Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
What does Ephesians 5:25 mean?
The duty of wives is, submission to their husbands in the Lord, which includes honouring and obeying them, from a principle of love to them. The duty of husbands is to love their wives.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Ephesians 5:25-29 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Husbands, love your wives - The duty of the wife is to obey; the right of the husband is to command. But the apostle would guard against the abuse of that right by enjoining the manifestation of such a spirit on the husband as would secure obedience on the part of the wife. He proceeds, therefore, to show, that the husband, in all his conversation with the wife, should manifest the same spirit which the Lord Jesus did toward the church; or, in other words, he holds up the conduct of the Redeemer toward the church, as the model for a husband to imitate.
Context in Ephesians 5
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Ephesians 5 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as household life and spiritual warfare. Ephesians presents the church as Christ’s body and temple, chosen in grace, united across dividing walls, and called to mature holy life. Read this chapter with the wider themes of union with Christ, church, and grace in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Scripture on the covenant of marriage, the union of husband and wife, faithfulness, love within marriage, and God's design for the relationship.
A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.