Marriage is a divine institution by God made since the beginning of creation for man and woman; it is honorable and undefiled (Heb. 13:4), and is even worthy to describe the relationship that Christ has with his church (Revelation 19:7). Since marriage has the potential to express Christ’s love for us, and we are called to be imitators of Christ (1Cor 11:1), we have an example of how we are to conduct ourselves in the marriage relationship when we look at Christ’s conduct towards the church; furthermore, Christ is representative of the husband, and the church the wife, so husbands have the prime example of how to treat their wives.

Paul really brings this out in Ephesians 5:25 when he says for “husbands to love their wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.” This statement here is presented by Paul as a command, not a suggestion or helpful advice; this implies that it would be sinful for a husband not to love his wife. We must appreciate the gravity of this role for the fact that it is so necessary for a husband to present love to his wife, that if he deprives her of it, it would cost him his eternal soul. Peter would warn for a husband to treat his wife appropriately so that “their prayers be not hindered” (1Peter 3:7). Indeed the love a husband has for his wife is so vital that it has impact on his salvation.

Even more, it is a command for husbands to love their wives like “Christ loved the church.” The word “love” in this passage is the Greek word “agape,” which we tend to associate with selflessness and sacrifice; this is the love that Jesus had towards his beloved bride. The end of the verse actually defines what this love is for us: sacrifice! Christ gave his life, suffering on the cross for six hours, for the sake of His helpmeet, the church; moreover, he died while we were sinners (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ loved his spouse so much that he sacrificed the most valuable thing he possessed when she least deserved it. Jesus is the greatest example of a husband loving his wife!

In Paul’s definition of love in Ephesians 5:25, a husband’s command to love his wife is epitomized in what he sacrifices for her. It should humble a spouse to see what Christ offered for his wife, in so much that the husband is willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of loving his own bride. A husband must sacrifice his time, his emotion, his energy, his attention, his body, his appreciation, his desires, and his whole being for the wife’s well-being. A man that is not willing to sacrifice these things is not fit to be a husband to a wife; moreover, if a man cannot sacrifice all these things, how could he expect to make the ultimate sacrifice if the situation came up. For a man to truly love his wife, he must be willing to give up his own life for her, just like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did: Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.