Ephesians 5:31

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. FOR THIS CAUSE. The propagation of the Church from Christ, as that of Eye from Adam, is the foundation of the spiritual marriage. The natural marriage, wherein 'a man leaves father and mother 'Aleph (') B Delta G omit "his," which A C support) and is joined [proskollethesetai: cemented closely] unto his wife,' is not the principal thing here; but the spiritual marriage, on which it rests, whereby Christ left the Father's bosom to woo to Himself the Church out of a lost world (): His earthly mother, as such, He holds secondary to His Spiritual Bride (; Luke 8:19;...

31._For this cause. _This is an exact quotation from the writings of Moses. (Genesis 2:24.) And what does it mean? As Eve was formed out of the substance of her husband, and thus was a part of himself; so, if we are the true members of Christ, we share his substance, and by this intercourse unite into one body. In short, Paul describes our union to Christ, a symbol and pledge of which is given to us in the ordinance of the supper. Those who talk about the torture exercised on this passage to make it refer to the Lord’s supper, while no mention is made of the supper, but of marriage, are egregiously mistaken. When they admit that the death of Christ is commemorated in the supper, but not that such intercourse exists as we assert from the words of Christ, we quote this passage against them. Paul says that _we are members of his flesh and of his bones. _Do we wonder then, that in th

22-33 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. The love of Christ to the church is an example, which is sincere, pure, and constant, notwithstanding her failures. Christ gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify it in this world, and glorify it in the next, that he might bestow on all his members a principle of holiness, and deliver them from the guilt, the pollution, and the dominion of sin, by those influences of the Holy Spirit, of which baptismal water was the outward sign. The church and believers will not be without spot or wrinkle till they come to glory. But those only who are sanctified now, shall be glorified hereafter. The words of Adam, mentioned by the apostle, are spoken literally of marriage; but they have also a hidden...

Verse 31. _SHALL BE JOINED UNTO HIS WIFE_] προσκολληθησεται. He shall be _glued_ or _cemented_ to her; and, as a _well-glued_ board will sooner _break_ in the _whole wood_ than in the _glued joint_, so death alone can _part_ the husband and wife; and nothing but _death_ should dissolve their _affection_. See Clarke's notes on Genesis 2:21-1....

FOR THIS CAUSE - Ἀντὶ τόυτου Anti toutou. This verse is a quotation from Genesis 2:24, and contains the account of the institution of marriage. The meaning of the phrase rendered “for this cause” is, “answerably to this;” or corresponding to this - that is, to what Paul had just said of the union of believers and the Redeemer. On the meaning of this verse, see the notes on Matthew 19:4. There is no evidence that the marriage connection was originally designed to symbolize or typify this union, but it may be used to illustrate that connection, and to show the strength of the attachment between the Redeemer and his people. The comparison should be confined, however, strictly to the use made of it in the New Testament....

EXPOSITION EPHESIANS 5:1 BE YE THEREFORE IMITATORS OF GOD, AS CHILDREN BELOVED. These words are closely connected with the preceding. In Ephesians 4:32 he had urged the example of God in one very momentous matter; he now urges it in a more general sense and on another ground. We ought to forgive men because God has forgiven us—all admit that; but moreover, we ought to imitate our Father in his forgiveness and in his loving spirit, be-because beloved children should always imitate, and will always strive to imitate, what is good in a beloved father. Forgiving love is one of the great glories of our Father; it has been made peculiarly attractive in our eyes, because it has been exercised by him towards us; every consideration, therefore, ought to ind

FOR THIS CAUSE SHALL A MAN LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER,.... These words contain the law of marriage, and are cited from Genesis 2:24; and declare what ought to be, and are a prophecy of what should be; and are observed against polygamy, and to stir up mutual affection; Matthew 19:5....

Ephesians 5:1. _Be ye therefore followers of God,_ Or, imitators of God,- Ephesians 5:1. _As dear children;_ Children are naturally imitators. They are usually inclined to imitate their father; this is, therefore, a most comely and appropriate precept: «Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children.» Ephesians 5:2. _And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor._ What a path to walk in! «Walk in love.» What a well-paved way it is! «As Christ also hath loved us.» What a blessed Person for us to follow in that divinely royal road! It would have been hard

4. MANIFESTATION IN THE FAMILY-RELATIONSHIP Chapter S 5:22-6:4 _ 1. Wives representative of the Church (Ephesians 5:22)_ 2. Husbands representative of Christ (Ephesians 5:25) 3. The mystery: concerning Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:30) 4. Exhortations to children and parents (Ephesians 6:1) The exhortations which follow concern the Christian family. The mystery concerning Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32) is to be manifested in the family relationship. While before we have seen the

EPHESIANS 5:22 TO EPHESIANS 6:9. SUBORDINATION IN THE FEAR OF CHRIST. The principle is illustrated by the relation (_a)_ of wives to husbands, (_b)_ of children to parents, (_c_) of slaves to masters. The writer does not attack existing social institutions slavery, the _patria potestas,_ the dependent position of women. He accepts the relationships as they exist in the world he knows, and seeks to interpret them in the light of the gospel (p. 649). If he enforces upon wives, children, and slaves, the duty of subordination, he insists also upon the corresponding obligations of conjugal love and protection, parental nurture and admonition, kind treatment and forbearance towards slaves. All these relationships are now relationships in the Lord. That of husband and wife in particular is g