5:26
Christ gave Himself up for us so that we could be holy. We are washed by His word. The use of the term washed implies that this was perhaps referring to baptismal services. There are two lessons to be drawn from this. The first is a general one. We are saved not so that we can get away with sin, but so that we can be made holy. “Holiness” is a word that perhaps has negative connotations, and it is interesting how the devil seeks to corrupt language, distorting the meaning of words, or rendering them meaningless. However, holiness is a very positive word in the Bible. It means set apart for God, living for God, living in the power of God. It is an exciting word! Secondly, husbands are to be dedicated to helping their wives achieve this Biblical holiness. Any notion that the man is more important than the woman, or that it is the man’s “ministry” that matters most is entirely misplaced.
5:27
Jesus died for us so that we, the church, could be presented to Him as holy and blameless, the perfect bride. This is kind of repeating the teaching of the previous verse, but is also moving us on to the analogy between the relationship between Christ and the church, and that between husband and wife.
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