Ep. 327. Ephesians 5-6 | Our Wrestle

EPISODE 327

OUR WRESTLE: EPHESIANS 5-6

Two things that I think are absolutely essential to understand from these latter chapters of Ephesians:

First, please consider the context before discussing how wives should submit to their husbands. Ephesians 5:21 says that the believers should be "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Now, some people will take this one step further and say that this is how husbands and wives should relate to one another, but that is still two steps too short. When we keep reading in Chapter Six (don't let the chapter break destroy your contextual reading) we see that the "submission" carries over to the parent/child relationship and the slave/master relationship as well. The discussion on marriage at the end of chapter five, while important, is part of the larger discussion of submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. All three of these first-century relationship examples should be viewed through the filter of 5:21.

Second, the part on spiritual warfare in Chapter Six, while significant, is secondary to the point being made that a believer's enemies are not the flesh and blood varieties but the spiritual varieties. This is yet another way for Paul to emphasize the importance of the unity of the believers. We have seen this theme used broadly in this short letter. Usually, when we get to this part of Ephesians, we direct our teaching to the topic of battling spiritual forces in the heavenly places, but of course, that is not the primary theme of the letter. (But you should take note of how Paul utilizes "heavenly places" throughout this letter. I am sure you will find it interesting."

ADDITIONAL READING: 1 John 1:7; Colossians 3:1-17; Genesis 2:24; Exodus 20:12