Instructions to Husbands

Topic: Husband
Passage: Ephesians 5:25–33

December 6, 2022

Commentary

Husbands are to love (Col. 3:19). One of the reasons many wives find it hard to be submissive to their husband is because he refuses to assume his loving responsibility of leadership. This is especially true in the area of spiritual leadership. How many husbands are there who even lead their family in Bible reading and prayer on a regular basis? The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to work in our lives. To be filled with the Word of God produces in the husband:

  1. A sacrificial love (v. 25). Christ gave Himself for the church; so the husband, in love, needs to give himself for his wife.
  2. A sanctifying love (v. 26-27). To sanctify means “to be set apart” and the marriage ceremony sets apart the husband and wife to belong to each other.
  3. A satisfying love (vv. 28-30). If both are submitted to the Lord, and to each other, they will be satisfied and will not be tempted to look anywhere else for fulfillment.

Paul has a lot more to say to the husbands than to the wives. Husbands are told to love their wives “even as Christ also loved the Church.” This means that just as Christ gave Himself for the Church, so should the husband in love give himself for his wife. He should not only be concerned about providing for her but he should also be looking for ways to physically, socially and spiritually protect her. A man is to leave his father and mother when he gets married, and to become like one person with his wife” (v. 31). This is a comparison of Christ and His church (v. 32). An equally important part of this teaching is that the wife needs to respect her husband (v. 33).

Application

What am I doing to help each one in my family to fulfill their leadership role in the home? What are some things that I could be doing that I am not doing?

Ephesians 5:25– 33 (NET)

25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, 27 so that he may present the church to himself as gloriousā€”not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one has ever hated his own body, but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is greatā€”but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.