Today’s passage: Ephesians 5:25-33
Helpful thoughts:
- Jesus didn’t love the Church because she was beautiful. The Church is beautiful because Jesus loved her.
- The submissive role of the wife in a marriage does not result in the husband taking on the role of a taskmaster. Quite the opposite is true. Husbands are specifically called to take on the mind of Christ in Philippians 2:5-8.
- Ephesians 5:21 called for mutual submission in the church. Both the husband and the wife sacrifice themselves for each other in different ways. Ephesians 5:33 calls these ways “love” and “respect”.
Questions to consider:
- What was the condition of my heart when God showed me His love? (Romans 5:8) How should that impact a husband’s decision to love his wife proactively? Should a husband wait for his wife to act a certain way before he chooses to show her love?
- How does the love of Christ help us define love correctly? Is it a feeling? Is it only ever to be initiated by affection? What is the goal of loving? What should result from the love of a husband for his wife?
- Who deserves the credit for the perfection that the church will possess when she is forever united with Christ? Who died for her, redeemed her, washed her, etc.? How does this truth elicit praise, thanksgiving, and respectful submission to God?