Ephesians 5:22-27

Ephesians 5:22–27 NASB95

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 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. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 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.

5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Notes:

Q: Where might we expect to find the expectation to ‘be subject’ in our lives today?

Q: Why is our culture dislike the idea of subjection?

Q: Are there limits to, “be subject”?

Q: What does a godly subjection look like?

I believe an appropriate understanding of ‘being subject’ is dependent on an appropriate understanding of authority.

Subjection isn’t appropriate when the authority is demanding submission to sin.

1 Peter 2:13–14 NASB95

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

1 Peter 3:1–2 NASB95

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

1 Peter 3:5–6 NASB95

For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

How do we be subject to that which is imperfect as unto the Lord?

5:23 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.

Notes:

A likeness of position and kind.

Husband’s hold a position of headship like that of Christ with the church.

Husband’s ought to hold that position of headship with the interest of their wive’s greatest good.

5:24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Notes:

There is absoluteness to the subjection we have to Christ. There is nothing left out. Similarly, Paul encourages wives to subject in everything.

With what heart disposition do we subject ourselves to Christ as the church?

Our service ought not be out of reluctance.

If there is a rote subservience to Christ then something is wrong.

Why may that be?

We may not have a view of the grace of Christ.

We may not experience the love of Christ through the church.

We may not experience the love of Christ through the proclamation of the gospel.

We have a distorted view of Christ.

We are living in sin and are not walking in the Spirit.

Again, I believe submission ideally ought to be on the basis of position and kind.

The kind of the love which we experience in Christ encourages us to a willful, glad submission.

That glad submission is the fruit of husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church.

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

Notes:

If the call to wives is to be subject to their husbands in everything, the call to husbands is to love their lives with everything they have even unto death.

We now have a picture of both husband and wives being absolutely committed to each other. The part we need to be careful of here is being transactional.

Luke 6:32–34 NASB95

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

There’s nothing praiseworthy about being wholly committed to something that rewards you for every penny of your investment.

Luke 6:35 NASB95

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

In order for this to work there must be an underlying faith that this work is being done for God and in His strength.

Wives submit, “as unto the Lord”.

Husbands love, “as Christ loved the church.”

With great humility in submission to the will of the Father. Waiting until after His death and ultimately until His return for that day when His bride will be perfect.

Can you imagine if Jesus loved his church in the transactional way we love each other at times?

We would be hopeless!

Philippians 2:5–8 NASB95

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

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

Notes:

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.

Notes:

Is Paul describing the effect of Christ’s love for the church or is there an application point for the leadership of a husband?

A pastor’s responsibility isn’t to sanctify the church. That ability rests with the Holy Spirit, and yet the Holy Spirit uses the preaching of the Word, the presence of the love of Christ in the gospel to sanctify His people.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 NASB95

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

Romans 2:4 NASB95

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

1 Corinthians 1:30–31 NASB95

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The presence of Christ’s likeness in husband’s through love, kindness, tolerance, patience, and truth works as means of the Holy Spirit to sanctify their wives. The Holy Spirit has from the beginning been saving and sanctifying through faith in the gospel. We should not be surprised when the image of the gospel in the life of husbands brings about holiness and blamelessness in the lives of