Lesson for July 18, 2021
The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 5:22-33
Verses 22-24
“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 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. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”
Be subject is the Greek word “hupotasso,” which is a military term meaning to rank under or to place yourself under authority. Placing yourself in rank under the authority of your husband is a matter of function not superiority. It does not mean that a wife is to be a slave to her husband. When God brought Eve to Adam, He brought her as Adam’s helper (function). When the wife properly submits to the leadership of her husband, she is aligning herself with God’s plan. Notice that husbands are told to love their wives, but it does not say that wives are to love their husbands, but to respect him. The proper marital relationship brings both marriage partners the freedom to be the person that God wants them to be. (Ephesians 5:21-25; I Peter 3:1-9)
The foundation for the family is the husband’s love for his wife. Without this mental attitude of love, he can expect no response from his wife. When a man invests nothing in his marriage, he will receive nothing in return. The woman was made for the man and is a glory to him. (I Corinthians 11:7-9) The husband’s responsibility to the family does not end with being the bread winner, which is just a small part of the responsibility in marriage. The husband should initiate a mental attitude of love expressing itself in conversation, behavior pattern and their physical relationship. The husband should always have time for his wife and family.
The wife needs a sense of security which comes from knowing that her husband makes good decisions and has good judgment; this develops respect, which is the highest form of love. Marriage does not give the man the right to be a bully or a brute, nor does it give the woman the right to spend a lifetime trying to straighten out her husband and mold him into her ideal image of a man. The man must not destroy the woman’s “responder” (that part of her soul that responds to her husband). A woman must have the freedom to respond to her husband’s love by using her own volition. There must be a desire, which begins with the freedom to respond. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church. And it is the husband’s responsibility to make the marriage a success.
Verses 25-27
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 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.” Christ from His own free will delivered Himself over to be crucified, the highest possible sacrifice, the sacrifice whereby we have eternal life. Therefore, much is required from any man the moment he becomes a husband. The whole principle here is sacrifice. When you love someone more than you love yourself then you are willing to sacrifice, and that is true love.
So that He might sanctify her. The Greek word for sanctify is “agiazo,” which means to set apart or to consecrate. Here the verb means to dedicate or to consecrate, to set something special apart. The something special here is the Church (her). We are special as the result of believing in Jesus Christ and becoming members of the Royal Family of God. While in the past there has been royalty of many types, nobility of many types, all of this royalty and nobility is canceled out at the point of death. When a king dies, he is no longer a king. Believers are royalty because they live in the Church Age, and because they live in the Church Age they have been sanctified and consecrated. Christ is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and He is nobility forever, He is King forever. Therefore, God the Father decided to set apart a royal family for Him. In the Church Age, God the Holy Spirit enters us into union with Christ which makes us royalty forever. He also indwells us as a sign of royalty.
Our relationship with God is a permanent contract and marriage is the illustration of it in this passage. So just as the contract with God is between God and one believer, so marriage is a contact between a man and a woman. This is the way God designed it. Just as the woman is set apart by responding to the man so the Church is set apart by responding to the Lord. Jesus Christ shows His love to the royal family through Bible doctrine, which is the thinking of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:16)
That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing Glory means honored, distinguished, eminent, splendid, glorious. Each one of us is royalty from the day that we believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior and now we are royalty forever. In biblical days, the bride’s parents presented their daughter to the groom. This meant that the contract had all been settled, the dowry had been paid, and everything was now set. So, presentation meant an official marriage. The parents had placed their daughter at the groom’s disposal for life.
Jesus Christ is the royal groom Who receives the bride, all Church Age believers, at the Rapture in resurrection bodies. Christ is alone at the right hand of the Father. But at the Rapture of the Church, we join Him in our resurrection bodies. So, Christ presents the bride to Himself. This means we are never out of the care of the Lord Jesus Christ from the time of our salvation all the way through eternity.
No spot or wrinkle or any such thing means the removal of the sin nature at the Rapture as a part of ultimate sanctification. No wrinkle refers to the removal of human good which comes from the area of strength of the sin nature. Any such thing is a general catchall to eliminate other manifestations of the sin nature like self-righteousness. But that she would be holy and blameless. Holymeans believers have been set apart to God for all eternity. Blameless means believers can never be condemned for sin. This how we will be presented to Christ as His bride.
Verses 28-33
“So, husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. 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. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 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.” Food is analogous to soul provision and rapport. Just as husband will provide food for his body, so he will provide for his wife what she needs in the relationship. Christ has provided spiritual food for us called Bible doctrine.
“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.” In Genesis 2:24, God established the precedence for marriage. Marriage is between one man and one woman. Joined is the Greek word “proskollao,” which means to clue, to cement, or to join fast together. Marriage was designed by God as a corporate testimony to the world. It is not only God’s desire that mankind trusts Jesus Christ as Savior, He also wants believers in marriage to be a testimony to the world as a couple. You cannot be a testimony to the world as a couple unless you are joined together in every area of your life, especially your relationship with God as advancing believers.
This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 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.” Mystery refers to the doctrine of union with Christ in the Royal Family of God. The Gospel was not a mystery, it was well known by the Old Testament writers. In this verse mystery refers specifically to positional sanctification, to the fact that each one of us is union with Christ. The Church Age believer, because he is royalty, because he is in union with Christ, because he has a different relationship with God from those in other dispensations, he is under a brand-new set of doctrines, called here the doctrine of the mystery, which is Christ in you. (Colossians 1:27) In the same manner that Christ sacrificed Himself for the Church, the husband is to sacrifice himself for his wife. Christ sacrificed everything for us, and husbands are to sacrifice everything for their wives.