The Love of Christ in Christian Marriage and Relationships
The love of Christ serves as a foundational principle and model for Christian marriage and relationships, emphasizing sacrificial giving and unity [6, 9]. This love, which "passeth knowledge," is intended to dwell in the hearts of believers, rooting and founding them in love [1, 3, 7].
The love of Christ is characterized by its profound depth and selflessness. It is manifested in his coming to seek the lost, praying for his enemies, giving himself for humanity, dying for believers, washing away sins, interceding for them, and sending the Holy Spirit [4]. This sacrificial aspect is particularly highlighted in passages like Ephesians 5:2, which states that Christ "gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour" [9]. Similarly, 1 John 3:16 indicates that Christ's example demonstrates that true love involves self-sacrifice, prompting believers to be concerned for others' needs and to give unselfishly [10].
In Christian marriage, husbands are specifically exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved the church" [6]. This means a sacrificial love, as Christ gave his life for the church [6]. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentary on Ephesians 5:28 further clarifies this, stating that husbands ought to love their wives "as their own bodies," drawing a parallel between this love and the union of body between Christ and the Church [12]. The relationship between a man and a woman in Christ is seen as realizing "the ideal of redeemed humanity represented by the bride, the Church" [8].
Beyond marriage, the love of Christ extends to all Christian relationships. Believers are saved by faith in Christ and live out their salvation through love for fellow Christians [11]. This love is not merely an emotion but an active willingness to prioritize the good of others over one's own desires [5]. The love of God, of which Christ's love is an expression, is described as sovereign, great, abiding, unfailing, unalienable, constraining, and everlasting, given irrespective of merit [2]. This divine love serves as the ultimate model for how Christians are to love one another and engage in all their relationships [4].
Sources
- Ephesians “Ephesians 3:17 (YLT) — that the Christ may dwell through the faith in your hearts, in love having been rooted and founded,”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of God, The — Is a part of his character -- 2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:8. Christ, the especial object of -- Joh 15:9; 17:26. Christ abides in -- Joh 15:10. Described as Sovereign. -- De 7:8; 10:15. Great. -- Eph 2:4. Abiding. -- Zep 3:17. Unfailing. -- Isa 49:15,16. Unalienable. -- Ro 8:39. Constraining. -- Ho 11:4. Everlasting. -- Jer 31:3. Irrespective of merit -- De 7:7; Job 7:17. Manifested towards Perishing sinners. -- Joh 3:16; Tit 3:4. His saints. -- Joh 16:27; 17:23; 2Th 2:16; 1Jo 4:16. The destitute. -- De 10:18. The cheerful giver. -- 2Co 9:7. Exhibited in The g”
- King James Version “[KJV] Ephesians 3:19 — And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of Christ, The — To the Father -- Ps 91:14; Joh 14:31. To his church -- Song 4:8,9; 5:1; Joh 15:9; Eph 5:24. To those who love him -- Pr 8:17; Joh 14:21. Manifested in his Coming to seek the lost. -- Lu 19:10. Praying for his enemies. -- Lu 23:34. Giving himself for us. -- Ga 2:20. Dying for us. -- Joh 15:13; 1Jo 3:16. Washing away our sins. -- Re 1:5. Interceding for us. -- Heb 7:25; 9:24. Sending the Spirit. -- Ps 68:18; Joh 16:7. Rebukes and chastisements. -- Re 3:19. Passes knowledge -- Eph 3:19. To be imitated -- Joh 13:34; 15:12; Eph 5:2; 1Jo 3:16. To sain”
- 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 13:4: 13:4-7 This description of Christian love emphasizes the willingness to give up one’s own desires for the good of others (see also 8:1–10:33; Rom 5:6-8; 15:3; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:4-8).”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 5:25: 5:25-33 Christian husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church—that is, sacrificially, for Christ gave up his life for her (5:2; cp. Col 3:19; 1 Pet 3:7).”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 3:19: 3:19 May you experience (literally know) the love of Christ: The whole Christian life is based on the experience and personal knowledge of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ (see Rom 12:1). • it is too great to understand fully: Christ’s love is much greater than ordinary human love (see Rom 5:6-8). • The believer’s life is made complete when it is filled with all the fullness of life and power by the presence of Christ within (see Eph 1:23; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). The believer then is conformed to his image and reflects God (see Eph 4:14, 24; 5:1-2; Rom 8:29; 2”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:11: Yet neither sex is insulated and independent of the other in the Christian life [ALFORD]. The one needs the other in the sexual relation; and in respect to Christ ("in the Lord"), the man and the woman together (for neither can be dispensed with) realize the ideal of redeemed humanity represented by the bride, the Church.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 5:2: 5:2 Christ’s love is shown especially in his offering himself as a sacrifice for us (cp. 5:25; John 15:13; Rom 5:8). Christian love is motivated by and modeled after Christ’s sacrificial love (see Phil 2:5-8). • Paul draws on Old Testament imagery, where the smell of a burning sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to God (see Lev 1:9; 2:2; cp. Rom 12:1).”
- 1 John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 John 3:16: 3:16-18 Christ’s example shows that real love involves self-sacrifice. We do this by becoming truly concerned about the needs of others and by unselfishly giving time, effort, prayer, possessions, and even our lives to supply those needs.”
- Phlm (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Phlm 1:5: 1:5 It is by faith in Christ that we are saved, and it is by love for fellow Christians that we live out our salvation.”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:28: Translate, "So ought husbands also (thus the oldest manuscripts read) to love their own (compare Note, see on Eph 5:22) wives as their own bodies." He that loveth his wife loveth himself--So there is the same love and the same union of body between Christ and the Church (Eph 5:30, Eph 5:32).”