, even to believers who are equally yoked!
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