Series: Fully Alive - A Study of Ephesians
Sermon Recap
Ephesians 5:22–33 teaches that Christian
marriage is a living picture of the gospel. It begins with submission, not
selfishness, and is marked by sacrificial love and deep unity. As husbands and
wives live out their roles in Christ, their marriage becomes a reflection of
Jesus and His church — building one another up and displaying the beauty of the
gospel to the world.
2 Questions to wrestle with before Sunday:
- Why did God give Paul this message to the marriage relationship when he wasn't even married?
- Why does Paul tell the wife to submit and the husband to love?
Ephesians 5:22-33
Wives and Husbands
[22] Wives, submit to your own husbands, as
to the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the
head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24] Now as the church
submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
[25] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her,
having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] so that he
might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [28] In the same way
husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself. [29] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes
it, just as Christ does the church, [30] because we are members of his body.
[31] “Therefore a man shall leave his father
and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32]
This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the
church. [33] However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the
wife see that she respects her husband. (ESV)
The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Ephesians
5:22-33.
Closing Thoughts
Ephesians 5 shows that Christian marriage is
missional. When marriages are marked by sacrificial love, humility, and unity,
they put the gospel on display for others to see. As a group, this means we
support, encourage, and pray for one another’s marriages, helping each other
grow in Christlikeness. We also model these same values in all relationships,
showing the world a different way to live. A way that is shaped not by
selfishness, but by the love of Jesus.
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