Ephesians 5:22

“Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord”

“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.

“Be in subjection”: The word "subjection" is not found in the Greek text of Ephesians 5:22, rather it is assumed from Ephesians 5:21, Ephesians 5:21. Thus Ephesians 1:22 completes the thought of Ephesians 5:21. Therefore Paul is saying that being filled with the Spirit is practically demonstrated by being submissive to the needs of others, for example "Wives be in subjection unto your own husbands". This verse should not catch people by surprise, because the Christian woman (and man) is already in "subjection" to other relationships: Civil government (Romans 13:1). The elders (Hebrews 13:17). The needs of other Christians (Ephesians 5:21). This is only one aspect of their subjection. “Now the very notion of submission to authority is out of fashion today. It is totally at variance with contemporary attitudes of permissiveness and freedom. Almost nothing is calculated to arouse more angry protests than talk of ‘subjection'” (Stott p. 215). The refusal to "be submissive" to authority is not an "enlightened" idea. Submission to authority is not popular today, not because people are so "enlightened", but rather because many people are so selfish. Everyone wants their own will to come first, and very few people are willing to sacrifice or forego their own rights in order to help another person. Feminism did not morally elevate women it just made them as selfish as their male chauvinist counter-parts. Both state that children are. low priority, both state that personal self-fulfillment is the most important thing, that money and. career take precedence over all family obligations, and both agree that staying at home with the children is not as valuable as. real job.

The Christian always knew that "subjection" never meant inferiority, rather it simply means to line up under. In reality, those who can be submissive are demonstrating great character (Ephesians 5:21). It takes. very mature person to place the needs of others, ahead of his or her own (1 Peter 2:3). In fact, it takes. person who has taken on the character of Jesus Christ.

“As unto the Lord”: “The implication rather is that Christian wives' submission to their husbands is one aspect of their obedience to the Lord” (Bruce p. 384). Boles reminds us, “It is. duty the wife owes because her Lord deserves it. even if her husband does not” (pp. 311-312). What. wonderful point. Civil government has not "earned" the moral right to be obeyed, neither are elders morally superiority to the members, and neither is the husband better than his wife. Yet that's not the point. Some wives have the attitude, “Well, I'll submit to him when he has earned it”. Yet such. woman is so easily forgetting that other Christians have helped her out and have submitted to her needs, even though she is far from earning nor does she deserve such assistance. The Lord deserves the obedience. Submit to your husband, because that is what the Lord wants. Submit to your husband, because Jesus was. servant of others (Matthew 20:28). Submit to your husband, even if he is an unbeliever, because such unselfishness demonstrates how credible the Christian religion is (1 Peter 3:1). Of course it is always taken for granted that such submission does not involve submitting to your husband, if the results of such submission will cause you to sin (Acts 5:29) or disobey the will of God. Stott reminds us that women owe their dignity to Jesus Christ: “On the contrary, to whom do women, children and workers chiefly owe their liberation? Is it not to Jesus Christ? It is Jesus Christ who treated women with courtesy and honor in an age in which they were despised. It is Jesus Christ who said, ‘Let the children come to me' in. period of history in which unwanted babies were consigned to the local rubbish dump (as they are today to the hospital incinerator)” (p. 216).

When the husband will be addressed, he will be reminded that "headship" does not mean tyranny. The authority that he has cannot be used selfishly or arrogantly. “Too many wives (and husbands) are unhappy in their homes because they did not realize the responsibilities of marriage when they entered it” (Caldwell p. 267).