Ephesians 5:22-33
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Main Idea
Like it or not, marriage is God's design.
Outline
MARRIAGE IS A PICTURE OF SUBMISSION AND SACRIFICE (VV22-27)
MARRIAGE IS A PICTURE OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH (VV28-32)
MARRIAGE IS A PICTURE OF LOVE AND RESPECT (V33)
Discussion Questions
MARRIAGE IS A PICTURE OF SUBMISSION AND SACRIFICE (VV22-27)
How does Christ’s sacrificial love for the Church shape the way husbands are called to sacrifce and wives are called to submit?
How does this passage challenge common cultural assumptions and beliefs about marriage?
What does Christ-like submission and sacrifice look like in everyday marriage (time, preferences, leadership, repentance)?
For those who are single: how does this passage shape your understanding of what a godly marriage should look like?
MARRIAGE IS A PICTURE OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH (VV28-32)
How does seeing marriage as a gospel picture change the way we think about its purpose?
Why is it significant that marriage ultimately points beyond itself to Christ and the Church?
How does this help us understand why marriage is worth protecting and honoring?
In what ways can marriages in the church visibly preach the gospel to others?
How might remembering this bigger purpose help couples persevere through hardship?
MARRIAGE IS A PICTURE OF LOVE AND RESPECT (V33)
Why do you think Paul highlights love for husbands and respect for wives?
How do love and respect work together rather than compete with one another?
What happens in a marriage when love or respect breaks down?
If you are married, what is one practical way love or respect can be more clearly expressed in your marriage this week?
How can your community group help foster marriages marked by love and respect?
Looking Forward
How are you doing with the Becoming prayer challenge (logging three hours a week)? How can your community group help you to hold to your commitment and commit to deepening your prayer life?
Prayer Focus
Pray for husbands to lead with humility, tenderness, and Christ-like sacrifice.
Pray for wives to experience safety, honor, and joy as they live out their God-given calling.
Pray for marriages to grow in healthy communication marked by truth and grace.
Pray for healing where trust has been broken and repentance where sin has been ignored.
Pray for couples to resist cultural definitions of marriage and embrace God’s design with faith.
Pray for patience and perseverance in hard seasons of marriage.
Pray for older couples to model faithfulness and wisdom for the next generation.
Pray for younger couples to build their marriages on Christ from the very beginning.
Pray for those who desire marriage but are still waiting, that they would trust God’s goodness and timing.
Pray for those who are divorced or widowed, that they would experience Christ’s nearness and care.
Pray for protection against pride, bitterness, and selfishness in our hearts and homes.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to shape our marriages into living pictures of the gospel.
Pray for our church to be a place where marriages are supported, restored, and strengthened.