This document provides an overview and analysis of Ephesians 5:25-32. It discusses the responsibilities of husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Key points include: husbands should love their wives with patient, kind love and seek the highest good of their wives; husbands should sanctify and cleanse their wives with God's word; and failure to love one's wife as instructed can hinder a husband's prayers. The document encourages husbands to be priests of their family and make their wife their top priority through unconditional love and active listening.

1. Title Layout

2. Ephesians 5:25-32
“How do I love
thee…?”

3. Now the tough stuff…
•This section of Paul’s letter is even
tougher on the husbands
•The husband has more responsibilities and
accountabilities to the Lord as I mentioned
•We must understand God’s intent for marriage
•Marriage is a human object lesson of the divine
relationship between Christ and Believers

4. “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also
loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 so that He might sanctify her, having
cleansed her by the washing of water with the
word, 27 that He might present to Himself the
church in all her glory, having no spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would
be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought
also to love their own wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for

5. no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes
and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the
church, 30 because we are members of His body.
31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS
FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO
HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE
FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am
speaking with reference to Christ and the
church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among
you also is to love his own wife even as himself

6. “and the wife must see to it that she respects
her husband.”
Ephesians 5:25-32, NASB

7. A. “As Christ loved the church…”
•V25, notice the difference from last week?
•The Greek word for ‘love’ is ‘Aga-pa-o’ like 1
Corinthians 13:4-7

8. “4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not
jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek
its own, is not provoked, does not take into
account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB

9. A. “As Christ loved the church…”
•V25, notice the difference from last week?
•The Greek word for ‘love’ is ‘Aga-pa-o’ like 1
Corinthians 13:4-7
•Loving like Christ means living forgiveness
•The Lord wants husbands to love their wives with
this love that seeks the highest good of the other,
even at the price of one’s own good as Jesus did for
us
•Impossible you think? NO- If you love HIM first,
it will overflow onto her--

10. B. Sanctify, Cleanse her w/Word
•Vs 26-27, Sanctify means ‘set apart’
•The love of the husband for his wife ought
to be cleansing her so that both are
becoming more like Christ
•Unfortunately today wives are often more
spiritually mature than their husbands
•Husbands, you cannot sanctify and cleanse your
wife unless you yourself first sanctify and cleanse
yourself with the Word

11. C. Love her as yourself
•Vs 28-29, I think marriages fail so often
because husbands fail to fulfil their
Scriptural duties to their wives
•If we concentrate on loving our wives as He
loved the Church, He would transform our
marriages; and as a result our families,
churches and even America
•That means all of this is on us Husbands

12. D. “Leave and Cleave…”
•Vs 30-32, Adam and Eve had it made in
Eden; No stories of home…
•Adam gave part of himself to get a bride
•Christ gave all of Himself to purchase His
•United are spouses as one flesh– like A&E
•But our union with Jesus as Believers is closer,
and unlike marriage here, eternal!

13. E. More to think about…
•Peter echoed Paul in his first epistle
•There are 5 commands and one warning
in the verse from 1st Peter (added
numbers for your understanding)

14. “Husbands, likewise, (1) dwell with them
(2) with understanding ,(3) giving honor to
the wife, (4) as to the weaker vessel, and
(5) as being heirs together of the grace of
life, that (6) your prayers may not be
hindered.”
1 Peter 3:7, NASB

15. E. More to think about…
1. Dwell with them (not house share, life)
2. With Understanding (the better you
know her, the better you can demon-
strate your love for her
3. Giving honor to your wife (godly husbands
will make her feel honored, not a slave)
4. As the weaker vessel (better word, fragile)

16. E. More to think about…
5. As being heirs together of the grace of
life
(A godly husband realizes that his spouse is not
only his wife, but his sister in Christ. Part of
their inheritance in the Lord is only realized
in their common bond. Heirs together
“reminds husbands that even though they have
been given great authority within marriage, their
wives are still equal to them in spiritual privilege
and eternal importance. They are ‘Joint Heirs.’

17. E. More to think about…
6. The warning from God– “that your
prayers may not be hindered”
The failure to be a godly husband has
spiritual consequences. It can and will
hinder prayer. The Greek word ‘hindered’ is
“ekkopto”, which means “to cut out, cut off ”
Matthew 5:30 says…

18. “…if your right hand causes you to sin, cut
it off and cast it from you; for it is more
profitable for you that one of your
members perish, than for your whole body
to be cast into hell…”
Matthew 5;30, NASB

19. E. More to think about…
6. The warning from God– “that your
prayers may not be hindered”
• The failure to be a godly husband has
spiritual consequences. It can and will
hinder prayer. The Greek word ‘hindered’ is
“ekkopto”, which means “to cut out, cut off ”
•God literally cuts off your prayer line– He can’t
even hear you then…

20. Take Home…
1. Be the priest of your family
2. Love your wife first and make all other earthly
relationships – children, work, favorite sports,
hobby, newspaper, etc., secondary
3. Love for your wife should be unconditional
4. Don’t try to fix everything (Just Listen)
5. Listen well with full attention (Mentally present)