Ephesians 5:25

Ephesians 5:25. Husbands, love your wives. This is the husband's duty, corresponding to the relative position, as indicated in Ephesians 5:23.

Evan as Christ alto loved the church. Comp. Ephesians 5:2, with which the latter part of this verse closely corresponds. Here, however, the matter is made more special. The husband's love for his wife is to be of such a kind as leads to self-sacrifice, since the next clause is explanatory: and gave himself up for it (lit, ‘her,' and so throughout), thus, especially by His death, proving the character of His love. This is the example and in fact becomes a motive to husbands. The exhortation is to the husband, and is no warrant for the selfish exactions of a wife; just as in the other case the duty of submission is no warrant for tyranny. Submission is to be met with self-sacrificing love, self-sacrificing love with submission. The fulfilment of one's own duty is, however, the surest way to secure the fulfilment of the reciprocal duty. Yet the exhortation in each case is based, not on the fulfilment of the other's duty, but upon the relation to Christ. There can be no stronger enforcement of both precepts than this: since this example of Christ has its instruction for both parties, as appears from the further setting forth of the similarity of the relations existing between Christ and His Church and between husband and wife.