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"Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

Text: Ephesians 5:33

WHAT DID PAUL HAVE IN MIND WHEN HE WROTE ABOUT “LOVE”

Paul used the word “love” at least five times (Cf. Ephesians 5:22-33) in his discussion about the married state. What did he have in mind when he wrote to husbands to love their wives?

1. It is not a reference to sexual love

a) There could be those who were dysfunctional.

b) There could be those who were aged.

c) It cannot be sexual love because of the comparison made between Christ and the Church.

2. The use of the supreme word “agape” (Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33)

a) This word “agape” describes God’s kind of love for mankind.

b) This is the loftiest of the different words used to describe “love”.

c) This word encompasses at least four aspects:-

i) The intellectual aspect

ii) The emotional aspect

iii) The practical aspect

iv) The spiritual aspect

3. The reference to the way Christ loves the Church

a) He gave Himself for her (Cf. Ephesians 5:25)

b) His work of sanctifying the Church (Cf. Ephesians 5:26)

c) His work of cleansing the Church (Cf. Ephesians 5:26)

d) His work of working towards presenting the Church as a glorious bride (Cf. Ephesians 5:27)

None of these acts of love has any sexual connotations. The kind of love that Paul admonished husbands to display towards their wives must be considered in the light of the above discussion. This kind of love is by far the most profound expression of love that any one could give or receive!