LESSON 7- Ephesians
Chptrs. 5:21-6:9
Marriage, Christ and the Church,
Children and Parents, Bondservants and Masters
Eph.5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
5:23 In the same way that Christ gives salvation, security and completeness to the church as the head does to the body, the husband is all of that to his wife. Mirror Translation
We often use the word “head” as equivalent to “boss.” That misunderstanding has caused lots of problems. The Greek word kephale contains many other concepts such as origin, source, sustainer, source of unity, source of growth, etc.
Eph. 5:24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
5:24 The church enjoys the full advantage of the complete package of salvation, by yielding themselves fully to Christ; even so the wife enjoys every benefit her husband represents in her abandonment to him. Mirror Translation
Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
5:25 The husband loving his wife pictures the parallel of Christ loving the church completely, and His unreserved giving of Himself to us. (This is what marriage is all about; it celebrates love’s initiative, whether coming from the husband or the wife; this awakens a different level of commitment beyond the sense of duty or guilt.) Mirror Translation
Phillips translations says: But, remember, this means that the husband must give his wife the same sort of love that Christ gave to the Church, when he sacrificed himself for her.
“The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family.” At the core of the family is the marital relationship between a husband and a wife. In an age when the very institution of marriage is being challenged by secular society on many fronts. There is need for Christian men and women understand these verses in Ephesians 5.
“Wives, be submissive to your husbands”, are some of the most troubling and challenging in all of the Bible. And our lack of adequate understanding of the relationships within Ephesians 5:21-33, ‘Wives be subject to your husbands…Husbands love your wives’”,
Galatians 3:28 says nothing explicitly whatsoever about how male/female relationships should be conducted in daily life…Paul is here making a theological statement about the fundamental equality of both men and women in their standing before God.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Jesus established a community of equals, thus obliterating the social and sexual distinctions common to the Judaism of his day. After the resurrection, the early Christian communities, particularly those founded by Paul, continued this egalitarianism, at once profiting from the liberty accorded to women in some parts of the Roman empire and disrupting the caste system still in place. At this point leadership and responsibility were exercised by men and women indifferently, with each community feeling itself free to organize itself according to its needs. Then there occurred a ‘loss of nerve.’ Under the pressure and persecution exerted by the surrounding society, the Christian communities began to capitulate and allow patriarchal modes of life to creep back in, particularly in regard to leadership.
What Does the Bible Say About Submission?
What does the Bible say about submission? We are all called to be in submission to God as addressed in James 4:7. James conveys the idea that only when we submit to God will the devil “flee from you” as we are then committed to God and will be able to withstand the temptations of the devil.
We also submit to one another. Eph. 5:2
Also, let me clear up the misunderstanding of these verses:
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Let [a]your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.
Explanation of: (1Co 14:34) Let your women be silent in the churches; for it is not permitted to them to speak, but to be in subjection, as the Law also says.
Some have used Paul’s words concerning women being silent in the church to imply that Paul had a dislike and low opinion of women. It is important to note the historical context of Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians. Married women must not interrupt the proceeding by asking questions. F. F. Bruce in The New Century Bible Commentary I & II Corinthians also notes that Paul had already recognized a woman’s right to pray and prophesy in the church. Therefore, the imposition of silence and forbidding women to speak is only in the context of interrupting the proceedings by asking questions of their husbands. Asking questions should be done at home. Bruce carefully notes that the expressions they are not permitted to speak (v. 34) and it is shameful for a woman to speak in church (v. 35) is limited in application and refers only to the interrupting of proceedings. (The Invisible King and His Kingdom)
Women do speak and have spoken. Can we dismiss the ministries of Deborah, Phoeba, Apostle Junia, Mary, Tryphaena, Persis, Chole, Euodia, daughters of Philip, etc. etc. etc.
Excerpt from a teaching by Bonnie Nelson: This male, female division is an earthly thing. There is no superiority of man over a woman, man over man or woman over woman. That is over, finished. Jesus said, “It is finished.” The only thing left for you and I to do is to: claim it, receive it and walk in it. It is called FREEDOM IN CHRIST, and it is covered by His Blood!
We are one in Christ. God is “both” male and female. El Shaddai is the many-breasted One. People have been fighting for years over, “Is God male or female?” We are not talking about a category or a gender, we are talking about the whole of mankind, male and female being ONE man. God is Spirit. There is nothing to divide us or separate us when we are in Him. We keep focusing on gender and sex, why? Open our eyes and hearts. In the Name of Jesus, freedom and love come forth. Wisdom and Revelation abide in hearts and spirits come alive. Father let Your truth, unity and one accord come forth. Amen!
We will continue with Lesson 7 next week.
The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22
David & Mary Sue