In these verses Paul exhorts husbands to love their wives as they love themselves. We explain how love is a moral obligation, a debt that is placed on husbands by Christ. It is assumed that all people, including husbands, will take care of their own needs. What is not assured is that they will engage in selfless love as Christ did. This is a Christian duty for husbands. In this sermon we explain that love as a duty given by Christ and His apostles is quite different than the romantic notions of the pagans. They see love as something that shows up and may just as easily go away. 

Christians must not allow the world to define love for the Christian family. Paul continues the theme of Christ and His body, pointing out that Christ nourishes and cherishes us. Husbands are certain to ‘nourish and cherish’ their own bodies, but must be exhorted to show such love and attention to their wives. We also expound on the importance of understanding the church as the body of Christ, with each member being important and honored. When the church becomes merely a religious organization that exists to meet the needs of religious consumers, it is then defined differently than the church defined by Christ and His apostles. The biblically defined church consists of converted Jews and Gentiles who are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ being the cornerstone. 

Finally, we expound Paul’s citation of Genesis 2:24 from the Greek translation of the OT. The husband is to “leave and cleave.” This means to be joined together as with glue. By way of application, we warn against bitterness and point people to the love of Christ.