Albert Barnes Commentary Ephesians 5:25

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it;" — Ephesians 5:25 (ASV)

Husbands, love your wives. The duty of the wife is to obey; the right of the husband is to command. But the apostle would guard against the abuse of that right by instructing the husband to manifest a spirit that would secure obedience from the wife. He proceeds, therefore, to show that the husband, in all his dealings with his wife, should manifest the same spirit that the Lord Jesus did towards the church. In other words, he holds up the conduct of the Redeemer towards the church as the model for a husband to imitate. If a husband wished for a rule that would be short, simple, clear, and effective regarding how he should regard and treat his wife, he could not find a better one than that suggested here.

Even as Christ loved the Church. This was the strongest love that has ever been shown in this world. It follows that a husband is in no danger of loving his wife too much, provided she is not loved more than God. We are to make the love that Christ had for the church the model.

And gave himself for it. He gave himself to die to redeem it. The meaning here is that husbands are to imitate the Redeemer in this respect. As Christ gave himself to suffer on the cross to save the church, so we are to be willing to deny ourselves and to bear toil and trial, so that we may promote the happiness of the wife.

It is the duty of the husband to toil for her support; to provide for her wants; to deny himself rest and ease, if necessary, in order to attend to her in sickness; to go before her in danger; to defend her if she is in peril; and to be ready to die to save her.

Why should he not be? If they are shipwrecked and there is a single plank on which safety can be secured, should he not be willing to place her on it and see her safe, at all hazards to himself? But there may be more implied in this than that a man is to toil and even lay down his life for the welfare of his wife.

Christ laid down his life to save the church, and a husband should feel that one great object of his life should be to promote the salvation of his wife. He is bound to live in such a way as not to interfere with her salvation, but so as to promote it in every way possible.

He is to furnish her all the facilities she may need to enable her to attend the worship of God and to throw no obstacles in her way. He is to set her the example, counsel her if she needs counsel, and make the path of salvation as easy for her as possible. If a husband has the spirit and self-denial of the Savior, he will regard no sacrifice as too great if he may promote the salvation of his family.