Wives and Husbands

22Wives, follow the lead of your husbands as you follow the Lord. 23The husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church. The church is Christ’s body. He is its Savior. 24The church follows the lead of Christ. In the same way, wives should follow the lead of their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives. Love them just as Christ loved the church. He gave himself up for her. 26He did it to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her with water and the word. 27He did it to bring her to himself as a brightly shining church. He wants a church that has no stain or wrinkle or any other flaw. He wants a church that is holy and without blame.

28In the same way, husbands should love their wives. They should love them as they love their own bodies. Any man who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, people have never hated their own bodies. Instead, they feed and care for their bodies. And that is what Christ does for the church. 30We are parts of his body.

31Scripture says, “That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one.” (Genesis 2:24) 32That is a deep mystery. But I’m talking about Christ and the church.