What happensPermalink
Paul urges believers to imitate God and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. That love rules every relationship, replacing impurity, greed, and coarse speech with thanksgiving. Believers, freed from sin’s darkness, must now walk in light and wisdom. Paul then applies this walk of love to marriage: just as Christ sacrificed Himself for the church’s holiness, so husbands must love their wives sacrificially, and wives respond with willing submission.
Why it mattersPermalink
As Chapter 4 turned doctrine into personal holiness, Chapter 5 turns doctrine into relationship. Christian love is sacrificial; our unity and purity in community and marriage reveal to the world the reconciling love of Christ.
Key versePermalink
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.