Ephesians 2:25-26
Husbands are called to love their wives. A husband’s love for his wife is to be an ongoing process of continually demonstrating a self-sacrificing kind of love. The idea of agape, the kind of love that God wants us to express is a free choice toward someone to show them genuine caring and affection, whether they deserve it or not. It’s a love irrespective of merit. So, it has to be motivated by God. It doesn’t come naturally to us! We love people that don’t deserve it because God loved us first.
So, the love that we are supposed to walking out in our lives is agape love toward God: Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Sometimes it’s loving when you don’t want to, because God loves, that is your sacrifice, and spiritual service of worship. And, we are to have this self-sacrificing love toward other believers: John 13:34-5 4 I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
How much more is this true, if we love the person that we’ve promised God that we would love.
What is a husband’s responsibility? To love his wife. Without selfishness, without reservation, and without condition. And, if your focused on her part of being submissive to you, then you’re certainly not doing this! Let God work with His Daughter through the power of the Holy Spirit. Love her as Christ loved the church unto death. Love her, seek her best good, sacrifice for her benefit.
just as Christ also loved the church
Paul’s exhortation to husbands “to love” is illustrated by “love” in the person of Christ. This is similar to 5:2 where he exhorts all believers to become imitators of God and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma. Husbands are called to a very high standard: “Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The love of Christ took Him to the cross; the love of a husband for his wife will involve a similar giving of himself. True love that is willing to sacrifice for the loved one, and God set up marriage so that He intends husbands to sacrifice for their wives.
And, husband’s love for their wives is supposed to have a specific Goal, which is analogous to Christ’s goal for the church (His “bride”. Husbands can set the spiritual goal of their wives being all that Christ wants them to be. They do this by leading their house toward Christ, as a Spiritual leader of the household, setting the example. Then husbands can, in love, work toward helping their wives achieve that goal of Christlikeness as “fellow heir[s] of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).
and gave himself for her. The supreme test of Christ’s love is that he gave himself for the church as an atoning sacrifice, thereby accomplishing the redemption and justification of the Church. He handed Himself over to be crucified. John 10:18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father.” This is in agreement with Jesus’ statement that he is the good shepherd and he will lay down his life for the sheep (John 10:11-15 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. … 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And in John 15:13 Jesus emphasizes that, there is no greater love than when one lays down his life for his friend. He proved His supreme love for us in giving His life for us. He was not forced to die at the hand of human beings but that he laid down his own life for the church. Even for a bunch of stinky sinners, He was willing to lay down His perfect life.
Christ is our model of how to love. As John said in 1 John 4:19-20 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. So, it’s only through experiencing God’s love that we can learn to love others like this, and walk in love.
That perspective can give us incredible peace and confidence in life. We don’t have to run in the fast lane, always seeking the approval of those around us. And we don’t have to prove anything to God, because we don’t have anything left to prove.
in order that he might sanctify her having cleansed her. So, the purpose or goal of Christ’s love for the church and the love of a husband for his wife are both best illustrated by wanting the most good for her. That she will draw further away from the world, and closer to God! And, by doing this, the goal of Christ is attained–that He might sanctify her (v. 26); that he might present to himself a glorious church (v. 27a); and that she might be holy and without blame (v. 27b).
Christ’s love for the church is manifested by His desire for her sanctification—turning away from the world, and toward her beloved Christ.
The next word speaks of a religious cleansing of the land in reference to the reforms of Josiah. It means “to cleanse, purify.” It is used of the cleansing of food (Lev 13:6, 23), ceremonial cleansing (Lev 15:13, 28bis), and the moral cleansing of the people (Lev 16:30; Jer 13:27; Ezek 36:25). Moral cleansing of the people 2 Cor 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. ; Titus 2:14 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds. Christ sanctifies the church by having cleansed her by his sacrificial death. He died “in order that he might sanctify [the Church] having cleansed her.” So, husbands are to love our wives, because it will make it easier for them to cooperate in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, as they recognize the love of Jesus being given to them by their husbands, because they are not tempted to become offended or bitter due to his treatment of her, and be more tempted to sin.
with the washing of the water
The expression of redemption with the imagery of the bridal bath practiced in the first century. This is significant since the present passage deals with the relationship of the husband to his wife. Christ gave himself for the community of believers, the church. The purpose of this was to set apart the church because she had been cleansed with the washing of water.
Of the Word. We show that we love others by pointing them to Jesus. Jesus is the Word of Life. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. That’s how we best show love toward anyone, and that’s especially true of a husband toward his wife. Jesus is the only source of this life through His Word 6:68 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And, it’s by demonstrating the truth of that word, by how we live, that people are convinced that they should get closer to God. It’s the evidence of love—a changed life that convinces them that they should put more trust in God. We must keep the word of God in front of anyone that we love in order that their faith, their trust in God may be increased. Rom 10:17 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word And, since the husband is the protector of the house, ensuring that those in the household are increasing in their faith is part of our protection of them. Eph 6:17 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ; We need to provide, and make sure that they are provided for, and it’s The Word of God is what sustains us. Matt 4:4 4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” This is our calling, to give people, and especially those in our own family, the Word. It’s what we’re supposed to be doing. There’s a lot of talk about legacy that we should leave. But That’s the lasting legacy that we can leave our family that endures forever. 1 Pet 1:25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you. So, we continually let them know the Word of Christ’s love for them through the way that we act, and the way that we act as a spiritual leader of the house, and by sharing the Word with them.