Ephesians 5:1

“Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children”

Ephesians

chapter Ephesians 5:22-33

“The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians is rightly regarded as the most profound of his writings but he employs the main portion of his epistle with the plainest exhortations for daily life. It is true, however, that he enforces the simplest duties by reference to the most sublime motives. Paul insisted upon the sanctity of family life. He regarded the family. and not the individual. as the unit of society. The individualist and the socialist are the sworn enemies of the family. The former considers marriage as. contract between two parties, to be ended at any time by mutual agreement. The latter regards the state as supreme in its authority over all individuals, and as the rightful custodian of all children. Paul treats marriage as an inseparable union between. husband and wife, so sacred, so blessed, as to be. fit symbol of the relation between Christ and his church” (Erdman pp. 118-120).

In other words, Paul never becomes so "theological" that he ceases to be practical. Truth, to be of any use, must result in some very practical application. We cannot divorce this section from the rest of the book. If God has done so much to bring about unity in the church, then such unity must also be seen in the family. Stott rightly points out, “For the divine family ceases to be. credible concept if it is not itself subdivided into human families which display God's love. What is the point of peace in the church is there is no peace in the home?'. (p. 213). Which means if you cannot apply Christianity in your relationship with the person whom you claim to love the most (your mate), then you are failing at being. Christian. “Too much so-called ‘holiness teaching' emphasizes. personal relationship to Jesus Christ without any attempt to indicate its consequences in terms of relationships with the people we live and work with. In contrast to such holiness-in-a-vacuum, which magnifies experiences and minimizes ethics, the apostles spelled out Christian duty in the concrete situations of everyday life and work” (Stott p. 214). Which means that. great test of one's spirituality is determined by how does this Christian get along with their brethren? (Ephesians 5:21) How does this Christian treat their spouse? (Ephesians 5:22-33). What type of relationship does this Christian have with their parents and children? (Ephesians 6:1) What is this person like at work? How do they treat their boss or employees? (Ephesians 6:5-9)

I like what Stott said above. What he has seen,. have seen. People who vocally profess to be. Christian, who act and sound really religious and yet people who have left their mates for no scriptural cause, people who have no control over their children, people who have no desire to save their lost parents and people who never seem to be able to get along with any group of Christians. The view of marriage that Paul will present in this section was at odds with the culture that surrounded these Christians. Barclay observes:

“The Jews had. low view of women. In his morning prayer there was. sentence in which. Jewish man gave thanks that God had not make him ‘a Gentile,. slave or. woman'. The situation was worse in the Greek world. Prostitution was an essential part of Greek life. Demosthenes had laid it down as the accepted rule of life: ‘We have courtesans for the sake of pleasure; we have concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation; we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately'. The Greek expected his wife to run his home, to care for his legitimate children, but he found his pleasure and his companionship elsewhere. At the time of Paul, Roman family life was wrecked. Seneca writes that women were married to be divorced and divorced to be married” (pp. 168-171).

Please note that Paul "roots" his teaching about male and female roles and responsibilities, not in culture, but in creation (Ephesians 5:31; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:11). Jesus did the same thing (Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:5). Thus these verses apply to all times and all cultures.