Let me attempt to illustrate what I mean. Philippians 2:3-8 certainly seems to include this dimension of our Lord’s submission. We were, as sinners, worthy only of Christ’s eternal wrath. 23 The husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of his called out people. Ephesians 5:32, in the middle. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:3-8). Saint Pope John Paul begins with the words from Ephesians, “Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” He then describes a holy triangle in marriage: Christ, husband, and wife. But what is the reason? But those only who are sanctified now, shall be glorified hereafter. 16 But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God (1 Corinthians 11:13-16). Adam is the head of Eve because she was created for his benefit (1 Corinthians 11:9),129 and Christ is the head of the church because the church was created for His benefit. In our culture, we may be able to convey love and care for one another by a handshake, or a hug, if a “kiss” has the appearance of evil in our culture. Headship has to do with origins. Apr 18, 2016. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. A careful reexamination of Paul's great passage on Marriage in Ephesians 5.21-33 is essential in order to lay the proper foundation for any modern approach to Family Life Education which is both Biblical and clear sighted. The secret of harmony in the home is two Spirit filled believers! Directions to a contrary behaviour, and to relative duties. Each has a symbolic role to play, and to ignore, reject, or distort their symbolic duties is a serious matter. He himself is the Savior of that body. For those who have chosen to set aside the teachings of Paul and Peter on the roles and responsibilities of husbands, and especially of wives, I have this question. New International Version (NIV), Ephesians 5 - Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. It was a kind of type, as. (4) Christ is the Head of His church by possessing complete authority over it. Introduction. I must ask one final question of you, my friend. In this play there are many characters, but among them there is a hero and a villain. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i... More, Happy New Year: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives, 4. Note the different groups who have the responsibility of subjection and to whom. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; … 18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God (Colossians 2:8-10, 18-19). Go through Eph. Noted authorities gave their analysis of the contrasting behavior of these two species. Our Lord has become the Head of the church by submitting Himself to the Father, to the church, and even to sinful men. We must first argue that we dare not set aside that which our Lord has instituted, and which His church has continued to practice, from New Testament days onward. I do not think that our conduct should be modeled after monkeys (or chimpanzees, and any other primates), and neither do I believe that sexual promiscuity is the solution for violence. EPHESIANS 5:21-33 . 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:20-25). And for this reason, conduct which may not seem to be an abomination by society is regarded by God as that which requires the most severe discipline. Suffering and glory are not opposing truths, but complimentary truths. Our text is based upon a principle, which is vitally important and yet little understood in our times: God has established certain institutions in this world which are earthly symbols of heavenly realities. ... Ephesians 5:29–30. Consider these texts once again, as Paul surely meant for them to lay the foundation for what he now says concerning the headship of Christ. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:14-16, emphasis mine). One expression is employed by Paul here to explain how our Lord is the Head of His church—He is the “Savior of the body” (verse 23). I “violently” (pardon the pun) disagree with both the premise and the conclusion. I do not see how we can deny the fact that Jesus did, in some fashion, submit Himself to men. DAY 1 . Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. And when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, the veil which formerly separated men from God was torn asunder, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. Christian marriage has certain commitments, obligations and duties which are symbolic. 31 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. The wonders of this marriage tie, but especially that the marriage of the first Adam should prefigure the relation between the … In Christ, men not only saw God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), they touched Him, and felt His healing touch (1 John 1:1). If we are not convinced by Paul’s words in Philippians chapter 2, then let us consider what Peter says in 1 Peter 2 and 3. His love is an active love that does not suppress but serves and glorifies his beloved. When Paul lays down these instructions to husbands and wives in Ephesians chapter 5 he also informs us that these duties are symbolic in nature. But the symbolic gesture we set aside should be replaced by another, one that does convey the reality which it is indented to symbolize. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5, Verses 22-24 ¶“ 22 Women, submit to your own men, as to the Lord. To deny our Lord’s submission to the church (as well as to the Father’s will) in order to “protect” His headship is something like denying our Lord’s suffering in order to protect His glory. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior ( Ephesians 5:22-23 ). In the Old Testament time, men had to keep their distance from God. Suppose that someone were to suggest that this was merely an ancient celebration, applicable and meaningful only to the saints of days gone by. Headship involves authority. The remaining part of this article will spell out some of the practical implications of the teaching on marriage in Ephesians 5. careful in our marriage relationship, to carry out God’s desire and plan faithfully. Epistles: Ephesians 5 – Christian Life and Marriage. 4:4-7), 3. 5:22-33, with your highlighters and mark the words below. 20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. The phrases in Ephesians 5 that mention “saviour”, “sanctify”, “cleansed”, and “present” refer to Jesus and not to husbands (e.g., Eph. But she was not like any other creature in that she was not made from the dust of the earth; she was created instead from Adam’s flesh and bones. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. 24 Just as the called out people submit to Christ, so also wives should fully submit to their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:22-24). About this commentary: God created Adam from the dust of the ground and Eve from Adam’s flesh and bone. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible is available in the Public Domain. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Mark the pronouns too, this will take careful attention. Such adaptations should be carefully and prayerfully done, and they will likely be few and far between. The Christian’s conversion brings about a radical transformation of our thinking and behavior, and this will not be in harmony with a sinful, fallen world. I urge you to trust in Him for your salvation. 129 Paul goes even further, not leaving this with Adam and Eve, but in stating that woman is created for the man’s sake, that is, that the wife’s is given as the man’s helper, and not the reverse. The Old Testament prophets did not know how to harmonize these two streams of prophecy, but they did know better than to reject one in order to preserve the other (see 1 Peter 1:10-12). 1. This relationship was not understood clearly in Old Testament times. Any role is a privilege. This person has taken Ephesians 5:22-35 to be solely about marriage and has misunderstood Paul’s highlighted point. For this reason, we will undertake our study of Ephesians 5:21-33 in three segments. 33 Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband. A fundamental element of the mystery is the union between Christ and His church. 22 Wives, () be subject to your own husbands, () as to the Lord. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23, emphasis mine). In this I will not praise you. Why not have an ice cream and pie supper? It is the author’s opinion, however, that the analysis of scripture presented in this article is representative of that … The peaceful primates were also noted to have sex with either the male or the female of the species, without discrimination. The Lord’s Supper is one of the two ordinances our Lord has given to His church in this age. wives-pink husband or husbands - blue Christ- yellow (6) Christ is the Head of His church because He is the One who is to be preeminent and to receive the glory. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28). But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. In Ephesians 5:22-33, husbands and wives are singled out and given instructions concerning certain attitudes and behaviours. Wouldn’t people find it more beneficial? It is one thing for the unbelieving world to reject Paul’s instructions; it is quite another for Christians to do so. in 1971. Adam joyfully responded, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). This husband-wife relationship, Moses indicates to us, is the primary one, and the parent-child relationship (which will follow) is secondary. The Search OF the Savior: Why Jesus Came, Part 2 (Gal. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything (Colossians 1:16-18). Christ is the Head of the church because He has brought it into existence; the church originates in Christ (Colossians 1:16-18). Christians have become far too casual about the commands of our Lord pertaining to symbolic actions. Jesus would come to the earth to “tabernacle” among men (John 1:14). Gain a concise, fundamental grasp of what the Bible is all about. 32. b. Be imitators of God: The idea is simple that we are to make God our example and model. Unknowingly, they believe Paul’s teaching to be a mere reflection of his culture, and not a timeless teaching, independent of the culture of that day, and of our own. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Ephesians 6:9. 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. As a woman must accept the proposal of her husband to be, so you must accept God’s offer of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. 128 This expression, “summing up” is a rendering of the verb form of the same term which, in its noun form, means “head.” Thus, the Berkeley Version renders the verse this way: “In keeping with His kind intent as He personally planned for the arrangement by which the times should reach maturity, and everything in heaven and on earth should come to a head in Christ.”. The love of Christ to the church is an example, which is sincere, pure, and constant, notwithstanding her failures. The nature of the heavenly reality determines the nature of the symbol. Marriage was meant to endure all things, and is never to be taken for granted, but to be held in high esteem at all times. The subject of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 5:21-33 is that of submission in the context of marriage. (5) Christ is the Head of His church because He has priority over it. 130 Note the rendering of the King James Version: “… that in all things He might have the preeminence.”. And He submitted Himself silently, without returning evil for evil, even though He suffered unjustly. The second lesson will be a consideration of the responsibilities of the Christian wife. As a man seeks out the woman whom he loves and woes her to himself, so Jesus Christ seeks those who will become a part of His bride, the church. This inter-relationship between substance and symbol is referred to by the writer to the Hebrews: 1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. Beyond this, he informs us just what it is that we are privileged to symbolize in our role as husband or as wife. As you start this study, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what God has said through Paul. Hopefully, we would have enough sense to reject such a foolish proposal. We should also point out that the bread and the wine of communion are symbols, symbols of our Lord’s sacrificial death for sinners. I believe that by this means God created a yearning in Adam for a mate of his own. respecting the spiritual marriage; now, in turn, vice versa, Ephesians 5:31 here expresses the Protasis, and allows the Apodosis to be supplied: comp. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Marriage Like Christ and the Church. Consider the following texts: 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with head uncovered? We cant content ourselves comparing us among men. Our Lord has taught us that to be the greatest is to serve, and not to be served (Matthew 20:20-28). I have performed many marriage ceremonies, and have often cited the words of Genesis 2:24, but until recently I did not really understand what was meant by those first three words: “For this cause …” Moses instructs us that when a man and a woman come together in marriage, the man is to leave his mother and father and to cleave to his wife, to become one flesh. Just as a man proposes to the woman of his choice, so God has proposed to you through the gospel. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. It was a kind of type, as. Submission has become such an ugly word in our society today. This fundamental reality which underlies and explains the attitudes and conduct of a man and his wife in marriage is the relationship of Jesus Christ to His church. God created the woman as Adam’s helpmeet, fashioning her to correspond to him in every way. I believe that He submits Himself to the church by seeking its blessing at His expense. Paul first says, This is a great mystery. Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior? Walking worthy of the calling in marriage means that wives will submit to their husbands. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Christian Marriage: An Analysis of Ephesians 5:22 The following article is written from an Orthodox Christian’s perspective informed by John Chrysostom. Feminism and Marriage: a Reflection on Ephesians 5: 21-33 . It is not easy to think of our Lord as an example of submission. [My critique of his message is in endnote 2.] 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. We should expect that these teachings conflict with the values and attitudes of our society. It is one thing to speak of the submission of our Lord to His Father’s will (see John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:28; Philippians 2:8). 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. The first lesson will focus on the basis for Christian conduct: the relationship of Christ and His church. Suppose that we are all actors in a play. Why, then, should we agonize about any role which God has graciously given to us? In his other epistles, Paul adds even more detail to this definition of headship. Some attempt to use this text in Galatians to undermine the New Testament teaching on submission, particularly the submission of the wife to her husband. Adam and Eve had no parents. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Here, he cites Genesis 2:24, and immediately informs us that this text refers to Christ and His church. God then brought the woman to Adam, and presented her to him as his wife. They are intended to symbolize and represent a greater, more fundamental reality. The reason is that the fundamental and primary union evident in the marriage of Adam and Eve is to be reflected in every subsequent marriage, to symbolize the union of Christ and His church, achieved centuries later through the work of Christ. The third will deal with the duties of the Christian husband. He has spoken of Christ’s headship no less than three times previously. Ephesians 5 and 6 deal with relationships for life; Submission; Paul is writing about mutual submission in which we submit to one another in the fear of God. Servants are then told to submit to their masters, especially the unreasonable ones (2:18-20). If you have set aside certain biblical commands, duties, and actions, with what have you replaced them? Even some of those who profess to take the Scriptures on face value try to tip toe past passages such as the one we are studying, trying to avoid the stigma of professing and practicing its teaching. This is indicated by the words, “For this reason …”. The inference was now becoming clear: we should learn from the peaceful primates, and model our conduct after them. This is a great mystery. In verse 31 Paul turns to a very early indication of this mystery of Christ’s union with His “body,” the church. The Meaning of Marriage Ephesians 5:22–32 September 12, 2017. Search; Search for: Search for: Ephesians 5:21-33 – Commentary on Ephesians – Kindness in Marriage ... Kindness in Marriage - Ephesians 5:21-33. Christ gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify it in this world, and glorify it in the next, that he might bestow on all his members a principle of holiness, and deliver them, from the guilt, the pollution, and the dominion of sin, by those influences of the Holy Spirit, of which baptismal water was the outward sign. Col. 1:21-22). They could not approach Mount Sinai when God was giving the Law (Exodus 19:12-13, 21, 24). having resemblance. 8. We must distinguish between what we are as a person in Christ and what role we are to portray about Christ and His church. In Christ's sacrifice his love triumphs, and we are to consider it fully. But our relationship to Christ is one of equality with every other believer, because we are all saved by His grace and stand justified in Him. Adam was given the task of naming all of the animals God had made. Therefore: Here, Paul concludes the thought from Ephesians 4, where he described how Christians should relate to one another. Those who hold to the evolutionary theory of origins would be consistent with their beliefs to look to the primates for keys to understanding human conduct. Nevertheless — As if he said, But though there be such a mystical sense in the marriage of Adam and Eve, or in the union subsisting between a man and his wife; though it be a striking emblem of the union between Christ and his church, yet the plain, literal sense especially now concerns you. His words indicate that there is one fundamental reason. And so it was that every subsequent marriage was to reflect something of the first marriage and, so to speak, the last, the marriage of Christ to His church. 2:8). Our Lord’s status and authority was all the reason He would have needed to avoid the cross, but His service to the church as its Savior required His suffering on that cross. When God created marriage, He has a specific purpose in mind. We are all given a role to play, but a subordinate role does not imply an inferior relationship to Christ. Think about this. Or do you despise the church of God, and shame those who have nothing? Evils they did not takes seriously were dealt with most severely: 17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. I would like to believe that there are some who have not taken Paul’s words seriously out of ignorance. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. Their own bodies of primates Priest went into the Holy of Holies once. 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