Christ and the Church as the Archetype for Marriage

By Regan & Kiana Hershey

“For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 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.”—Ephesians 5:23–27 (NKJV)

Before we begin this seven-day plan on the biblical foundations for marriage, it’s paramount we first set the framework for how the entire Bible, and Ephesians 5, more specifically discusses marriage. Thankfully, the Bible presents this framework simply and succinctly. 

As shown in today’s passage, it can all be summarized as follows: In marriage, the husband and wife become one flesh. As there are different parts of the body that work in harmony together, each individual in the marriage relationship has a specific biblical calling. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church, offering himself as a sacrifice for her. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as to the Lord and to regard their husbands as the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church.

In the following days, we’ll dive deeper into the individual roles of both the husband and the wife. However, in order to understand them better, we first must understand Christ’s relationship with the Church is the pattern for the marriage relationship.

First, Christ is the head of the Church. 

In this union, Jesus is the unquestioned head, just as the husband is the head of the marriage. The symbolism used here could not be better. A head guides the body, so the body needs the head. But the body transports the head, so the head also transversely needs the body. Neither will go anywhere without the other.

Second, Christ is the Savior of the Church.

In 1 Timothy 4:10 (NKJV), Paul writes that Jesus “is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe.” The word “Savior” in this instance can have a variety of meanings. Strong's Concordance defines it as “to save, deliver or protect, heal, preserve, and to make whole.” In this sense, Christ is the Savior of the Church, and similarly the husband is the savior of the wife. 

Martin Lloyd-Jones comments, “What, then is the doctrine? It is clearly this, the wife is the one who is kept, preserved, guarded, shielded, and provided for by the husband. This is the relationship—as Christ nourishes and cherishes the church, so the husband nourishes and cherishes the wife—and the wife should realize that that is her position in this relationship.”

Third, Christ loves and gave Himself up for the Church.

Jesus loves His Church unselfishly. He never looks to see what the Church can do for Him, what it has to offer, or how He can benefit. He constantly and consistently looks for opportunities to serve it, which is why He died on the cross for the salvation of all. In this way, husbands and wives are called to sacrificially love one another.

Fourth, Christ sanctifies and cleanses the Church and flawlessly presents her to Himself.

Christ accomplishes our sanctification and cleansing through His Word. Charles Surgeon writes, “The water that washes away sin, which cleanses and purifies the soul, is the Word.” Christ is deeply interested in purifying and preparing the Church for the future. While a husband is not capable of spiritually purifying his wife in the same way as Jesus, Christ’s example calls each husband to an engaged and diligent interest in his wife’s spiritual well-being, preparing her for the future.

In these four ways, the relationship between Christ and His Church is the model for the marriage relationship between the husband and wife. 

Pause: What have you been taught, or previously thought about, regarding what the Bible teaches on marriage? How does this compare to the framework of Ephesians 5?

Practice: Read through Ephesians 5:22–33 at some point today with your spouse. Then, have a conversation about your initial thoughts. 

Pray: Father, prepare our hearts to learn about and to live out Your intentional design for marriage. Holy Spirit show us where we have strayed from your framework and help us to be gracious as we submit to Your idea for biblical marriage. I pray You are the center of our marriage today and every day. May we be filled with Your sacrificial love so we can better love one another daily. Amen.