Ephesians 5.21-Ephesians 5.21 is a Janus Verse
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 22, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:21-Ephesians 5:21 is a Janus Verse
Lesson # 373
Ephesians 5:15 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of paying careful attention to the manner in which each and every one of you make it your habit of conducting your lives. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to not make it your habit of conducting your lives in an unwise manner. On the contrary, each and every one of you must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives in a wise manner 16 by continuing to make it your habit of taking full advantage of your opportunity for your own benefit because these days are characterized by evil. 17 For this reason, each and every one of must continue to make it your habit of not conducting your lives as foolish individuals. On the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives as wise individuals by comprehending for the purpose of personal application what constitutes the Lord’s will (for the manner in which each one of you as a corporate unit are to continue making it your habit of conducting your life). 18 Consequently, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of not permitting yourselves to be drunk by means of the excessive intake of wine because this is non-sensical behavior. On the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of permitting yourselves to be influenced by means of the Spirit’s teaching 19 with the result that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of communicating with one another by means of psalms, hymns as well as spiritual songs so that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of singing and specifically continuing to make it your habit of making music with your hearts for the benefit of the Lord. 20 This also results in each and every one of you as a corporate unit continuing to make it your habit of always expressing thanks to the one and only God, namely the Father because of each and every circumstance on the basis of the merits of the name possessed by the Lord ruling over each and every one of us as a corporate unit. 21 Furthermore, this results in each and every one of you as a corporate unit continuing to make it your habit voluntarily subordinating yourselves to one another based upon reverential respect for the self-sacrificial love of Christ on behalf of each and every one of you as a corporate unit. (Lecturer’s translation)
As we noted, the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) pertains to voluntarily subordinating oneself to another in the sense of occupying a lower class, rank or position than each other.
Thus, the verb expresses the idea of the members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia continuing to voluntarily subordinate themselves to one another in the sense of placing themselves in a lower class, rank or position than each other for the purpose of ministering or serving each other.
Now, like the participle conjugation of the verbs laleō (λαλέω), adō (ᾄδω) and psallō (ψάλλω) in Ephesians 5:19 and the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) in Ephesians 5:20, the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) here in Ephesians 5:21 functions as a nominative in simple apposition.
Therefore, it serves to identify another result of the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching.
Namely, that they would continue to make it their habit of voluntarily subordinating themselves to one another based upon their reverential respect for the self-sacrificial love and service the Lord Jesus Christ performed for all of them at the cross.
Like the participle conjugation of the verbs laleō (λαλέω), adō (ᾄδω) and psallō (ψάλλω) in Ephesians 5:19 and the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) in Ephesians 5:20, the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) here in Ephesians 5:21 is also a customary present tense.
The present tense not only expresses the idea of the members of the Gentile Christian community “making it their habit of” voluntarily subordinating themselves to one another based upon their reverential respect for the self-sacrificial love of Lord Jesus Christ for them but also of “continuing” to do so.
This is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 1:15 and 4:30-24, which affirm that the recipients of this epistle were already making it their habit of obeying Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching.
Like the participle conjugation of the verbs laleō (λαλέω), adō (ᾄδω) and psallō (ψάλλω) in Ephesians 5:19 and the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) in Ephesians 5:20, the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) here in Ephesians 5:21 functions as a participle of result, which indicates the actual outcome or result of the action of the main verb.
The main verb appears in Ephesians 5:18 and is the second person plural present passive imperative conjugation of the verb plēroō (πληρόω).
As we noted in our study of Ephesians 5:19-20, many interpreters view the participles in Ephesians 5:19-21 as a participle of means.
However, believers are not filled or specifically influenced by the Spirit by communicating with one another by means of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs but rather by obeying the Spirit inspired Scriptures.
In fact, the five participles which appear in Ephesians 5:19-21 are all presenting the result of the believer obeying the Spirit inspired Scriptures.
In this context, they are presenting the result of the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching in this letter.
Therefore, the verb here in Ephesians 5:21 functions as a participle of result, which we noted indicates the actual outcome or result of the action of the main verb. As we noted, the main verb appears in Ephesians 5:18 and is the second person plural present passive imperative conjugation of the verb plēroō (πληρόω).
Therefore, the participle conjugation of the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) expresses the idea of the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by the means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching “with the result that” they continue to make it their habit of voluntarily subordinating themselves to one another.
Ephesians 5:21 constitutes a “janus” verse, which is a term named after the Roman god of doorways with one head and two faces looking in opposite directions and is a term applied to a literary unit that looks back and forth to unite the units before and after.
A comparison of the contents of Ephesians 5:18-20 with the contents of Ephesians 5:22-6:9 indicate that the contents of Ephesians 5:21 are connected to the contents of Ephesians 5:18-20 and correspondingly, the contents of Ephesians 5:21 are also connected to the contents of Ephesians 5:22-6:9.
That the contents of Ephesians 5:21 is connected to the contents of Ephesians 5:18-20 is indicated by the fact that the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) functions as a nominative in simple apposition, which serves to identify another result of the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching.
Namely, that they would continue to make it their habit of voluntarily subordinating themselves to one another based upon their reverential respect for the self-sacrificial love and service the Lord Jesus Christ performed for all of them at the cross.
Secondly, that the contents of Ephesians 5:21 are connected to the contents of Ephesians 5:18-20.
This is indicated by the fact that the verb hupotassomai (ὑποτάσσομαι) as we also noted earlier functions as a participle of result, which we noted indicates the actual outcome or result of the action of the main verb.
The main verb appears in Ephesians 5:18 and is the second person plural present passive imperative conjugation of the verb plēroō (πληρόω).
That the contents of Ephesians 5:21 is connected to the contents of Ephesians 5:22-6:9 is indicated by the fact that the latter reminds the Christian community of the responsibilities of wives in relation to their husbands as well as husbands in relation to their wives.
The wives were to subordinate themselves to their husbands (cf. Eph. 5:22-27) and the husbands were to love their wives like Christ loved the church (cf. Eph. 5:28-33).
Also, that the contents of Ephesians 5:21 is connected to the contents of 5:22-6:9 is indicated by the fact that the latter reminds the Christian community of the responsibilities of the children in relation to their parents and the parents in relation to their children.
The children were to obey their parents in the Lord (cf. Eph. 6:1-3) and the parents were not to provoke their children to anger (cf. Eph. 6:4a) and raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (cf. Eph. 6:4b).
Furthermore, that the contents of Ephesians 5:21 is connected to the contents of 5:22-6:9 is indicated by the fact that the latter reminds the Christian community of the responsibilities of the slaves in relation to their masters and the masters in relation to their slaves.
Slaves were to obey with enthusiasm their masters with fear and trembling in the sincerity of their heart to Christ because the Lord will reward them at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church for doing so (cf. Eph. 6:5-8).
Masters were to treat their slaves the same way by not threatening their slaves because they like their slaves will have to give an account for their treatment of their slaves at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church (cf. Eph. 6:9).
So therefore, Paul is teaching in Ephesians 5:18-21 that all believers are to subordinate themselves to each other by serving one another, which is accomplished by obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them.
The believer’s spiritual gift functions when they are obeying this command and thus they are subordinating themselves to each other and thus serving each other.
On the other hand, the apostle is teaching in Ephesians 5:22-6:9 that believers are to subordinate to one another with regard to various relationships in their community.
Namely, wives are to subordinate themselves to their husbands, children are to subordinate themselves to their parents, slaves are to subordinate themselves to their masters.
Therefore, in the contents of Ephesians 5:22-6:9, Paul is speaking of believers subordinating themselves to the authority of the husbands, parents, and masters.
This authority was delegated to them by the Lord Jesus Christ and the use of such authority, they will have to give an account to the Lord at the Bema Seat.
