As to the Lord Part 3: The Servant Leadership of Husbands (Ephesians 5:25-33)

Act of Worship

In the second part of this series on marriage, Paul’s address to husbands will be examined. Appropriately, as the head of the family, husbands are devoted a greater portion of the text since certainly, the husband holds a greater level of accountability. Paul’s instructions here point to the husband’s role as a leader but as a leader who imitates Christ and, thus, leads through serving, for this is how Christ led his people in his earthly ministry.

Paul’s instructions are explicit: the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The implicit idea is that Christ gave all for his bride and left nothing in doing so: he gave his life. The husband’s leadership is imperative to any successful marriage. As such, the husband should carefully consider what it means to 1) submit to God and 2) lead his family through serving as Christ has modeled. Paul submits that marriage is a mystery, for the union portrays Christ and the church. The husband then should seek to imitate Christ in how he handles his marriage. In Ephesians 5:25-33, three conclusions may be drawn from the text that revolve around the husband’s role as a servant leader.

1. Christ is the ultimate model for husbands;

2. as the church is one with Christ, the wife is one with her husband; and

3. the mystery of marriage is led by the husband.

These truths resonate in a godly marriage, which is precisely that for which husbands should strive.