January 25 2026

Sunday January 25

Christlike Harmony in the Home

Ephesians 5:21-28

21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 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. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

Welcome to Pastor’s Chat. Today, on my video, for the sake of time and clarity, I’ll be reading my notes that I have prepared for this very important chat on Christlike harmony in the home, as we focus on Ephesians 5:21-28. In this section, the Apostle Paul begins to apply what we have been learning about walking in harmony, especially within the home. Paul opens this entire section with a key principle in verse 21: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” That word submission is foundational. Submission does not cancel authority or reverse roles. Children are not placed over parents, and servants are not placed over masters. Rather, submission governs how authority is exercised and how it is received.

Jesus Himself taught this principle repeatedly. He warned His disciples not to seek greatness by throwing their weight around or promoting themselves. Sadly, they struggled to learn that lesson—even at the Last Supper, they argued over who was the greatest. When Jesus washed their feet, He demonstrated that true greatness uses authority to serve others, not to exalt oneself. Scripture reminds us to esteem others as more important than ourselves. By nature, we want to promote ourselves, but the Holy Spirit enables us to submit ourselves.

Paul then applies this principle first to marriage, and it is important to remember that he is writing to believers. He is not teaching that women are inferior to men, nor that all women must submit to all men in every situation. By using Christ and the church as his illustration, Paul makes it clear that he is describing the Christian home.

He begins with wives. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” Paul gives two reasons: the lordship of Christ and the headship of the husband in Christ. When a Christian wife is submitted to Christ as Lord, she will not find it difficult to submit to her husband. This submission is not slavery, because the husband himself is also submitted to Christ. When both husband and wife live under Christ’s lordship, harmony becomes possible.

Headship does not mean dictatorship. It means loving leadership. A Christian husband and wife should pray together and spend time in God’s Word, seeking His will for their lives and for their home. Many marital conflicts arise when one or both partners fail to submit to Christ, neglect God’s Word, and stop seeking His will daily.

This is why Scripture warns believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. A marriage where only one partner is submitted to Christ begins with built-in conflict. But even Christian couples must be careful to submit to Christ before marriage. Couples who pray together, seek God’s will, and obey His Word lay a strong foundation. Sin before marriage—even forgiven sin—often brings painful consequences afterward. God forgives, but something precious can still be lost.

Paul then turns his attention to husbands, and he says much more to them. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.” This is an incredibly high standard. Paul lifts marriage to its highest level by showing it as a living illustration of Christ’s relationship with His church. Marriage serves many purposes—emotional companionship, family, and physical fulfillment—but Paul emphasizes its spiritual purpose. In marriage, husbands and wives are meant to experience Christlike love and submission.

A husband’s love is to be sacrificial. Christ gave Himself for the church, and the husband is called to give himself for his wife. True Christian love is not selfish. It willingly pays a price so that the other may grow and glorify God.

This love is also sanctifying. Christ cleanses His church through the Word, and a husband’s love should help his wife grow spiritually. Marriage is meant to be a setting where both husband and wife are becoming more like Christ. Even the physical relationship, when governed by God, becomes a means of spiritual enrichment, not selfish use. Love that sanctifies always builds up—it never degrades.

Paul also reminds us that the church, though loved by Christ, still needs cleansing. Spots come from outside defilement; wrinkles come from inner decay. God uses His Word to cleanse and renew His people, and one day Christ will present the church to Himself as a glorious bride. That same cleansing love should be reflected, in measure, within the Christian home.

Finally, a husband’s love is to be satisfying. Because husband and wife are one flesh, loving one’s spouse is loving oneself. Love nourishes, strengthens, and fulfills. There should be no starvation for love in a Christian home. When both husband and wife are submitted to Christ and to one another, their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met, and the temptation to seek fulfillment elsewhere loses its power.

This is God’s design for harmony in the home—submission governed by love, authority exercised through service, and relationships shaped by Christ Himself. May God help our homes reflect His grace, His truth, and His love.

God bless you and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.