Ephesians 5:22-33 - Homiletics

Duties of wives and husbands.

The Apostle Peter, in his First Epistle, after dwelling on the privileges of believers, strongly urges them to have their conversation honest or fair among the Gentiles, exemplifying, by the purity and beauty of their life, the excellence of the principles and privileges of the gospel; and then he branches out into three cases or relations that afford scope for this mode of life—that of subjects to their rulers, that of servants to their masters, and that of wives to their husbands and husbands to their wives. Though Peter and Paul moved in different orbits, yet, from the strength of the convictions held by them in common, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in them both, they were led to enforce wonderfully similar applications of the great principles of the gospel. Paul, like Peter, brings forward three relations, the only difference being that, in place of the relation of subjects to their rulers, he has that of children to their parents, and the corresponding duty of parents to their children. We have the clearest proof of its being the purpose of Christianity to purify and elevate the common relations of life. Much of the visible fruit of true religion lies in its making better subjects, better spouses, better children, better servants. Pagans were struck with the excellence of Christian women. The mother of Chrysostom won golden opinions by remaining a widow from her twenty-first year. "What women these Christians have!" was the exclamation of some. Christian women were wonderful missionaries in the early centuries by their devout, pure, and earnest lives; many was the pagan who, "without the Word, was won by the conversation of the wife." Such lives are doubly blessed—blessed in themselves, and blessed in their influence on the world.

I. THE WIFE 'S DUTY . Submission to the husband as to the Lord ( Ephesians 5:22 ). Reasons for this.

1. The husband is the head of the wife ( Ephesians 5:23 ).

2. There is a parallel between the husband and Christ ( Ephesians 5:23 ).

3. Even in respect of Christ's saving power, the parallel holds to a limited, though very limited, extent ( Ephesians 5:23 ).

4. The parallel is close enough to require the subjection of the wife ( Ephesians 5:24 ).

II. THE HUSBAND 'S DUTY . To love his wife. This is enforced:

1. By the consideration of what Christ felt and did for his Church.

(a) His immediate object ( Ephesians 5:26 ).

(b) His ultimate object ( Ephesians 5:27 ).

2. By the consideration of the closeness of the relation of the wife to the husband as his own flesh. This relation is considered

The Church taken from Christ; given to Christ. The relation of the husband to his wife supersedes (in a manner) the relations of nature. The relation of the Church to Christ does so too ( Ephesians 5:31 ). But the subject is mysterious ( Ephesians 5:32 ). Yet one practical obligation is very clear ( Ephesians 5:33 ).

The constitution of the Church, like that of natural society, involves mutual duties. Nothing can be complete unless each party performs his share. While it is the woman's part to be in subjection, it is the husband's part to love. The one balances the other. It is the duty of the wife to be subject even though the husband does not love, and the duty of the husband to love even though the wife is not subject; but how hard, difficult, almost impossible, such duties thus become! If the husband withhold love, he is wronging his wife, and altogether subverting the relation between them. Let' it ever be observed that, while God has joined husband and wife together, he has joined the husband's love to the wife's subjection; what, therefore, God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.