Eph 5:1-7, 1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Paul’s first point is that we imitate God by walking in love. Love is God’s essential character, 1Jn 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.“
Love is a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. God created man to love and to be loved. Christ loved us and demonstrated that love by giving us Himself as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. This is sacrificial love. Christ did not give Himself to those who deserved it, He gave Himself because He chose to love us and He did it to the glory of God. This kind of self-sacrificing love is what keeps marriages strong, it’s driven by agape love.
Each spouse has no greater calling or purpose than that of imitating Christ our Lord by walking in love. There can be no faithfulness without love, and love cannot flourish without faithfulness, they are married to each other, Pro 3:3 “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” In Scripture, “steadfast love and faithfulness” are side by side. Psa 85:10 “Love and faithfulness meet together...” Faithfulness implies duty, it is love committed.