‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,’

Ephesians 5:25

In Ephesians 5:25, husbands are instructed to love their wives as Christ loved the church, sacrificially giving Himself. This verse sets the standard for men for marital love—selfless, unwavering, and sacrificial. Christ’s love for the church was not based on merit (anything that mankind did) but on commitment (willing to die for mankind, to pay the ultimate price for their sins to reconcile mankind back to Himself), transcending imperfections (Christ went to the cross for all mankind despite our sins). Similarly, husbands are called to cherish their wives beyond flaws and imperfections, displaying a love that imitates Christ’s unconditional devotion. In doing so, marriage becomes a reflection of the divine relationship between Christ and the church when husbands extend sacrificial love. It’s a commitment to uplift, support, and always strive for the greater good of one’s spouse above all. This Christ-like love is an embodiment of grace, forgiveness, and constant devotion. As husbands embrace this high calling, marriages become a testimony to the redemptive and transformative power of the gospel.

Husbands, let Ephesians 5:25 encourage you to pursue a love that mirrors Christ’s love for His church, creating a home filled with the heart-transforming and enduring love of Christ.

Additional reading:

These verses collectively emphasize the central theme of selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love as exemplified by Christ, applicable not only in marital relationships but also in our interactions with others.

1. John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”

2. 1 John 3:16

“By this, we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

3. 1 Corinthians 13:4–7

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

4. Colossians 3:19

Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.”

5. Matthew 22:39

“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”