Eph 6:5-9 - Slaves, Masters

5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;
6 not by way of eye service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Slaves, Service and Masters

Guidelines for Christian relationships and living continue in the following verses. (They start in 4:25 and go through 6:20.) There are some major subjects in these verses. They all flow from the fact that you are in Jesus.

Vs. 5 - Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;

“According to the flesh” - Interestingly (to me at least), the Bible is relatively silent regarding slavery. Hebrews could not own another Hebrew as a slave. They might be slaves to non-Jews; they might even have non-Hebrew slaves. The Bible does not condone or promote slavery, nor does it condemn slavery.

This world is the domain of Satan. God ‘takes’ us where we are. He doesn’t make us change to some ideal behavior before we are acceptable to Him. We will never be acceptable, except in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He calls us from where we are. Our hearts and lives are changed by the mercy of Jesus, and only by Jesus. God has been merciful to us to set us free is throughout the New Testament account.

Christ said while quoting Isaiah, “The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.’” (Luke 4:17-21)

He also said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32),
and, “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” (John 8:36).
Paul wrote in other letters: “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.” (Rom 6:20)
And, “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1).

We know that Christ has come to free us from sin and death. To a slave of that era, or maybe any era, the message of freedom would have more than one meaning. Paul could well be warning the Christian slaves (slaves who were owned by another person) to not get ahead of themselves. They may be free from sin, but they were still slaves to their owners. In no way could they say, “You can take this job and shove it.” This is especially true if their masters were not believers. Paul is telling them to serve their earthly masters as if they were serving God Himself.
The primary message from the Lord and the apostles was that you and I can be free from the slavery to sin! And we can be sure that as long as we do not have the Lord in our lives as Savior, we are tied to sin. It is our master. Sin owns our soul. Only when we give ourselves to Jesus Christ - believe in Him, give ourselves to Him, can we be free from the dominance of sin.
By the way: We are called 'slaves of Jesus Christ' in the New Testament. (Eph 6:6; 1 Cor 7:22) Whatever our physical condition - slave or free - we have been set free from slavery to sin. We are free indeed. (Gal 3:28; Col 3:11)  Being a slave of Christ is not onerous. He bought us; He has paid the ultimate price for us and our souls - He was crucified, and was resurrected in order that we might be with Him and the Father - forever!

From a commentary by David Guzik, "The Gospel found slavery in the world; and in many regions, particularly the Roman and the Greek, it was a very bad form of slavery. The Gospel began at once to undermine it, with its mighty principles of the equality of all souls in the mystery and dignity of manhood, and of the equal work of redeeming love wrought for all souls by the supreme Master. But its plan was — not to batter, but to undermine… So while the Gospel in one respect left slavery alone, it doomed it in another.”

Vs. 6 - “not by way of eye service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”

“not by way of eye service” - This admonition applies to us all, not just slaves. Don’t do it for “show”. You know exactly what this means. You have seen, or worked with people who perform their ‘best’ when they think someone is watching. The rest of the time, they act as if they don’t care at all.

“doing the will of God from the heart.” - Work for your master (or your boss) just as you would work for Christ. Your boss is a ‘stand-in’ for Christ with respect to work or jobs. Disrespecting laws or rules is not just flouting the rule of law, it is rebelling against God, against Jesus. God said over and over in the Old Testament, “You have sinned against Me!”.

Paul called himself a ‘bond-slave of Christ’. (See: Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Col. 1:1, 4:7; 1 Tim 4:6; 2 Tim 2:24)
Peter, James, Titus and Jude did the same. (See: Titus 1:1; Jam 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1; Jud 1:1)
Moses - a bond-servant of God (Rev 15:3).
Jesus, our Lord and Savior - a Holy Servant (Acts 4:27).

As Paul refers to himself as a bond-servant, we see (according to some of the commentaries and Bible dictionaries) there is a difference between a bond-servant and a slave. The Jew, under the Mosaic covenant, was never a slave as we know slavery, such as experienced in America’s South and other places. An Israelite could not own another Jew. The slave under the Mosaic Law was mostly paying off a debt, occurred legally or not.And a Jew could not forced to be a slave for more than six years. After six years as a servant (slave) the man or woman was freed and the debt forgiven. Technically, a Jew was not a slave, but a ‘hired hand’ working to pay off a debt. See: Exo. 21:2-6

A Jew, having served to pay the debt, could decide to stay with the ‘master’ - voluntary servitude. They went through a ceremony in which a hole was punched in the servant’s ear, after which the servant served for life. The term ‘bond-servant’ may refer to this voluntary service. This was a HUGE commitment - not at all like taking a job which you can leave for a better job or in a different location.

What a good picture of our relationship to the Lord Jesus. We are not forced to be saved. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to believe and be saved. When we believe in our heart Jesus was raised from the dead, and confess Him as Lord and Savior, we will be saved. See: Rom. 10:9-10. Now, we are His. His friends. His servants. His bride. His glory. Our life is not our own, for we were bought for a price. (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23) That price - a perfect sacrifice, is the Lamb who was slain.

The image of a bond-slave is a good picture of our Christian life. The servant, after the debt is paid, volunteers to serve the master. We acknowledge that Christ paid our debt - one we can never pay in full. We must confess that we believe He is our Lord and Savior. This confession is not forced from us. We do it by our free will.

Remember, the former slave has no more obligation to the master, the debt has been paid. The former slave publicly announces the desire to serve the master permanently, for life. Our confession of faith is made before other people. The ceremony for the bond-servant is public. All people now know the person is permanently connected to the master. Our ceremony - baptism in conjunction with confession of faith - is a public announcement we are Christ’s possession for life, both physical and spiritual, both here now and for eternity.
The following chart may help to see the similarities:

The Christian as Bond Servant
Bond-Servant	Christian
Slave pays his debt by working it off.	Jesus Christ pays our sin-debt by His crucifixion and resurrection.
Former slave volunteers to serve his master.	Sinner decides to believe and accept Christ as Lord and Savior.
Former slave publicly has a hole punched in the ear to show he is now a bond-servant.	Sinner pubiicly acknowledges Christ and is baptized to show he is a Christian.
Bond-servant is bound to the master for life.	Believer, a Christian, is Christ's personal possession for life and eternity.

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Vs. 7-8 - “With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. “

“render service, as to the Lord” - Too often we do not look beyond our physical circumstances. We see our boss, and naturally assume that is who we answer to. Forgetting that God has placed that person there in the path of your life, we cannot see our service as serving God, not just the person before us. Your boss or master may not be a believer. They are where they are at God’s good pleasure. Being obstinate or belligerent in your job is not a good witness of your faith in the Lord and Savior. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” (see note 1) is not heard in rebellion and stubbornness.

Vs. 9 - “And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. “

“And masters, do the same things to them” - Care and concern for proper and appropriate behavior does not run just one way. Slaves are urged to see themselves as serving Jesus Christ, not just their human masters. Masters are instructed to treat their slaves as they themselves want to be treated - with compassion and love. The image of the slave serving Christ applies to the master as well. The people you are ordering around have been placed in your home or business by the Lord. They are loved by Jesus. Cruel treatment is therefore not just on the human level, but reaches into heaven.

“ knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven”- The master has a Master in heaven who knows the heart of each person. Being rich or master of others has no advantage in the Lord’s judgment. “Your true life does not consist of the things you may own, no matter how rich you may be.” (Luk 12:15)

Jesus the Lord judges every person, and judges fairly. “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Heb 4:13)

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Note 1: From “Four Spiritual Laws” by Campus Crusade for Christ.

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Eph 6:1-4 - Children, Parents

Chapter 6
1-4: - Children & Fathers
5-9: - Slaves & Masters
10-18: - Whole armor of God
19-24: - Closing words.
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Guidelines for Christian living continue in the following verses. (They start in 4:25 and go through 6:20.) There are some major subjects in these verses.

They all flow from the fact that you are in Jesus.

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1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise),
3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Moms, Dads, and Children

Vs. 1 - “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord” - The word “obey” has the implication of listening or hearing and following or doing what you've heard. It is not ‘eavesdropping’ or ‘over-hearing’ a conversation and then acting on the information. Decide to “place yourself under the authority of” that person or people. (See also: Pro 1:8, 6:20; Col 3:20)
The concept of obedience is not limited to children. As believers we are to obey our Lord Jesus Christ. One of my wife's daily devotions started with the following, "Maybe you want the Suggestion Box Jesus, whose law is more advice than command. He will be nothing less that the sovereign Savior King... God's law is not a curse; it is a grace. God's law is not a burden; it is a gift of his love." (See note 1, below.)

Vs. 2-3 - “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”

Quoted from Exo 20:3-17; Deut 5:7-21 - (The Ten Commandments - given to Moses, engraved in stone tablets).

Vs. 4 - Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

“Do not provoke your children to anger” - Do not be so strict and authoritarian that their only response will be anger and rebellion. I think that cannot be avoided - as children transition from child to young adult and beyond there is a certain amount of stress because of rebellion against the authority figure - you.

“Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” - In the song “Teach Your Children”, by Crosby, Stills & Nash, we are admonished to teach our children our dreams and the codes we live by. (See note 2, below)

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As they grow, children will determine for themselves how they will live. They will make a choice. Teach them about God and how to follow His rules or laws. (See also: Pro 22:17, 19, 22:16; Lev 10:11; Exo 18:20; Deut 4:10, 11:19; Psa 86:11)

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Note 1: Paul David Tripp; "New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional"; Crossway; 2014.

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Note 2: “You, who are on the road, Must have a code, That you can live by ...
Teach your children well, Your father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams, The one they pick, is the one you'll know by”
(I wrote these as I heard them, not from copies of lyrics - so I apologize if they aren't quite correct.)

Eph. 5:25-33 - Husbands, Wives, Church

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 
26 so 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 would be holy and blameless. 
28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 
29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 
30 because we are members of His body. 
31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THaE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 
32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Husbands - Love Your Wives

Vs. 25 - “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, “

“Husbands, love your wives” - This doesn’t seem like a big stretch as a command. I suppose it is possible that man might not love his wife, even in a Christian home. Love between married couples is shown throughout the Bible (Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jocob and Rachel). These two commands - wives submit to your husbands, and husbands are tied together both here (5:23-24) and in Col 3:18-19.
Why do husbands need to be reminded to love their wives? I suspect it is because men tend to think in terms of power and position and control. We need to be reminded that it the self-sacrificing love, like Jesus showed us when he gave Himself up for us, that is to be lived out in our marriage to our wives. God has not given us “a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.” (2 Tim 1:7)

Emotional affection, love, for your wife is not the point here. The point being made is in the next phrase...

“Just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” - We might ponder how He could love the church before the church began? But, then, we are thinking in finite temporal situations. God is not limited by time, Jesus is infinite, outside of time. Of course He knew of the church, those who believe and worship Him, ‘before’ His death and resurrection. But, again, that’s not the important point. 

He loved us and voluntarily died in our place. This is not romantic love, a movie love story, not boy-friend-girl-friend love. This is “Medal of Honor” type sacrifice, where a life is given to protect and save others. We do not deserve nor have we earned this sacrifice.
“God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16 ).
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
See also: (Rom. 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:15; 1 Pet 3:18)

Vs. 26 - “so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, “

“so that He might sanctify her” - The “so that” in this verse refers to the “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” above in verse 25. The reason Christ died on the cross and was resurrected was to provide salvation (sanctification) to the world. The offer is made to all. Unfortunately not all will believe. Fortunately, grace abounds to all who do believe and accept Jesus as Savior. Jesus takes sinful imperfect people and by His shed blood cleanses us of sin - i.e., sanctifies us. 

The Unger Bible Dictionary has the following regarding ‘sanctification’ - The dominant idea of sanctification is separation from the secular and sinful, and setting apart for a sacred purpose. In the OT, things, places, times, people were sanctified, i.e., consecrated to holy purposes - usually only in a ceremonial and legal sense, to remind the Jews of the need for spiritual cleansing and the grace of God. In the NT, people are called to consecrate themselves to God, that is the inward cleansing work of God and Holy Spirit.

The church is set apart and cleansed by Christ’s sacrifice, and the work of God and the Holy Spirit. This is an important concept - cleansing is made available to all, but not all will derive any benefit. We are sinful creatures, and totally unsuitable to be in God’s holy presence. Christ’s death makes us acceptable and holy. 

The image of the church as a bride is powerful. Look back to Genesis 2:18-24 in which man and woman are designed for each other. Eve is ‘presented’ to Adam (who had been alone) and Adam is blown away. The song (Gen 3:23) is Adam saying, “Wow!” God confirms that we are designed for each other in verse 24. The idea of the wife being pure and virginal at the time of marriage is found throughout the OT. However, just as about everything else, we have cheapened and demeaned the idea of marriage. God has not changed His view of marriage, we have changed our attitudes. God shows marriage is of adoration and love in “The Song of Songs”. The bride is bathed and pure, cleansed and waiting eagerly, is sequestered waiting for the arrival of her husband-to-be. They meet and are filled with joy.

“Having cleansed her” - Sanctification is spiritual cleansing, spiritual separation from the secular and sinful. Christ sanctifies the believers - we are cleansed by His shed blood. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) His blood purifies us. As normal human beings we are by nature impure, inherited from Adam - it is our spiritual DNA, it is built in from conception. There is no vaccine we can create that will change our sin nature. Unless we are perfect, as He is perfect, we have no place in His kingdom. Money, fame, glory - none of these things will make us perfect. Only Jesus blood and His righteousness can do that. 

Vs. 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 would be holy and blameless. “

“That He might present to Himself the church” - This is another “So that”, linking the cleansing and sanctification to this act - The church and the Savior come together as bride and bridegroom to be joined together in marriage. Again, the images from The Song of Songs show the bride waiting expectantly, eagerly and the groom filled with anticipation. They meet and are overwhelmed with love for each other! This is not about a Justice-of-the-Peace over-the-counter marriage. This is even more than wedding in a garden, or a church. (We have seen several English royal weddings - they are nothing compared to this!) 

The God of the Universe has given Himself to save and purify His believers. He is now waiting patiently for us. The perfect groom will be presented to the perfected bride. We are His, and acceptable to Him because what He has done! The Day is coming when the Savior and the Believers will be together. We who are many will be One with Him. We will see Him as He is, because we will be just like Him! 

“in all her glory” - There are times when I do not feel all that glorious. I believe that God’s word is true, and it says that the church will be ‘glorious’, therefore I will also be glorious. I know that I do not have to generate that. Christ has done it for me - Praise to His Glory! 

“But that she should be holy and blameless.” - The Bride will be holy and blameless - the basic definition of sanctified. Me - holy and blameless! “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Pet 1:18-19) You - holy and blameless! (See: Jude 24,25; 1 Thess 3:13; Col 1:22; 2 Cor 5:21). 

Vs. 28 - “So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; “

“Love their own wives as their own bodies” - This is not about possessing the wife as your own. Very few of us do not love and respect our own bodies - that is, to protect our physical selves from danger, harm, and death. We will feed it, clean it, care for its wounds, do what it takes to get healed. We know this is the only body we can have here on earth. If we don’t take care of it, we die. 

Husbands, take care of your wife with the same care as you take care of yourself. Protect her from physical harm. Protect her from emotional harm. Do nothing that will lead her into spiritual harm. She is as important to you as is your own body. God brought Adam and Eve together (Gen 2:15-25). God knows men and women need each other - “It is not good for the man to be alone”. 

Vs. 29-30 - “for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.”

“Nourishes and cherishes” - God planned for man and woman to be together and live as one entity - “They shall become one flesh.” Treating your wife with any less respect than you treat yourself means you are going against the blueprint that God the Father has laid out.

“just as Christ also does the church” - Wow! Husbands, treat your wife like Christ treats the church! Christ voluntarily came from heaven to live as a human. He gave His life on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world. That is all of the sin of all of the world for all of time. The price to redeem every human who has ever lived has been paid. 

Now, the sad (or bad) news. Not everyone will be saved. (See: 1 Tim 1:16)

“we are members of His body” - There are several images in the New Testament about the relationship of the believers and Christ: church, body, bride, temple. Each of these words are used many times (most of them in a normal non-metaphorical sense) in the NT. For example “church” is used about 77 times; seven of which refer to Christ. 

For example: we the church are a holy people (1 Cor 1:2); Jesus is the head over everything of the church (Eph 1:22); He is the head of the body, the church (Col 1:18, 24); the church is God’s household (1 Tim 3:16). The church is seen as the Bride of Christ (See: John 3:29, Rev 19:2, Rev 21:2, 9, 22:17). 

The church is said to be the body of Christ - about 16 times in NT - (See: Rom 12:4-5; 1 Cor 12:12-17; Eph 1:23; Col 1:18; Heb 3:13, etc.) 

We are the temple for Christ (See: 1 Cor 3:15-17, 1 Cor 6:19, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:12). Interestingly, in heaven there will be not temple structure, because God Himself will be the temple - we will worship Him because we will be in Him and He will be in us! (Rev 21:22).
“you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 2:5 )

Vs. 31 - “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. “ (Quoted from Gen 2:25.)

The church is the Bride of Christ (See: John 3:29; Rev 19:2, 21:2, 9, 22:17). The church, the body of believers, will be ‘presented’ to the bridegroom - in your mind picture a royal wedding - the bride in a gorgeous white gown, signifying purity (holiness), being presented to the groom, the Holy One who died for her salvation, before the presence of God, to be joined together as one, and never, ever separated for eternity! The bride and groom are presented to each other, God the Father in all His glory handing us to Jesus Christ in all His glory. We have been made holy because of what He has done. We are His own. He is our own. (See also: John 14:20; 15:4; 17:9, 21, 23). 

Vs. 32 - “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. “

“This mystery is great” - This message is a mystery in this sense: Moses or the prophets did not speak or write about the ‘church’. There are no references to the church in the OT. The body of believers is identified as the church after Peter’s “Great Confession” (Matt 16:13-20). How does one become a ‘member’ of Christ’s church? By believing and confessing that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Who do you say that Jesus is? If you read or hear the testimony, the evidence of what He did. If you hear and believe in Him as Lord and Savior, He will acknowledge you as His own. He will give you the Holy Spirit as earnest guarantee He will return for you that you may be with Him in eternity. 

It is not a mystery “Who Done It” novel. But it has been revealed at the proper time, for our benefit. The prophets did not predict this. They knew and believed that God would prevail and Israel would be saved. But just HOW it was to happen was not understood until after His resurrection, after He appeared to the disciples, after the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost. If we look back at the Old Testament scripture we can see hints and allegations - but we have the benefit of hindsight. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not have Jesus crucified, sentenced to this humiliating death because they were anxious to see Jesus resurrected! They had Him killed to get rid of Him. 

Vs. 33 - “Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”

“Nevertheless” - Paul is not saying “In spite of everything I just said...” The example of Christ loving His body the church is intensely spiritual, and applies to us all. But to get down to practicalities: So, to sum up: Husbands - love your wife with the same intensity as you love yourself. Simple, huh?

“wife must see to it that she respects her husband” - The other side of the man/wife relationship. 

“I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church” - If the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension into heaven was a great mystery, only revealed as it happened, then the believers being empowered by the Holy Spirit was equally amazing!

How do we apply the principles stated above?

Men love the idea that they are to be respected! That’s how they want the marriage to operate.
Women love the idea the husbands are love the wife unconditionally. That’s how they want the marriage to function.
We are plotting with these attitudes how the partners should behave and react, not on how we should conduct our own lives and behavior. We are very concerned that our partner is doing what God instructed them to do for us, but take a 'side-eye' at what He requires in our Christian life. Remember, Jesus rebuked Peter; telling him not to be concerned the 'other guy', but to follow Him. Don't be concerned about your wife or your husband. Be aware that Jesus has commanded you, and you are to obey Him. You will not be judged on someone else's behavior, only on your own!

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Eph. 5:22-24 - Wives, Husbands, Church

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
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.
24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

God’s Heirarchy

This is one of those sets of verses that seems to plant land mines and booby-traps for me. It is one of those topics so fraught with the possibility to be misunderstood. The man-woman relationship is such a hot issue.

From a commentary: “Building on the principle of mutual submission in Eph 5:21 (which itself stems from being filled with the Spirit in v. 18), Paul presents examples of how believers should be subject to one another in household relationships. In the first-century Graeco-Roman world, it was standard for every household member to be subject in daily affairs to the patriarch. This viewpoint was central to Graeco-Roman society.
Paul works within this framework to suggest a model that makes Christ the ultimate authority—his viewpoint is based on mutual love. In these sections of Ephesians, Paul addresses wives and husbands, children and parents, and servants and masters. As he does so, he follows a similar pattern: He first calls on the subordinate—according to Graeco-Roman values—to submit to authority, and then reminds the superior to exercise authority considerately, in ways that honor Christ. Compare Col 3:18–4:1.” (See Note 1, below)

The subject of submission is carried into chapter 6 of this letter. Paul was quite aware of submission - slaves to masters, children to parents, wives to husbands, husbands to Jesus Christ. The church - in fact, all believers - are in submission to Christ. A commentary opined: “Submission does not mean inferiority. As well, submission does not mean silence. Submission means ‘sub-mission.’ There is a mission for the Christian marriage, and that mission is obeying and glorifying God.” (See Note 2, below)

Wives

Vs. 22 - “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord." - The people who are staunchly advocating women’s rights may take umbrage at these sections of verses. However comma…

"as to the Lord." This is about the marriage relationship, not about politics, business, education, etc. This not about men being superior to women; this only concerns the home and church.

I think that David Guzik’s commentary explains this very well: “The words in the fear of God describe what should be our motive for submitting to one another. We should submit to one other — see ourselves no longer in an individualistic way, but as a unit, as a company or a battalion — out of respect for God the Father,  respect for Jesus Christ… The motive for submission is not social kindness. The motive for submission is not the law of God. The motive for submission is respect for Jesus Christ. If we respect Jesus, we then should submit to one another because we love Jesus. Paul uses the term fear in this passage, but it is a fear — a respect — that is compatible with love. It is a fear of disappointing Jesus, a fear of grieving Him. That is totally compatible with love. When you really respect someone, you care about pleasing him or her, and you are afraid to disappoint that one.” (See Note 2, below)

Paul is not saying women are inferior to men, or that wives are inferior to their husbands; those concepts are neither scriptural nor Christian. Paul is emphasizing the ‘team’ or ‘squad’ idea. The idea that a woman is inferior to a man is concentrating on the individuals, a very secular way of thinking. Our salvation is not dependent on our selves, or our abilities, or social status. We are wholly and completely saved only by the power of Jesus Christ. We owe everything to Him. What He wants must be our command, not just a suggestion.
For example: On a football team, every player is necessary. There may be a spectacular play, but the touchdown reception happens when the coach calls the right play, the team blocks the opponents correctly, the receiver runs the right route, the other receivers provide enough deception that they cannot be ignored, the quarterback throws the ball to the correct spot, and the receiver catches the ball. We, the church, are all vital to the mission set before us - to reach the lost and share the gospel. See: “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Rom 12:5)

Also, from Guzik’s commentary, submission “means: ‘Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands because it is a part of your duty to the Lord, because it is an expression of your submission to the Lord.’ Or, ‘Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands; do it in this way, do it as a part of your submission to the Lord.’ In other words, you are not doing it only for the husband, you are doing it primarily for the Lord Himself… You are doing it for Christ’s sake; you are doing it because you know that He exhorts you to do it. It is well-pleasing in His sight that you should be doing it. It is part of your Christian behaviour, it is a part of your discipleship.” (Lloyd-Jones) (See Note 2, below)

Vs. 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.”

After the fall in the Garden (Gen 3:1-19), God did not change that symbiotic relationship when He ejected them from the garden, and He has not changed it when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In fact, the concept is enhanced by our Savior, and is the third reason for the submission of wife to husband. Jesus Christ is the head of the church - it does not exist without His sacrifice and resurrection - the church submits to Him. Jesus Christ is the head over man, the man and husband - the Christian man submits to Him, as is fitting and commanded.

“For the husband is the head of the wife” - Here is the second reason regarding submission. We see in Gen 2:18-24, man (the male) was created first, and the woman (the female) was created after. She was created to be a companion and partner for the man - and it was good. They were created for each other, and each had a role with respect to each other.

“as Christ also is the head of the church” - After the fall in the Garden (Gen 3:1-19),when He ejected them from the garden, God did not change that symbiotic relationship; and He has not changed it when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In fact, the concept is enhanced by our Savior, and is the third reason for the submission of wife to husband. Jesus Christ is the head of the church - it does not exist without His sacrifice and resurrection - the church submits to Him. Jesus Christ is the head over man, the man and husband - the Christian man submits to Him, as is fitting and commanded.

Vs. 24 - “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”

“so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything” - Jesus Christ is head over the woman - even if she is not married - and the Christian woman submits to her husband and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the hierarchy ordained by the Lord.

“Everything” - There may be exceptions to the “everything”, Guzik highlights the following: “When the husband asks or expects the wife to sin, she is free from her obligation to submit. This applies in a place of clearly Biblical sin — such as signing a fraudulent tax return. It also applies in matters of true Christian conscience. But we must be very careful to distinguish between true Christian conscience and mere opinion. Yet the wife does not have to submit to a request to commit sin…When the husband is medically incapacitated or insane, she is free from her obligation to submit… A wife does not have to submit to the requests a husband makes when he is insane or medically incapacitated… When the husband is physically abusive and endangers the safety of the wife or children, the wife is free from her obligation to submit. She does not have to submit to his violence… When the husband breaks the marriage bond by adultery. Obviously, a wife does not have to submit to her husband’s adultery, and just accept it. The Bible says she has the right to ‘come out from under his rank’ in such cases. ‘If the husband has been guilty of adultery the wife is no longer bound to give him obedience in everything. She can divorce him, she is allowed to do so by the Scripture. She is entitled to do so because adultery breaks the unity, breaks the relationship. They are now separate and no longer one. He has broken the unity, he has gone out of it. So we must not interpret this Scripture as teaching that the wife is this irrevocably, inevitably bound to an adulterous husband for the rest of her life. She may choose to be — that is for her to decide. All I am saying is, that this Scripture does not command it.’ (Lloyd-Jones)” (See Note 2)

To Sum up - Three Basic Reasons for Submission: The church is a collection of believers.  Submission to Christ our Lord is a foundational to the mission which is to seek and save the lost, which includes the husband/wife relationship. God has set up a hierarchy for all creation,  which is in submission to Christ, and includes wife/husband relationship. Jesus Christ is Lord, and we submit to Him because we love Him as He loved us - the husband is to demonstrate that love to his wife.

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Note 1: copied from ‘Faithlife Bible” found on Logos App.
Note 2: Guzik, David. “Commentary on Ephesians”, Blue Letter Bible App. There is much more in the commentary mentioned above, and I can’t quote it all here. I suggest that you look it up and read his comments.

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Eph. 5:18-21 - Be Filled by Holy Spirit

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Faith and Nothing but Faith

Paul continues his discussion of living a consistent Christian life. We may wonder how do we do that. We may wonder about the 'rules' for living; what the guidelines may be. We want directions; we want boundaries. Paul boils it down to a simple step.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Vs. 18 - “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”

“But be filled with the Spirit” - What an interesting juxtaposition: drunk compared to filled with Holy Spirit. I have heard various and sundry explanations for this verse. A view that makes some sense to me is as follows: When you get drunk your behavior is not completely under control. The alcohol has reduced your ability to act in socially normal manners. You have lost control (you do stupid things, or at least behaviors you would never do when sober).

So, Paul is urging us to release our self-control, submit to the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to lead and teach us everything we need to know to live for Christ. Abandon your ‘natural’ inhibitions to the power of the Holy Spirit. Your ‘natural self’ would advise you to take care of yourself first, to not bother someone with the gospel (they might be offended), to not pray in public, etc. Your new nature, guided by the Holy Spirit will be led to speak openly about Christ; to live and chaste and clean life.

Vs. 19-20 - speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father

“Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody” - Encourage each other with singing and songs. Songs and singing are not to take the place of teaching and preaching. People often sing when they are happy. There are several examples in scripture: the song of Miriam (Exo 15:20-21), Moses and Israel’s song (Exo 15:1-18), Moses’ song (Deut 32:1-43), Mary’s song (Luke 1:45-55), and in heaven (Rev. 5:9, 15:3).

“always giving thanks for all things” - We give thanks to Jesus for what He has done! We give thanks to God the Father for providing to us salvation through His Son! We are thankful for more than salvation - salvation is plenty for which to be thankful! He has given us so much more - life and breath, family and friends, peace with God, the peace of God, day to work, night to rest. All is from Him and through Him!

“To God, even the Father” - To God, that is, the Father of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Vs. 21 - “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

“be subject to one another” - We have a responsibility to each other as Christians, as members of the church, the body of Christ as well as responsibility to Jesus as our savior. Paul writes to other churches concerning care for each other as Christians. In Rom 15:1 he tells us we are to bear “the weaknesses of those without strength.”
Also, Paul writes: “Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else.” (Gal 6:1-4)

James also lets us know we are responsible to: “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” (Jam 5:16) Dietrich Bonnhoeffer wrote in Life Together:  “A confession of sin in the presence of all the members of the congregation is not required to restore one to community with the entire congregation. In the one other Christian to whom I confess my sins and by whom my sins are declared forgiven, I meet the whole congregation... For here it is not a matter of acting according to one’s own orders and authority, but according to the command of Jesus Christ, which is intended for the whole congregation, on whose behalf the individual is called merely to carry it out.”

As a Christian you are not responsible to Jesus alone. You are definitely responsible to God for your behavior. But you are also responsible to the Christians around you - for your actions will be reflected upon the church of Christ in this world.

“In the fear of Christ” - God says in Isaiah 8:13, “The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, you have peace, you are forgiven. God is a fierce and loving God. Fear for that fierceness, and thanksgiving for that love propels us to follow His commands for us.

We show our love for Him, because as Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them... Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” (John 14:21, 23)

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Eph. 5:15-17 - Be Careful

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

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The Days Are Evil

Vs. 15 - “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,”

“Therefore be careful how you walk” - Take care in how you live out your Christian life. The world around you will be watching - ready to pounce if you stray, ready to cry “Hypocrite! Hypocrite!” Ready to pronounce you a failure as a Christian. Whereas others may try to keep parts of their lifestyle hidden, yours should open for all to see.

“not as unwise men but as wise” - 'Unwise' is living as if God does not exist, or doesn’t care how you live. See: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” (Heb 4:12-13)

The essence of being ‘wise’, especially in the Wisdom writings in the Old Testament, is following God’s word or commands. Ignoring God, or turning on Him is unwise. See: “Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.“ (Deut 32:6) God is telling them, “After all that I have done for you; things you could never have done for yourself...”

Vs. 16 - “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

“making the most of your time” - A saying circulated a few years ago, “You are confusing motion with progress.” Another asked the question, “You say you have 15 years of experience of Christian life, are you sure it isn’t 1 year’s experience 15 times?” Paul is urging them to be sure they are focusing on Jesus and what He wants done. Listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Follow Him where He leads. Otherwise you are ‘running in place’, getting all sweaty and exhausted but getting nowhere.

“because the days are evil” - We live in a fallen and broken world - it seems all the days are fraught with evil. We know that Satan is always working to frustrate the cause and ministry of the church. The best way to get us to follow false teachings is to make them an admixture of the truth and lies. Most will not be sucked in by the outrageous big lie, such as stuff you see in movies - e.g., “The DaVinci Code” - or heresies such as Mary Magdalene and Jesus were sexual partners. But more subtle jabs, such the TV series “The Good Place”, or “God Friended Me”, are portraying God as needing help, or just not aware of what is happening. (I am not saying these TV comedies are evil - they don’t have a scriptural basis.) We always must be aware, checking what we are being told or taught with scripture.

Vs. 17 - “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

“Do not be foolish” - Don’t be deceived by false teachers. We can be lead on the wrong path, if what is being taught is almost correct; it has that hint of believability. Compare the teachings to the Bible. See: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3 , Also: James 1:16; 1 Cor 15:33)
“We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ.” (Col 1:28)
“I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable.” (Col 2:4)
“Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” ( Col 2:8 )

“Understand what the will of the Lord” - One of the reasons I love my faith, Christianity, is that it is simple yet deep; it is pure and uncluttered. No secret handshakes, no mysterious puzzles to solve. No secret ‘knowledge’ available to only a select few - who we must ‘trust’ since they have it and we don’t. No pilgrimages, no quests, nothing I need to do except believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. He paid the penalty for the sin of the world - mine are lumped in there. He died. He is resurrected and sitting with God the Father, ready to welcome me to my new home with them. It will be a joyous wedding of church as the bride and the Lord Jesus as the bridegroom. God’s will is that I will be with face-to-face to commune and worship, and share His glory!

Eph. 5:13-14 - Exposed by Light

Ephesians 5:13-14

13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
14 For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."

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All Things Become Visible

Vs. 13 - “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

“all things become visible” - This is about more than exposing evil. If that was all it takes to get rid of evil, pornography, prostitution, sexual sins, any criminal act would go away when revealed. In our experience, is that so? No, it is not! We fight tooth and nail, scratch and claw at crime and evil. Yet it is still here, and sometimes seems to prevail. The hope and prayer is that as evil deeds are shown to be what they are - evil, there will be people won to Christ who compare the deeds of those doing evil to the deeds of those living the Christian life.
See: John 3:19-21 - “Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God

“everything that becomes visible is light” - Not that visible things emit light, or are light sources, but that everything that has light shone upon it becomes visible. We can see the evil of pornography as it is exposed. See the spiritual destruction of sexual deviations, or sexual crimes, of crime of any sort. See the coarsening of our morals and culture - all because of tolerating evil deeds. 

These types of human behaviors should never be allowed in the church - especially in the church. We can speak out against pornography, prostitution, adultery, etc., but the natural world has no remedy - they do not have Jesus. Many times they do not want to hear that what they are doing is harmful to their soul.

Vs. 14 - “For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead” - Quoted from: Isa 51:17, 52:1, 60:1, 26:14a, 19a. This not a reference to the rapture, or resurrection. Wake up from your spiritual darkness. Turn from spiritual death. See: “Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and ‘live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?' “ (Eze 33:11 )

Indeed, why should you die in your sin? Wake from your stupor. Turn from your confusion. Let the Light of God shine into your heart and soul. Be born again to new life, eternal life in Christ Jesus!

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