Wedding Message – Ephesians 5: Love and Submission in Marriage
William Wu · Dec 8, 2022
This wedding sermon based on Ephesians 5 presents two key commands for husband and wife in Christian marriage: wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church. Both commands flow from the principle of mutual submission out of reverence for Christ, stated in verse 21. Marriage is seen as an arena for honoring God and reflecting Christ's sacrificial love for the church.
The sermon opens by affirming that marriage is God's good design from the very beginning and at the same time one of life's greatest challenges. The pastor quotes Martin Luther's description of marriage as a 'classroom for character' and introduces Ephesians 5 as the most direct biblical passage with instructions for husbands and wives.
The first section addresses the wife's role, focusing on the concept of submission. The pastor clarifies that submission does not mean inferiority, silence, or tolerating abuse, but rather placing oneself under the mission God has given to the marriage — to obey and glorify Him. The wife is encouraged to respect her husband, to encourage and support him, and to give him space, rather than trying to change or control him. Jesus himself modeled this posture when He said, 'Not my will, but yours be done.'
The second section addresses the husband, holding him to an even higher standard: to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. The pastor emphasizes that sacrificial love is not only expressed in moments of great crisis but in daily acts of service, attentiveness, and prioritizing the wife's needs. Special emphasis is placed on the husband's responsibility to provide spiritual leadership, keeping God at the center of the home.
The pastor also identifies humble apology and forgiveness as the hardest expression of sacrificial love — dying to one's pride and ego for the sake of the union. This connects directly to verse 21, where Paul calls both spouses to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Marriage is therefore presented as an arena where Jesus is honored or dishonored through every attitude, word, and action.
The sermon closes with a grace-filled reminder that the foundation of everything is God's love expressed through Christ, who died for the sins of both the bride and groom. Ephesians 5:1-2 is quoted as a final call for the couple to be imitators of God, walking in love just as Christ loved and gave himself up for them.