Dear friend,
Ephesians 5:25-32 says the love of a husband for his wife is as a picture of Christ’s love for His people, the church:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. [And then Paul quotes something from Genesis chapter 2] 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (NKJV)
This passage reveals five facts to us about the love of Christ.
First of all, it reveals Christ’s motivation. The beginning is, "love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." What was the basic motivation? Love. I’ve explained already that love cannot be explained. That you can’t go beyond love and find out the reason for love. That love itself is the ultimate. It’s the very nature of God. God is love. And so, Christ loved and out of His love He did what He did.
The first point there is that the motivation for what God does, for what Christ does, is love.
Second, it’s a self-giving love. That is what I said previously about agape love – it’s self-giving. It doesn’t just give presents, it gives itself. Christ loved the church and He gave Himself up for her.
Third, love has a vision of what it can do for the person it loves. I think that this is beautiful. Jesus looked down on a world of sinners and He saw there, by faith, a beautiful bride for Himself. He gave Himself up because out of His love came a vision of what He could change people into. He gave Himself up to make His church holy, that He might present her to Himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
You see, love has vision. Love sees the object of its love and it sees the potential. It sees beneath the surface. It sees what is not manifest to human senses or to the reason. And on the basis of this vision that comes out of faith proceeding from love, love acts in a way that would seem ridiculous to the carnal mind or to the person who bases everything on reason.
How could God look down on a world of lost sinners and picture for Himself this beautiful bride? Only love understands that.
For reflection and prayer
God has a vision for you that proceeds out of His love for you.
