What does the husband-and-wife relationship in Ephesians 5 symbolize about Christ and the church?
In Ephesians 5, the earthly husband-and-wife relationship symbolizes the correlation between Christ as the Head or husband and the Body of Christ—the church—as the composite of church-age believers. Wives’ submission to husbands “as unto the Lord” pictures the church’s submission to Christ, while mutual submission is done in reverence or awe of God.
Les explains that Ephesians 5 uses the human husband-and-wife relationship as an analogy or correlation: Christ is the Head, or husband, and the Body of Christ—the composite of church-age believers—is His church. He stresses that this Body is unique to the age of grace, made up especially of Gentiles though including some Jewish believers, all who have believed and trusted the finished work of the cross, the gospel; Old Testament believers are not in this language. The apostle then writes that believers should submit themselves one to another in the fear, reverence, or awe of God, and wives should submit to their own husbands as unto the Lord. Les notes some may object and believe in equality between the sexes, but he says that is all well and good.
More Questions
What does Paul compare the husband-wife relationship to in Ephesians 5?
In Ephesians 5, Paul presents the human husband-wife relationship as a correlation with Christ as the Head (husband) and the Body of Christ, the composite of church-age believers.