Chapter 4:11-16 of Ephesians is one of the most important passages of scripture on the nature of the church. The keys are in the focus of the church. The focus is not the pastor. The focus is not the individual. The focus is the building up of the body–all the members of God’s family–for the work of ministry. To put it as plainly as I know how, the church exists for others. Being a part of the church matures me–makes me more like Christ–and as I mature I am equipped more and more to do the ministry Christ gave the church to make his love known to all the world. According to these verses we are to be sure of what we believe (not tossed by every wind of teaching or doctrine) and we are to speak the truth in love to each other. There is no other place on earth where people are equipped and an organization is designed to do this. Many organizations love people, and many speak the truth. But truth and love together are a rare find. It is the example of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives that gives us the ability to do this. Jesus tells us the truth about ourselves. We are sinners. But Jesus also died for our sin–loves us enough to give up his life for us! He spoke the truth and he loved.
Chapter 5 is a famous chapter because it is often used to teach the way the home is to be organized and lead. I want to correct one very common error in interpreting the passage beginning in 5:21. This passage is often used to teach the “subjection” of wives to their husbands. This is one of those passages where the original language is very important in clearly interpreting what is said. In the Greek a verb could be used in one sentence and left out of the subsequent sentences and the reader understood that the “missing verb” meant that you had to refer back to the last sentence that had the verb in it. In 5:21-30 the primary verb is “subject one to another.” This command is the ordering principle of everything that follows, because in the Greek there is no distinction made between how the husband acts toward the wife and the wife toward the husband. They are both to be subject to the other. They are both to love the other. It is not correct to say the wife ought to subject herself to the husband and the husband ought to love the wife. Verse 28 is translated “in the same way” and is as close as it gets to the Greek meaning but still leaves out the original verb. Verse 22 says, “wives be subject to your husbands,” and verse 25 should say “husbands, be subject to your wives.” This is the intention of the original Greek. Its all about mutual subjection in the home and in the church, Paul says.
Equally as important and often missed is verse 32 where Paul says that this is a great mystery, and he is talking about Christ and the church. What happened? Just a second ago I thought he was talking about husband and wife. What the scripture reveals is that marriage between a Christian husband and wife is designed to be a reflection of the love Christ has for the church and the church for Christ. Christ laid down his life for the church and the church’s life is to be given back to Christ. Christ subjected himself to death on a cross for the church and the church is to subject herself to whatever is necessary to love Christ in return–give up everything to serve Christ.
Chapter 6 talks about slavery and obviously, we do not believe slavery is right. But the kind of slavery Paul is talking about was more like what we would call an employee today. The text is talking about responsibility to perform work as unto the Lord no matter who is paying your wages! And verse nine is the clincher! Master treat your slaves right because you both have the same master!!
The bottom line to the ordering of all these relationships is that when Christ is Lord all the rest of us are to love and serve one another as he has loved and served us irregardless of our title or station in life. We are not to use any power we have against others, but for others. This is what Christ did for us. Though he was equal with God, Philippians says, he gave it all up, emptied himself to the point of death on a cross, so that we might be forgiven and have life everlasting. This is subjection! Oh that we would subject ourselves to each other in this way!