Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (13.5)

The Epistle to the Ephesians

Ephesians 5:22-33 to 6:1-9 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

Walk In Harmony (Eph. 5:22-6:9).

A Spirit-filled Christian is only is singing, thanking and submitting, but they are walking in harmony one with another. If we are all “submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God (v.21);” if we would simply be submissive to our God-given roles in life, then there would be harmony in our Church, our homes and our work place.  In this section Paul tell us how to have harmony in the home and in our place of work.

Submissive Wives (v.22-24).

It is God’s desire that “wives, submit unto their own husbands” (v.22a). The word “submit” means “to reverence, to rank one-self under.” Submission is God’s way of keeping order in the home, every home must have a head and God has so designed it that the head of every home is to be the husband ( Eph. 5:23, I Cor. 11:3). This does not mean that women are inferior to men (Gal. 3:28). Nor does it mean that women are to submit to any man, but they are to submit to their “own husband” (Eph. 5:22).

Wives are to submit to their own husbands as they would be submitting “ unto the Lord (v.22b).  Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” This includes submitting to your own husband. Wives are to submit in “in everything” (v.24). Harmony in the home begins when the wife submits to God. When Christ is the Lord of the life, then the wife will submit to her God-given role and her husband as the head of the home.

Sacrificial Husbands (v.25-33).

It is God’s desire for “husbands to love their wives.” When each partner is submitting to their God-given role, when the husband is loving her as his queen (v.25-33) and the wife is honouring him like her king (v.22-24), then there will be harmony in the home. 

Sacrificial Love (v.25).

The husband is to love his wife “as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” Jesus Christ gave His life for the Church.  If our love for our wife has not reached this level, then we are not yet loving her as we ought. True Christian love “seeketh not her own” (I Cor. 13:5).  It is not selfish, but sacrificial.

Pure Love (v.26-27).

The word “sanctify” means “to set apart.” It is the Lord’s desire that we as a people and as a church remain pure, that we would be “without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” (v.27). In the same way, we are to keep are wives pure, we are to help them avoid evil and even keep anything from them that would compromise them or contaminate them. We must keep from them anything that would violate their purity or stain their mind with sin.

Caring Love (v.28-30).

We are to love our “wives as our own bodies” (v.28). We are to “nourish” them and “cherish” them as we do our own bodies. We are to provide what she needs, when she needs help, comfort, warmth, protection, intimacy, love.  We are to provide all these. To see her simply as the mother of our children, our cook, our house-cleaner, and occasional companion is not to care for, nourish and cherish her. She is a God-given treasure to be loved.

Permanent Love (v.31-33).

To love our wives as Christ loved the church is to love them with an unbreakable and permanent love. At marriage the man shall “leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and the two shall become one flesh” (v.31). The word “cleave” means “to be glued or cemented together.” Marriage is permanent bond that should never be undone (Mal. 2:16). To threaten with divorce or to use separation as a club to get your way is not loving as Christ loved the church.

When Christian husbands and wives are walking in the Spirit then they will be submissive to their God-given roles, wives will submit and husbands will love and there will be harmony the home.

Surrendered Children (Ephesians 6:1-3).

Paul wrote these words to the“Children.” He did not write these words to the parents to tell the children. This means the children were not in children’s church, or Sunday school, nor were they out playing, but in the church service. They were personally instructed to “obey your parents in the Lord for this right” (v.1).  Paul did not say, “parents obey your children” which would be our modern version of this verse. But he gave the children a command to “obey” (v.1) and to “honour” (v.2) your parents. The word “honour” means “to show them respect and love.” For a child to obey and show respect to the parents brings blessing in to the life of the child. God promises to the obedient and respectful child, “well being” or a good quality of life and “long life” or a life lived out in full measure (v.3). When a child is not taught to obey they lose respect for authority, become rebellious and as a result lose a quality of life and even, like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:5-10) can have their life cut short.  Like husbands and wives children must submit to their God-given roles for there to be harmony in the home.

Steadfast Parents (6:4).

Children left to themselves will become rebels, but when instructed by steadfast parents they will grow up to be respectful and responsible people. Parents have a three-fold responsibility to their children.

They must not provoke them (v.6a).

The word “provoke” means “to discourage.” We can discourage our children in many ways, overprotection, favouritism, pushing achievement beyond reasonable bounds, never complimenting, making them feel unwanted, using love or lack of love as a tool for reward, physical or verbal abuse. When we discourage children we produce in then “wrath”  which refers to anger and rebellion. The world of angry children are the result of careless parents.

They must nurture them (v.6b).

“But bring them up.” The verb translated “bring them up” is the same word in Ephesians 5:29, translated as “nourisheth.” The parent is to love the child with same caring love the husband has for the wife. It is not enough to provide food, shelter and clothing. Parents must nurture their children emotionally, spiritually, socially, and intellectually. Jesus had this nurturing love as a child (Lk. 2:52).

They must instruct them (v.6c).

“Admonition” simply refers to instruction and correction. The parents are to instruct and correct the child in the ways of life. Parents are to teach the child how to have right attitudes and how to behave properly. When the child is properly trained there will be harmony in the home.

Shining Servants (v.5-8).

Harmony in the work place begins when Christians shine as servants of the Lord. In order to shine, Christian employees must “be obedient” and they must work “with fear and trembling” (v.5). With fear and trembling, does not mean to cower in fright, but it refers to showing your employer honour and respect. This honour and respect is to be done in “singleness of heart” (v.5) or in sincerity of heart. He is also to work hard, not just when the boss is around, “not with eye service as men pleasers” (v.6). But we are to work “as to the Lord and not to men” (v.7). When we work “as to the Lord” we will be rewarded “he will receive of the Lord” (v.8). Shining servant bring harmony to the work place.

Sensitive Employers (v.9).

When Christian employees are shining and Christian employers are sensitive there will be harmony in the market place. Employers are encouraged to “give up threatening.” In other words stop pushing your weight around and start being sensitive to your workers. The reason is because you have a “Master also in heaven” and one day each will have to give an account of how they lived and how they treated others. Let us live in harmony as we live in the Spirit.