What does the marriage relationship in Ephesians 5 illustrate about our relationship with Christ?

The marriage relationship in Ephesians 5 illustrates the spiritual union between Christ and the Church. As husband and wife are joined, believers are united with Christ; Christ is the head of the Church, and He died and suffered for its members, just as a husband should be ready to die for his wife.

Les explains that Ephesians 5 uses the marriage relationship as an analogy for the believer’s spiritual relationship with Christ. Just as a husband and wife are united, the moment we become a child of God we are literally unioned with Christ. Christ is the head of the Church, and to become head of the Body He had to die and suffer for us; the resurrection overcame that death. In the same way, a husband should be ready to die for his wife if necessary.

Ephesians 5:22

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

What does Ephesians 5 say about the husband's headship over the wife?

Ephesians 5 teaches that the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church. This headship parallels the marriage relationship to the believer's spiritual union with Christ. It calls a husband to sacrificial love, being ready to die for his wife as Christ died for the Body.