Eph 5:26-27 | KingComments | STEP | . Christ gave Himself for the church. That expression of His love is followed twice by the word “that”, with which both and begins. This word refers to the reason why He did that. As it has been made clear earlier, His dedication goes further than the cross. Even though He is now in heaven, He dedicates Himself fully by taking care of His church, His wife. Christ has first made the church His possession; now He is busy in His perfect love to shape her the way He wants her to be. He wants to shape her that way in order to enable her to be with Him in due time. Therefore it is necessary that she is being sanctified and cleansed. By sanctification she is being fully focused on Him: the church is there for Him. He cannot approve that she would develop any love for or even an interest in something that is not in connection with Him. He wants to focus all her love on Himself and the place where He is, in the heavenly places. He wants to have her interest for what she will be in connection to Him to eternity. He always wants to impress His bride with her being connected to Him, Who is now already in glory. The result of that will be that she is being sanctified, which means, to be set apart from the world in order to be totally for Him and Him alone. So there is nothing left in the hearts but the appreciation of the glory of the Lord Jesus. Besides sanctification the church needs also to be cleansed. She is still in the world and that automatically causes defilement. That defilement is cleansed by “the washing of water by the word”. By reading the Bible, the Word of God, you get cleansed; you get rid of the dirt that you’ve been defiled with through your life in the world. Here it is not about sins you’ve done. It is about things you cannot help happening. For example you hear filthy language or cursing. That is what is defiling you. It can get stuck in your head. By washing yourself with the Word – by reading the Bible – you become clean again. You’re not able to enjoy fellowship with the Lord Jesus without this cleansing. In John 13 the Lord Jesus also speaks about it in this way ( ). Therefore it is necessary to read the Word of God every day. . This verse also starts with “that”, after which we see a second reason of His dedication. Here Paul points to the final result of the dedication of the Lord Jesus and His sanctifying and cleansing work. In due time, He wants to present the church to Himself without her having even a slight spot or wrinkle or any such thing. But this is still about a negative feature. In fact, He wants to have her before Himself in all the glory that He Himself has bestowed on her (cf. ). She will be clothed with His glory ( ). The church will be there “having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing”. Then there will be nothing anymore that will remind her of defilement or decay, from which we cannot escape on earth. No, she then will be perfectly holy, entirely focused on Him, Who gave Himself for her. She then will also be perfect without blame through His perfect cleansing work and she will never again suffer any spot. This is how He will present the church – not to His Father, but – to Himself. She will then totally satisfy the desires of His heart. The moment this is fulfilled, the church will be complete. He will come to meet His own and take them with Him. First He will raise the dead and after that He will transform us who are alive. Together we shall meet the Lord in the air. There our encounter will take place and nobody else will be present. What a great moment that will be for the Lord Jesus! . Here Paul repeats his remark of but there is now a clear and exalted basis under it. If husband and wife behave like that in their marriage, it will make their marriage a source of an immense and increasing happiness. Should they suffer difficulties, then they will see in the example of Christ that love has an answer to that. They will see that difficulties are often a means to strengthen love. With this example of Christ in mind there are no hopeless cases. And another argument is added. The love of the husband for his wife is as natural as the love for himself. His wife is not a functional object within his environment and furthermore separate from him. On the contrary, his wife forms a unity with him. . Paul goes on to explain this by elaborating on the picture of a body. It is just as natural for a husband that he nourishes and nurtures his wife as he does his own body. Just as husbands make sure that their body is being nourished and kept warm – this is the meaning of ‘nurtured’ –, in that way they are to make sure that their wives have enough food and feel pleasant. This we can also apply spiritually. It is important that the husband nourishes himself spiritually, but no less important is it that he also knows the needs of his wife in this respect and provides for it. The same goes for giving warmth, nurturing. She experiences that especially when she feels secure with her husband, when he really spends time with her and really focuses his attention on her, when he makes her feel that she is ‘special’ to him. Christ also treats His church in this way. . Then Paul, almost unnoticeably, replaces the one picture of the church, that of a wife, by another picture, that of a body. He uses both pictures interchangeably. With the wife it is about love, with the body it is about unity. The church is also the body of Christ. The members are the believers individually, but yet they form His body together. As members of Christ’s body we individually experience something of His tender care. . The unity between a husband and a wife in marriage is not an invention of Paul. The first pages of the Bible mention it. Paul refers to Genesis 2 ( ). There we see that God has introduced marriage and that it originates from before the fall of man. From that quotation it appears that through a marriage a unity is accomplished, which 1. is new (indicated by “leave his father and mother”), 2. is irreversible (indicated by “be joined to his wife”) and 3. is total (indicated by “become one flesh”). . In this verse the more profound meaning of marriage is given: in marriage God has given a picture of Christ and the church. Formerly that was a mystery, unknown to men. But now Paul makes, directed by God’s Spirit, this mystery known. In case he had not have done that, how would we have known of a perfect unity between Christ and the church and of the perfect love Christ has for His church? Also this truth has been from eternity hidden in God. The relationship between Christ and the church is called “great”. What is related to this, is not limited to one nation and only the earth, but extends from eternity to eternity and comprises heaven and earth. Besides, there is another mystery that is called ‘great’. That you find in 1 Timothy 3 ( ). . After unfolding this Divine mystery, Paul returns to the practice. He wishes that the heavenly reality is reflected in every marriage on earth. There comes a final word to the husband, who is being addressed personally with the words “each individual among you”. In this final word is being repeated what is said in about ‘loving’ and in about ‘as himself’. The closing word to the wife implies that she should respect her husband by giving him the place that God has given him. Now read Ephesians 5:26-33 again. Reflection: Which pictures does Paul use for the relationship between husband and wife? What are the characteristics of those pictures?

‏ Ephesians 5:26-27

Christ and the Church

Eph 5:26. Christ gave Himself for the church. That expression of His love is followed twice by the word “that”, with which both Eph 5:26 and Eph 5:27 begins. This word refers to the reason why He did that. As it has been made clear earlier, His dedication goes further than the cross. Even though He is now in heaven, He dedicates Himself fully by taking care of His church, His wife.

Christ has first made the church His possession; now He is busy in His perfect love to shape her the way He wants her to be. He wants to shape her that way in order to enable her to be with Him in due time. Therefore it is necessary that she is being sanctified and cleansed.

By sanctification she is being fully focused on Him: the church is there for Him. He cannot approve that she would develop any love for or even an interest in something that is not in connection with Him. He wants to focus all her love on Himself and the place where He is, in the heavenly places. He wants to have her interest for what she will be in connection to Him to eternity. He always wants to impress His bride with her being connected to Him, Who is now already in glory.

The result of that will be that she is being sanctified, which means, to be set apart from the world in order to be totally for Him and Him alone. So there is nothing left in the hearts but the appreciation of the glory of the Lord Jesus.

Besides sanctification the church needs also to be cleansed. She is still in the world and that automatically causes defilement. That defilement is cleansed by “the washing of water by the word”. By reading the Bible, the Word of God, you get cleansed; you get rid of the dirt that you’ve been defiled with through your life in the world.

Here it is not about sins you’ve done. It is about things you cannot help happening. For example you hear filthy language or cursing. That is what is defiling you. It can get stuck in your head. By washing yourself with the Word – by reading the Bible – you become clean again. You’re not able to enjoy fellowship with the Lord Jesus without this cleansing. In John 13 the Lord Jesus also speaks about it in this way (Jn 13:1-10). Therefore it is necessary to read the Word of God every day.

Eph 5:27. This verse also starts with “that”, after which we see a second reason of His dedication. Here Paul points to the final result of the dedication of the Lord Jesus and His sanctifying and cleansing work. In due time, He wants to present the church to Himself without her having even a slight spot or wrinkle or any such thing. But this is still about a negative feature. In fact, He wants to have her before Himself in all the glory that He Himself has bestowed on her (cf. Eze 16:14). She will be clothed with His glory (Rev 21:9-10).

The church will be there “having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing”. Then there will be nothing anymore that will remind her of defilement or decay, from which we cannot escape on earth. No, she then will be perfectly holy, entirely focused on Him, Who gave Himself for her. She then will also be perfect without blame through His perfect cleansing work and she will never again suffer any spot.

This is how He will present the church – not to His Father, but – to Himself. She will then totally satisfy the desires of His heart. The moment this is fulfilled, the church will be complete. He will come to meet His own and take them with Him. First He will raise the dead and after that He will transform us who are alive. Together we shall meet the Lord in the air. There our encounter will take place and nobody else will be present. What a great moment that will be for the Lord Jesus!

Eph 5:28. Here Paul repeats his remark of but there is now a clear and exalted basis under it. If husband and wife behave like that in their marriage, it will make their marriage a source of an immense and increasing happiness. Should they suffer difficulties, then they will see in the example of Christ that love has an answer to that. They will see that difficulties are often a means to strengthen love. With this example of Christ in mind there are no hopeless cases.

And another argument is added. The love of the husband for his wife is as natural as the love for himself. His wife is not a functional object within his environment and furthermore separate from him. On the contrary, his wife forms a unity with him.

Eph 5:29. Paul goes on to explain this by elaborating on the picture of a body. It is just as natural for a husband that he nourishes and nurtures his wife as he does his own body. Just as husbands make sure that their body is being nourished and kept warm – this is the meaning of ‘nurtured’ –, in that way they are to make sure that their wives have enough food and feel pleasant.

This we can also apply spiritually. It is important that the husband nourishes himself spiritually, but no less important is it that he also knows the needs of his wife in this respect and provides for it. The same goes for giving warmth, nurturing. She experiences that especially when she feels secure with her husband, when he really spends time with her and really focuses his attention on her, when he makes her feel that she is ‘special’ to him. Christ also treats His church in this way.

Eph 5:30. Then Paul, almost unnoticeably, replaces the one picture of the church, that of a wife, by another picture, that of a body. He uses both pictures interchangeably. With the wife it is about love, with the body it is about unity. The church is also the body of Christ. The members are the believers individually, but yet they form His body together. As members of Christ’s body we individually experience something of His tender care.

Eph 5:31. The unity between a husband and a wife in marriage is not an invention of Paul. The first pages of the Bible mention it. Paul refers to Genesis 2 (Gen 2:24). There we see that God has introduced marriage and that it originates from before the fall of man. From that quotation it appears that through a marriage a unity is accomplished, which

1. is new (indicated by “leave his father and mother”),

2. is irreversible (indicated by “be joined to his wife”) and

3. is total (indicated by “become one flesh”).

Eph 5:32. In this verse the more profound meaning of marriage is given: in marriage God has given a picture of Christ and the church. Formerly that was a mystery, unknown to men. But now Paul makes, directed by God’s Spirit, this mystery known. In case he had not have done that, how would we have known of a perfect unity between Christ and the church and of the perfect love Christ has for His church? Also this truth has been from eternity hidden in God.

The relationship between Christ and the church is called “great”. What is related to this, is not limited to one nation and only the earth, but extends from eternity to eternity and comprises heaven and earth. Besides, there is another mystery that is called ‘great’. That you find in 1 Timothy 3 (1Tim 3:16).

Eph 5:33. After unfolding this Divine mystery, Paul returns to the practice. He wishes that the heavenly reality is reflected in every marriage on earth.

There comes a final word to the husband, who is being addressed personally with the words “each individual among you”. In this final word is being repeated what is said in Eph 5:25-27 about ‘loving’ and in Eph 5:28-29 about ‘as himself’. The closing word to the wife implies that she should respect her husband by giving him the place that God has given him.

Now read Ephesians 5:26-33 again.

Reflection: Which pictures does Paul use for the relationship between husband and wife? What are the characteristics of those pictures?