Skip to main content

Ephesians 5:22- 6:9, My Observations [21.5]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with Intro [1] and then continue in order.

These are my answers to the questions I asked in my previous post [21]:

DAY 1
wives
husbands
children
fathers
slaves
masters


DAYS 2 AND 3
1) Wives
1. submit to your own husbands v22
  -as to the Lord
Why? For the husband is the head of the wife
=as Christ is the head of the church
2. as the church submits to Christ = wives should submit in everything to their husbands v24
3. let the wife see that she respects her husband v33

Husbands
1. love your wives v25
-as Christ loved the church
2. in the same way (as Christ loved the church) should love their wives as their own bodies
-he who loves his wife loves himself v28
-we don't hate our bodies, but: v29
-nourish
-cherish our flesh
-because we are members of his body v30
3. leave his father and mother v31
4. hold fast to his wife v31
-and the two shall become one flesh v31
5. let each one of you love his wife as himself v33

Questions
2) "23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."

I think it shows the importance of that authority. It would be hard to give a stonger comparison than saying that "the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church..." So because of that authority, she should submit "in everything".
But the fact that the church is "his body, and is himself its Savior" also tells us more about the nature of that relationship. Christ is the head of the body, part of it, and it's hard to get more intimate than that! And because of that connection, of course he would always want to act in its best interest, just like the husband and wife are one and the husband and wife should do the same. They are one, so what one does affects the other.

3) "25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."

Jesus loved the church so much that he gave his life for her. In the same way, husands are to love their wives in a sacrificial manner. For a small few, that could mean literally giving up their lives. But for most, it means those everyday interactions where he is laying down his own personal wants and desires for the sake of his wife.

Now obviously, Jesus is the only one who can sanctify and cleanse the church, a husband cannot do that for his wife. But I wonder if the comparison is made because the way a husband interacts with his wife should always be encouraging her in sanctification, righteousness, and holiness.

4) "28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body."

Just like each of us takes care of our own bodies, husbands should take care of and love their wives, because husbands and wives are one.


DAY 4
1) Children
1. Obey your parents
  -in the Lord
Why? For this is right.
2. Honor your father and mother
Why? Promise: that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land

Fathers
1. do not provoke your children to anger  v4
2. bring them up in the discipline and instrucion of the Lord

Bondservants
1. obey your earthly masters  v5
-with fear and trembling
-with a sincere heart
-as you would Christ
-not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers
-as bondservants of Christ
-doing the will of God from the heart
Reason? knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord

Masters
1. do the same to them*
2. stop your threatening
Reason? knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,
-and that there is no partiality with him

*not sure about this, but I wouldn't think he would be referring to the obeying, but rather the attitude that is reflected in these parts of the commands to the bondservants:
So master your bondservants
-with fear and trembling
-with a sincere heart
-as you would Christ
-not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers
-as bondservants of Christ
-doing the will of God from the heart
Or it could be referring back to this: knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free
More on that in the next blog with thoughts on the passage...

Questions
2) "6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.'”

Only children are commanded to obey their parents, but everyone is commanded to honor their parents. And this command continues even after the parents are dead. A child could obey their parents without honoring them, but they are commanded to do both.

3) I think the honoring is harder than the obeying because it has more to do with the heart. Anyone could be doing what someone asked them or commanded them to do and look good on the outside, but have a terrible, complaining attitude on the inside.

DAY 5
God
 -he wants us to do His will from the heart v.6
 - Master of both bondservants and masters v9
 - in heaven
 -there is no partiality with him

Jesus Christ
=as Christ is the head of the church
-his body
-its Savior

Christ loved the church
-and gave himself up for her
-that he might sanctify her
-having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word
-so that he might present the church to himself
-in splendor
-without spot
-or wrinkle
-or any such thing

Interesting, but in this section, Jesus is mostly referred to as Christ and sometimes as Lord, but never as Jesus.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ephesians 5:22-6:9 [21]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with  Intro [1]  and then continue in order. Well, we are almost done with Ephesians - only two sections left! I know it has been a lot of work, but hopefully you have seen some of the benefits of digging into God's word. Don't quit yet, persevere to the end and get that good fruit that comes from studying diligently! DAY 1 Now we move on to specific instructions for specific groups of people. So first of all, read through 5:22-6:9 and note all the different people Paul addresses. Mark them a certain way, if you would like. DAYS 2 AND 3 1) List the commands Paul gives to wives and husbands and any reasons he gives for the commands. 2) How do verses 23 and 24 help to flesh out what it means for a wife to submit to her husband? 3) How does the comparison of Christ loving the church in verses 25-27 help us to understand how husbands are to love their wives? 4) Same question for 28-30 as above... If you are a wi...

Victory!!! - Thoughts on Ephesians 6:10-24 [24]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with  Intro [1]  and then continue in order. "11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore..." Ephesians 6  ESV I wondered at the emphasis on stand: stand v 11, withstand and stand firm v 13, stand v 14. Why stand? Then I thought of earthly wars. How often is a commander content that his army just stand their ground? Aren't they usually trying to advance? Gain more ground? I found what my Pastor Timothy had to say to be helpful: We stand, in this case, because the ground has already been won (cf. Thielm...

Ephesians 6:10-24 - My Observations [23.5]

If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to start with  Intro [1]  and then continue in order. I think I have said this before, but as with all of my observation posts, these are not necessarily the only right answers. These are my observations of the text and my answers to the questions. I have provided these for people who like to know that they are on the right track. But please don't think, just because you came up with something else, that it is wrong. On the other hand, if you come up with something that is different than you have ever heard before, it would probably be good to discuss it with a mature believer, to make sure you are on the right track. DAY 2 1) we do not wrestle against -flesh and -blood v12 BUT against 2) -against the rulers -against the authorities -against the cosmic powers over this present darkness -against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places  v12 3) v11 Put on the whole armor of God -that you may be ...