These are my notes for the seventh session of Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group's study of the New Testament book of Ephesians.
This is a letter written by the Apostle Paul believed to not be designed for just one congregation, but intended to be passed around to several churches in the area surrounding Ephesus. The epistle itself is in the form of a general document dealing with a particular or in this case several subjects rather than as a letter written to a specific church. For example, there are no specific exhortations or personal greetings, as with most of Paul’s letters.
Unlike other epistles written to specific churches, this epistle does not deal with specific problems in a local congregation. Instead, Paul addressed great themes that pertain to the Christian's position in Christ, as a member of the body of Christ, the church.
The central thought of the letter is that Jesus has brought to a disunited world the way to unity. This way is through faith in him and it is the Church's task to proclaim this message to all the world. And now Paul turns to the character the Christian must have if the Church is to fulfill her great task of being Christ's instrument of universal reconciliation between man and man, and man and God within the world. In this session Paul gives instructions to the Christian families. He describes the roles and responsibilities of the patents and children. Since there is no slavery today we took these instructions as the way today's employers and employees should respect each other because Christian masters, slaves, employers, employees all have the same master.
This is a letter written by the Apostle Paul believed to not be designed for just one congregation, but intended to be passed around to several churches in the area surrounding Ephesus. The epistle itself is in the form of a general document dealing with a particular or in this case several subjects rather than as a letter written to a specific church. For example, there are no specific exhortations or personal greetings, as with most of Paul’s letters.
Unlike other epistles written to specific churches, this epistle does not deal with specific problems in a local congregation. Instead, Paul addressed great themes that pertain to the Christian's position in Christ, as a member of the body of Christ, the church.
The central thought of the letter is that Jesus has brought to a disunited world the way to unity. This way is through faith in him and it is the Church's task to proclaim this message to all the world. And now Paul turns to the character the Christian must have if the Church is to fulfill her great task of being Christ's instrument of universal reconciliation between man and man, and man and God within the world. In this session Paul gives instructions to the Christian families. He describes the roles and responsibilities of the patents and children. Since there is no slavery today we took these instructions as the way today's employers and employees should respect each other because Christian masters, slaves, employers, employees all have the same master.
Ephesians 5:21-33 NLT And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
In this passage Paul is setting forth an ideal which shone with a radiant purity in an immoral world.
Let us look briefly at the situation against which Paul wrote this passage. And it didn't really matter whether you were a Jew or Gentile.
The Jews had a low view of women.In Jewish law a woman was not a person, but a thing. She had no legal rights whatsoever; she was absolutely her husband's possession to do with as he willed.
In theory the Jew had the highest ideal of marriage. The Rabbis had their sayings. "Every Jew must surrender his life rather than commit idolatry, murder or adultery." "The very altar sheds tears when a man divorces the wife of his youth." That was in theory but the reality was quite different. The fact was that by Paul's day, divorce had become tragically easy.
The law of divorce is summarized in Deuteronomy 24:1.
Deuteronomy 24:1 NLT “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.
Stricter Rabbis held that divorce and divorce alone was the only basis for divorce and Jesus agreed with this.
Matthew 5:31-32 NLT “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
Christ does not revoke the permission of divorce but frees it from the false interpretations, and the misuse that the Pharisees made of it which was that divorce was only allowable in cases of infidelity. That included fornication adultery, incest, or any unlawful copulation. If a man divorced his wife for any other reason he caused her to commit adultery because divorce for any other reason was not allowed and was really illegal under the Law, so under the Law she was still married. So anybody that married her while her husband was alive committed adultery along with her. If the man who divorced her remarried he was an adulterer and made the new wife the same.
The more liberal Rabbis, headed by the equally famous Hillel, interpreted the phrase in the widest possible way. They said that it meant that a man might divorce his wife if she spoiled his dinner by putting too much salt in his food, if she walked in public with her head uncovered, if she talked with men in the streets, if she spoke disrespectfully of her husband's parents in her husband's hearing, if she was troublesome or quarrelsome. One Rabbi even interpreted the phrase if she finds no favour in his eyes to mean that a husband might divorce his wife if he found a woman whom he considered more attractive.
The situation was even worse in the Greek world. Prostitution was an essential part of Greek life. Here was the accepted rule: "We have courtesans for the sake of pleasure; we have concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation; we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately and of having a faithful guardian for all our household affairs."
To make matters worse, there was no legal procedure of divorce in Greece. As someone has put it, divorce was by nothing else than a sudden change of mood or behavior.
If you think that was bad in Rome the matter was still worse. At the time of Paul, Roman family life was wrecked. Women were married to be divorced and divorced to be married.
It is against this background that Paul writes. When he wrote this he was calling men and women to a new purity and a new fellowship in married life. It is impossible to exaggerate the cleansing effect that Christianity had on home life in the ancient world and the benefits it brought to women.
THE BASIS OF LOVE
Sometimes the emphasis of this passage is entirely misplaced; and it is read as if its essence was the subordination of wife to husband. The single phrase, "The husband is the head of the wife," is quoted in isolation. But the basis of the passage is not control; it is love. Paul says certain things about the love that a husband must bear his wife.
(i) It must be a sacrificial love. He must love her as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for the Church. It must never be a selfish love. Christ loved the Church, not that the Church might do things for him, but that he might do things for the Church.
The husband must love the wife with a love which never exercises a tyranny of control but which is ready to make any sacrifice for her good.
(ii) It must be a purifying love. Christ cleansed and consecrated the Church by the washing of water on the day when each member of the Church took his confession of faith. It may well be that Paul has in mind a Greek custom, but he was talking about baptism. By the washing of baptism and by the confession of faith, Christ sought to make for himself a Church, cleansed and consecrated, until there was neither soiling spot nor disfiguring wrinkle upon it.
Any love which drags a person down is false. Real love lifts up.
(iii) It must be a caring love. A man must love his wife as he loves his own body. Real love loves not to extract service, nor to ensure that its own physical comfort is attended to, it cherishes the one it loves.
(iv) It is an unbreakable love. For the sake of this love a man leaves father and mother and cleaves to his wife. They become one flesh. He is as united to her as the members of the body are united to each other; and would no more think of separating from her than of tearing his own body apart.
Here indeed was an ideal in an age when men and women changed partners with as little thought as they changed clothes. That is happening today too.
(v) The whole relationship is in the Lord.
Christian marriage there are not two partners, but three--and the third is Christ.
Ephesians 5:32-33 NLT This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
So what’s this great mystery?
This mystery has great meaning. It is difficult to understand. Paul has been teaching about husbands and wives. But Paul makes it clear that the mystery is more than that. It is about ‘Christ and his church’. ‘Christ wanted to make the Jews and Gentiles into one people. He wanted to unite them with himself. He wanted them to have peace with each other’
Ephesians 2:15 NLT He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.
The ‘one people’ is Jews and Gentiles together. (In the Greek language, it is ‘one new person’.)
The husband is head of the family. In the same way, Christ is the head of the church. The husband shows love and care for his wife. He does this by giving himself to her. This is the best example that Paul can give. Christ showed love and care for his church. He did this by giving his life. The wife depends on her husband as guide and leader. In the same way, the church depends on the Lord.
CHAPTER 6
The final chapter begins with what might be called an exhortation to "walk in familial harmony." Children Are told to obey their parents, while fathers are instructed not to provoke their children to wrath but bring them up in the Lord's nurture and admonition.
Let’s start with
6:1-4 ~ Children and parents
Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Paul has finished teaching about husbands and wives. He now starts to teach children and parents. The instruction for children is, ‘Children, you must obey your parents.’ First, it is because ‘the Lord has given them authority to look after you’.
For children to obey their parents is specifically referred to as "right." God often presents clear moral instructions in Scripture. Children obeying parents is one of these non-negotiable mandates. It should not be unusual to expect children to follow the instruction of their parents. Not only are the parents responsible for bringing the child into the world, they have a much better view of what is best for the child. Even when a parent's instructions are hard to understand, children do well to trust and obey. In this way, the parent-child dynamic is meant to be a powerful allegory for the relationship between each of us and God.
One of the Commandments God gave Moses to give to the new nation of Israel was;
Exodus 20:12 NLT “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
One way to honor is to obey. It also pleases God when you obey your father and mother.
Colossians 3:20 NLT Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.
To honor your father and mother is the right thing for you to do’. This means that it is the right and natural thing to do. It is for all children everywhere. It is right and natural in any society.
In those days, a child might refuse to obey his parents. If he continued like that, it was a very serious matter. The authorities could kill him or her. That was the old law.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NLT “Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.
This sounds very cruel but it was not without due process. The parents had to go through the process.
In the instance described here, parents were empowered to bring a son who remained a stubborn, rebellious, gluttonous drunkard to the bar of justice, which consisted of the elders of his city at the gate. There, his case would be publicly tried, and if he were found guilty, he would be executed by stoning, the same method of execution used for other capital crimes.
Plus there had to be witnesses because this was a capital crime and it required witnesses not just the parents.
Deuteronomy 17:6 NLT But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.
Paul, refers to a promise, if a child honors their parents. It follows the commandment. If we obey this commandment, God promises us ‘a long and blessed life’.
Exodus 20:12 NLT “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
In most things, children should obey their parents. But this command could be difficult for some children. The children should still obey them. However, there are some things that parents should not stop their children from doing. It would be wrong to tell them not to believe in Jesus. It would be wrong to tell them not to praise him.
There are different ages at which children need no longer to obey this command. In Roman society, it was as long as the father lived. While he was still alive, his children had to obey him. In other societies, it could be when a child becomes an adult. The laws of each country would decide what this age should be. It could be when the law allows marriage. It could be when the children leave home to marry. The age would be different for each country. Each country will have its own customs
Roman father could do anything that he wanted with his children. He could make them work in the fields. He could even put chains on them. He could sell them as slaves. He could punish them, as he liked. He could even kill them. When a girl was born, the father might throw her away.
CHAPTER 6
The final chapter begins with what might be called an exhortation to "walk in familial harmony." Children Are told to obey their parents, while fathers are instructed not to provoke their children to wrath but bring them up in the Lord's nurture and admonition.
Let’s start with
6:1-4 ~ Children and parents
Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Paul has finished teaching about husbands and wives. He now starts to teach children and parents. The instruction for children is, ‘Children, you must obey your parents.’ First, it is because ‘the Lord has given them authority to look after you’.
For children to obey their parents is specifically referred to as "right." God often presents clear moral instructions in Scripture. Children obeying parents is one of these non-negotiable mandates. It should not be unusual to expect children to follow the instruction of their parents. Not only are the parents responsible for bringing the child into the world, they have a much better view of what is best for the child. Even when a parent's instructions are hard to understand, children do well to trust and obey. In this way, the parent-child dynamic is meant to be a powerful allegory for the relationship between each of us and God.
One of the Commandments God gave Moses to give to the new nation of Israel was;
Exodus 20:12 NLT “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
One way to honor is to obey. It also pleases God when you obey your father and mother.
Colossians 3:20 NLT Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.
To honor your father and mother is the right thing for you to do’. This means that it is the right and natural thing to do. It is for all children everywhere. It is right and natural in any society.
In those days, a child might refuse to obey his parents. If he continued like that, it was a very serious matter. The authorities could kill him or her. That was the old law.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NLT “Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.
This sounds very cruel but it was not without due process. The parents had to go through the process.
In the instance described here, parents were empowered to bring a son who remained a stubborn, rebellious, gluttonous drunkard to the bar of justice, which consisted of the elders of his city at the gate. There, his case would be publicly tried, and if he were found guilty, he would be executed by stoning, the same method of execution used for other capital crimes.
Plus there had to be witnesses because this was a capital crime and it required witnesses not just the parents.
Deuteronomy 17:6 NLT But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.
Paul, refers to a promise, if a child honors their parents. It follows the commandment. If we obey this commandment, God promises us ‘a long and blessed life’.
Exodus 20:12 NLT “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
In most things, children should obey their parents. But this command could be difficult for some children. The children should still obey them. However, there are some things that parents should not stop their children from doing. It would be wrong to tell them not to believe in Jesus. It would be wrong to tell them not to praise him.
There are different ages at which children need no longer to obey this command. In Roman society, it was as long as the father lived. While he was still alive, his children had to obey him. In other societies, it could be when a child becomes an adult. The laws of each country would decide what this age should be. It could be when the law allows marriage. It could be when the children leave home to marry. The age would be different for each country. Each country will have its own customs
Roman father could do anything that he wanted with his children. He could make them work in the fields. He could even put chains on them. He could sell them as slaves. He could punish them, as he liked. He could even kill them. When a girl was born, the father might throw her away.
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