One of the most amazing, interesting, mysterious, and very practical scriptures in the bible that we will find to study is Ephesians chapter six, verses twenty-one through thirty-three. You look at the set of scriptures at first and see that it is obviously about
marriage. But as you read you find that you are dealing with something deep along with something practical, something mysterious, illustrating something everyday. As
you go further and read on and read it again a few times it gets better and better. Here we find the marriage relationship perfectly illustrated and guided by the truth
of how the relationship between Christ and the Church should and will be. Jesus' relationships while here on earth are the best examples of what we must be as Christians but if not for Paul's writings here in Ephesians would we have thought of or realized this perfect complement of doctrine and practice. Would we have seen these two institutions of God so similarly related to each other that they are taught and better understood one for the other?
In this most practical section of Ephesians Paul suddenly introduces this tremendous doctrine of the church to Jesus Christ and vise versa. He does so because
the two teaching here are so intertwined that they can’t be separated just as our lives at home in family must be the same as that at our congregation as a Christian. This passage shows that the truth of God's word must not only be something we know but something we use everyday in our lives. We find here in these eleven verses that marriage cannot be fully understood without understanding the relationship between Christ and the church and that Christ and the church can be better understood by the imagery of the marriage.(Jones 97)
There are two of these images in this text that I would like to discuss. As they are revealed in the text they are submission; the church to Christ, and love; Christ to the
church, his bride . The need for these teaching today is just as much as that of the people of the time of Ephesians.(Hamilton101) Not just in the home but in the church as well. The world’s views of these two things and how people treat them is an explanation as to why they are in so many cases a messed up as they are. The common view of marriage in most cases is an almost completely physical one and is bases wholly on personal gratification and selfishness. Husbands tend to tyrannize their wife's, making slaves of them and as they are left feeling unloved. Because of this they act deceitfully and so no love in return so that the home is an atmosphere of pride, fighting, jealousy, and strive. So many marriages these days end in divorce because of the many totally incorrect views of marriage and the teachings we find here are not known or either forgotten.
The Church likewise has and is being divided, defiled, disgraced, and become a place of deceit where error is taught and people are being lead away from Christ instead of to Him. We can see by all the different denominations out there that are full of so many different beliefs and man made teachings that the view of the church is far from what it should be. All of these things could have been avoided if the truths that are taught in these few verses about authority, submission, and love would have stayed in the minds of the religious leaders of long ago and today.
The great importance and magnitude of the truth that is discussed in this text should not be underestimated or unnoticed. What is taught here in the sixth chapter of Ephesians is something that applies to and can affect everyone in his or her spiritual lives and physical. As Paul writes to the Ephesians here he, in teaching them about one of the most common relationships known to man, he gives them a look at the most important yet mysterious relationships known to man and illustrates one with another. In doing so he first shows what the church is in relation to Christ through the same of what the wife
is to husband.
Lets look at the first thing Paul brings up in verses twenty-two through twenty-four. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church: and the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." (T. Nelson KJV pg 979) The principles of authority and submission that Paul in a short few verses has taught here involve and effect a great deal
more than it looks like. We see the importance of making sure we follow this message through what has happened in the past because it has not been followed.
Without submitting to the authority of Christ the church eventually fell away and into apostasy. The catholic "church" is one of the best examples of this. Forgetting the authority of Christ they brought in the many extremely unbiblical teaching and beliefs such as infant baptism, selling sin, restricting reading of God's word and even a belief as crazy as appointing a man as head of the church which as we can see goes directly against this very scripture, not to mention quit a few more. From this "church" and people not understanding the right authority thousands of other denominations have come from this one and new ones are forming all the time. These thousands of "churches" without Christ as head claiming to be the right one are leading millions the wrong way. All these souls lost because Christ was not kept as the authority.
Paul gives the command of the Lord to the wives to submit to their husbands in the same way that the church must accept the authority of Christ over them and submit.
The wife and the church should express love by showing subjection, which denotes respect. (Bromily 61) She does this because just as the Church cannot stand as the true
church without being unified on Christ the home cannot stand divided. Most marriages end in divorce because of the division of both marital partners trying to run everything. The wife is to submit unto her husband as he submits to Christ. Trusting the husband to lead the family as he is letting Christ lead him. She should understand it as serving the Lord when she does this, "As to the Lord." She should do it because it’s God's command, its what’s best and what’s right in Gods sight.(Kent 99) This has been His order of things from the beginning. So the wife and the church must understand that this submission isn't only when It’s something that we like or completely agree with if it was there would be no need for this writing. This submission is complete, "In Everything" v24, and not always easy.(Moody 117) Sometimes it seems that the church wants to be convicted about the things that they like but then when There is something that they want their way they want to push and bend the rules or try to find a loop hole so that their submission is only halfway. In the home and in the church we have a great opportunity through submitting ourselves. While the world is showing more and more the carelessness and futility of its lifestyle, they can see the difference in our lives as true Christians and through all these false religions and denominations people can see the true church through this submission to the only true authority. The submission of the church to Christ is unconditional because Christ is perfect in His relationship towards the church. The wife on the other hand is to submit to her husband under conditions that he must meet also. Of coarse the wife is not suppose to follow her husband if he is going against the will of Christ, which he should be under.
This brings on Paul's next point that this relationship is not one sided but has equal responsibility. Paul, next, in verses twenty-five through thirty-three tells the husbands of their responsibility to their wives. He does this through writing of the greatest love that
someone can have which is the love that Christ has for the church. He writes, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it." Christ is the extreme example of what a husband should be to his wife.
Through this passage he learns that his side of the marriage is not all about him but his love is a sacrificial one. So the husband cannot claim to be the head over the wife unless he truly loves her. This leaves no room for pride on either side of the marriage and likewise in the church because Christ showed His love for His bride and continues to love and take care of her. So not only do husbands have a responsibility to strive to have this
awesome love in their hearts toward their wives but every Christian should be learning to love others as Christ loved us. Many problems in the church could be solved or better
yet wouldn’t start if this love was achieved. An unselfish, serving, Self-sacrificing love that is patient, perfect, and can penetrate any barrier that Satan can put between us in our homes and in our congregations.
There are three Greek words that translate into our “love”. One is “eros”, this is the love of the flesh, an erotic, selfish, pleasure seeking love. Because many people have mistaken this love with the love that is said here to be between husband and wife many marriages don’t last long at all. Couples become infatuated with each other and feel that they are in love because they are sexually wanting of that person, getting married for this reason only to soon find after this they are not compatible.
Another is “phileo”; this means a friendly love or fond of. This is the love Peter said he had for Christ. Finally there is “agapao” which is used in this text. This is the word the bible always uses for God’s love for us; “For God so loved the world.” There is no higher love than this. John 15:13 tells us this; “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. Even though we had all these problems and are unworthy of His love He loved us so much, as we were, to purchase us as His bride. He loves His bride not because she was perfect but so that He could make her that way. If a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the
church he must realize this as he is faced with his wife’s deficiencies and problems. But because this true love is not achieved husbands find and bring out all of the shortcomings then nags about them so that she can’t live with it and neither can he and divorce happens. Christ is concerned about His bride. He desires for her to be perfect. This is why Paul goes on to say, “ That He might sanctify her and cleanse Her with the washing of the water by the Word, that He might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.”
Christ Sacrificed Himself so that He could present us perfect to be His bride. So He not only did this but He also takes care of her. Verse 29 says Christ nourishes and cherishes His bride which is his own body. Christ love for His bride didn’t stop at the Cross. This
amazing love is unconditional and unstoppable. There is no parallel elsewhere of such unspeakable devotion. (Simpson and Bruce 131)
The life of every Christian, every part of the body of His bride, is full with this love. He has blessed her with His word for guidance if she will submit to it. He has promised to never leave her or forsake her. He has promised to give her all she needs, if she simply asks, after He has given more than enough by giving His life. He has committed to making her future secure and eventually full of never ending blessings. He does all
this not because she is does everything perfect for Him. He does all this so that one day she can be perfect because He loves her.
Husbands have an amazing love to live up to an so do all Christians as we are commanded to give the same measure of love that Christ gives.(Coffman 210) A lot of
men would quickly change their minds about marriage and be very surprised if they realized how incredibly committed, giving, self-sacrificial and forgiving they had to be to be like Christ is to His bride. Christ love for His bride does not dull over time but is constant. Christ gives us a perfect relationship to model after as husband and wife but
also as Christians to Christ and to everyone around us. Our submission to Christ should effect every part of our lives. The world should see the difference in us because of our submission to Him. And we should be privileged to submit to such a loving groom.
