Ephesians 5:21-6:9 The Content

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.

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 THE 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.

6:1 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.

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 eyeservice, 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.

Part Two: The Content

This page continues from Part One: The Context, in which the contextual background to Ephesians was given.

Structure

The structure of the exhortations is worded for the most part uniformly. There is first the addressee, followed by an imperative, and then a figure or simile exemplifying the imperative or rationalising the directive.

Addressee Imperative figure reason

wives submit Christ and the church headship

husbands love Christ loved the church sanctification

children obey − commandment & promise

fathers do not provoke − −

slaves be obedient as to Christ rewards from God

masters do not threaten − God’s impartiality

Instructions to wives

In the instructions addressed to wives, the imperative is first given, that wives be subject to their husbands, and this is followed by modifier, ‘as to the Lord’. Verse 23 gives the reason for the subjection, employing strong parallelism: as Christ to the church, so husbands to wives. Headship is first emphasised, then the point is repeated in regards to subjection. Interestingly, this is not a command for all women to be in submission to all men; rather the focus is on the marital relationship alone.

Main instruction: Be subject (as to the Lord) in everything.

Reason: FOR the husband is the head of the wife

Simile: AS Christ is the head of the church (He is, after all, its Saviour)

Same reason in reverse: AS the church is subject to Christ SO wives to their husbands.

Instructions to husbands

The instructions to husbands also employ parallelisms, but are noteworthy for their thrice-repeated instruction for husbands to love their wives (vs.25,28,33). Christ’s self-sacrificial love is given in verse 25 as the main reason for a husband to love his wife, together with the reasons and results of such love. The church’s sanctification and cleansing is given in verse 26 as the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice, not as an analogy of the husband-wife relationship. The water in verse 26 may allude to baptism.

A more human reason is then given, that of man’s natural self-centred care as an illustration of Christ’s care for the church, which itself illustrates the husband’s care for his wife, who is, after all, part of the husband’s own flesh, according to the text quoted from the book of Genesis.

Main instruction: Love your wives
Manner: AS Christ loved the church AND gave Himself up for her
            Reasons for Christ’s actions:     TO make her holy
                                                            TO cleanse her (by the washing of the word-water)
                                                            TO present her to Himself
                        The church then is:        Glorious or radiant
                                                            Having no stain or blemish
                                                            Holy and blameless
Return to main argument: Husbands should love their wives
Manner: AS their own bodies
            Reason: He who loves his wife loves himself
            Explanation of reason: no one hates his own body, but rather feeds and cares for it.
            Application of reason: AS Christ loves the church
                        Reason for Christ’s love: BECAUSE we are members of His body
Supporting scripture: Gen 2:24 The two shall be one flesh.
Clarification of supporting scripture: This is a great mystery but I am talking about Christ and the church.
Return to main argument: Each one must love his wife
Manner: AS himself
Link to previous section: AND the wife must respect her husband.

Instructions to children

The instructions to children are concise, as if the apostle did not find it necessary to give further argument. Perhaps he anticipated no debate on this issue. However he did include scriptural encouragement of a reward to obedient children.

Main instruction: Obey your parents (in the Lord)
Reason: FOR this is right.
Supporting scripture: Deut 5:16 Honour your father and mother.
Comment on scripture: It contains a promise of a reward: long life.

Instructions to fathers

The instructions to fathers follow. The NET Bible contains a footnote here that the term may also be translated ‘parents’ as the plural “can be used to refer to both the male and female parent”. The instructions here are likewise concise, illustrated with a simple contrast.

Main instruction: Do not provoke your children to anger.
Clarification by way of contrast: BUT bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Instructions to Slaves

Slaves are then instructed to be obedient, and Paul goes to great lengths to explain the manner of obedience that is expected before promising a blessing for the obedient.

Main instruction: Be obedient to your earthly masters
            Manner of obedience:   WITH fear and trembling
                                                IN sincerity of heart
                                                AS to Christ
Clarification by way of contrast: NOT by way of eyeservice BUT as slaves of Christ
            ‘Eyeservice’ defined: AS menpleasers
            Manner of obedience:   AS to the Lord
                                                NOT to men
Reason: Good will be rewarded
            Clarification of reason: This applies to both slaves and free.

Instructions to Masters

Masters are instructed in the treatment of their slaves, as an echo of Paul’s comments thus far. The phrase ‘in the same way’ could refer to the way slaves were to work ‘as to Christ’ or to one or more of the other principles previously stated. Masters are cautioned against verbal abuse and reminded that they are but slaves themselves, of He who does not regard persons. Thus the phrase ‘in the same way’ could also refer to Paul’s reference in verse eight to God’s impartiality.

Main instruction: Treat your slaves IN THE SAME WAY.
Second instruction: Give up the use of threats
Reason: Both slaves and masters have the same Master in heaven
Second reason: That Master is completely impartial

Summary of the Passage

If verse 21 is the concluding sentence of the previous section, then it states that submission is one of the ways spirit-filled people act. If, however, verse 21 is in fact the opening paragraph of the section on family guidelines, then Paul begins his exhortation with a general call for submission. This submission is not based on social or moral customs but immediately cites the believers’ relationship with the Lord as the motivating reason.

Wives are then instructed to be in submission to their husbands based again on their relationship to the Lord. Marriage is twice compared with Christ’s relationship with the church, and the limitations of that analogy are expressed.

Surprisingly, husbands are not instructed to lead their wives or to ensure they submit, but are thrice exhorted to love them with Christ’s self-sacrificing love. Christ’s motives are presented, that the husbands may emulate them. Paul then explains in great detail the intimacy of the marital union, and the analogous representation it makes of Christ and the church, as convincing proof of the need for husbands to love their wives in the manner that Christ does the church.

Children are told to obey and honour their parents, with the application of a promise of a long happy life.

Fathers are shown the contrast between provocation and godly discipline, which produce respectively anger and the Lord’s instruction.

Slaves are also told to obey, because of their relationship with the Lord. This produces willing, faithful service, regardless of the character of the master. The slaves’ obedience is based on the knowledge that they are in fact first and foremost slaves of God.

Finally, masters are urged to be temperate in their treatment of their slaves, again due to the paramount presence of the Lord of all. Masters are reminded that they are no different from their slaves in God’s sight.

Next …

Please read Part Three: Definitions.

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