Lots of people know about verse 22, where wives are called to submit to husbands. But we can't life that verse out of the rest of the paragraph. It's not just about wives submitting. Paul is calling wives to submit, but he's calling husbands to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? He laid down his life in a sacrificial effort so that the church could thrive. Paul isn't just focused on one partner -- he's calling both partners in a marriage to love one another with radical selflessness. He's holding marriage up as a sacred partnership where each partner gives and serves in an attempt to honor the other. The focus is not on control, but love. A relationship is forged that reflects the love that Christ has for the church, and a marriage like this glorifies God. If husbands and wives love and serve one another like this, then each is enriched and cherished and treasured and strengthened. Paul is holding up each partner as worth loving and serving, and he's teaching the church what Christ's sacrificial love looks like in action in the world today.
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