Read Ephesians 5:21-33 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What does Paul encourage wives to do?
2. What does he encourage husbands to do?
3. How does each show the love of Christ?
Reflect
The Christian life is marked by daily submitting to God, remembering that the old self has died, and putting on the new self that has been resurrected with Christ. This is sanctification, the work that God does to make believers look more and more like Him, and marriage is one of the ways He sanctifies His people.
As we live in unity, we’re helping each other look more like Jesus as we live, grow, and adventure together. Sanctification is a lifelong process, and Paul has specific instructions for how wives and husbands can serve one another. When we obey God’s Word, we show each other and the world around us Christ’s great love for His church, and He transforms us more and more into His image.
Scripture’s directions for husbands and wives aren’t meant to be followed in your own strength. If you’re in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living in you, giving you guidance and wisdom and power to obey God. As He sanctifies you, watch as your thoughts, actions, and even desires look more like His.
Respond
What’s your initial reaction to reading the instructions Paul has for wives and husbands in Ephesians 5? How do the actions in Scripture show Christ’s love for His church, and how can your own relationships be witnesses to His death and resurrection?