Ephesians 5:21 introduces a pivotal theme that sets the stage for understanding relationships within the context of New Testament saints, emphasizing the concept of mutual submission. Interestingly, in the oldest manuscripts, the word "submit" isn't even found in verse 22, suggesting that the directive to "submit to one another in the fear of God" is actually the governing principle for all subsequent instructions about relationships. We dive into the nuances of this verse, exploring what submission truly means—not as a call to inferiority, but as an invitation to embrace humility within ordered relationships. This episode also examines how a spirit-filled life fosters genuine communication and support among believers, contrasting it with the distractions of worldly behaviors like drunkenness. So, whether it's in marriage, family, or broader community interactions, understanding this principle can reshape how we engage with one another in love and respect.

Takeaways:

1. Ephesians 5:21 introduces a profound theme of mutual submission that governs relationships in the following verses.
2. The oldest manuscripts reveal that 'submit' is absent in verse 22, emphasizing the importance of understanding context in scripture.
3. Paul's call for mutual submission highlights the need for humility and respect, rather than hierarchy in relationships.
4. Being spirit-filled leads to a natural expression of submission, showcasing maturity and not weakness as many might assume.
5. Submission is not about inferiority but about willingly aligning ourselves under God's design for harmony.
6. The fear of Christ is central to submission, as it reminds us of His authority and our call to serve one another.

Ephesians 5:21 serves as the conceptual anchor for our discussion on submission in various relationships, particularly within the family and community. This often-misunderstood verse calls for mutual submission, challenging the conventional hierarchical perspectives that many hold. Interestingly, our exploration reveals that the term 'submit' is absent in the oldest manuscripts of verse 22, suggesting a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how submission functions in Christian relationships. We dive into the implications of this verse, emphasizing that it is not a call for one-sided obedience but rather a mutual act of humility and respect, framed by our reverence for Christ. The Greek term 'hupotasso' plays a significant role in our understanding of submission, as it conveys the idea of arranging oneself under another willingly. This concept shifts the focus from authority and dominance to a voluntary alignment with God’s design for relationships. We discuss how this applies to real-world scenarios—how husbands and wives can exhibit mutual respect, how parents can guide their children with love, and how peers can engage with one another in a spirit of humility. Each relationship dynamic reflects a broader theme of love and sacrifice, echoing Christ’s submission to the Father, which serves as the ultimate example for us to follow. As we wrap up, we stress the importance of being Spirit-filled, which manifests in a willingness to submit out of love, rather than obligation. This kind of submission is rooted in strength and maturity, offering a profound counter-narrative to the world's understanding of authority and submission. By embracing the call to submit to one another, we not only reflect the character of Christ but also cultivate an environment of unity and peace among ourselves. Tune in as we explore these rich themes and challenge our listeners to embody the spirit of mutual submission in their lives.

And good day to you.

Thank you for joining us in our study.

We will be looking at something that.

Well, we've.

I've studied this before, probably on this same format and on the radio and other places all of my life.

But it seems to be a necessary topic that comes to my mind quite frequently, and that's Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 21.

So I'd like to give attention to that for the remainder of our time together.

What we want to do in looking at this passage is to first of all understand that chapter 5 and verse 21 provides the backdrop, or really the theme, the thesis of the rest of this chapter.

At least it provides a big heading point.

We'll notice the distinctions and how they fit together as we look at the text a little closer.

But our focus will be on verse 21.

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

This single little verse stands at the hinge of one of the most discussed passages in the New Testament.

It introduces what follows with regard to wives and husbands, even Christ and the called out his people and children, fathers, servants and masters, which goes into chapter six.

And yet verse 21 is often either overlooked or just misunderstood as to why it's where it is.

But today I want to answer four basic questions.

These are the main sections that we want to cover today.

Number one is the word submit in verse 21, the same word used of wives in verse 22, the very next verse.

Second, what does the word submission actually mean?

Third, give us some examples.

What are some examples of this submission?

And we'll look at this in the sense of areas of application, as well as how it's to be applied.

And then last, what does the fear of Christ have to do with it?

Notice to submit yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

Okay, let's start with the word.

Is the word the same as the very next verse where it says, wives, submit to yourself.

Submit to your husbands?

The word translated submitting, in Ephesians 5:21, it comes from a Greek word, hupitaso.

This word really means to arrange under.

And so when you're talking about somebody, it's to arrange oneself or to place oneself under, that is to say, to subordinate.

Now, here's the.

Here's a very, very important thing.

Verse 22, in the oldest Greek manuscripts that are available to us, there's four major Greek manuscripts that are the oldest.

In verse 22, you'd be surprised probably to know if you had done already.

The word submit isn't even there.

It doesn't even appear in the text.

So it literally reads wives to your own husbands as to the Lord.

The verb submit is.

Is carried over from verse 21.

In other words, verse 21 governs verse 22.

Grammatically, the structure of this text looks somewhat like this.

Submitting yourselves one to another, wives first of all, to your own husbands, husbands second, love your wives, children third, obey your parents, servants fourthly, be obedient.

So, yes, it is the same word.

And more than that, verse 22 depends on verse 21 to have the understanding of it.

However, I think, and this is critical too, submitting to one another does not erase distinctions of role.

It does not mean mutual authority or mutual obedience.

It does not mean role reversal.

It means mutual humility within that ordered relationship.

Let me repeat that.

I think it's clear, and I think the Bible teaches this, and we'll be looking at some examples of means, mutual humility within ordered relationships.

That leads U.S. to our second question.

What does the word actually mean as it's used in Scripture?

The word hupitasso was used in military contexts outside of the New Testament.

It described troops and soldiers that were arranged under a commanding officer.

It describes ordered structure.

But now in the New Testament, it's often voluntary.

It's not forced oppression, nor is it inferiority.

It's just, you've got a job.

And it's a disposition of willing alignment, either due to the nature of the work to be done, the honor associated with it, perhaps.

Whatever the case may be, it is no doubt a choice to place oneself under another.

Now, I understand that there are a lot of people who would rather choose not to do that.

But God has already ordered it.

God has already arranged it.

And so it's up to us to align ourselves to divine prerogatives.

It's up to us to choose to obey him or not.

And that's why all of these other phrases are associated with these responsibilities, like in the fear of Christ or as unto the Lord.

These are expressions that help us align ourselves to something that's already been ordered.

We may not choose to.

It may be very difficult to even go in that direction.

We don't, you know, we feel maybe even coerced.

But here's the key.

If you've given yourselves to Jesus Christ, you've made him ruler, which is what being a disciple of Christ is all about, then that choice is already made.

He's determined it.

If you've said yes to him, everything else pretty much has been decided for you.

The order is there.

The arrangement has already been structured for you.

So I mean, if you've already made that commitment, there's no problem with that.

So that's why this role and the relationships that we have with one another, the responsibilities that are ours and the accountability that we should have a sense for has already been determined.

So it doesn't matter how you feel about it.

Once you've given your life to Christ and now it's just a matter of carrying them out as unto the Lord or in the fear of Christ.

If you erase that from the responsibility, it becomes increasingly difficult.

But when you add it to the responsibility, it makes it a whole lot easier.

Because what you're really doing, friends, is you're serving Jesus Christ.

And that's key, Very, very, very important.

So this attitude of submission, it's not like, as I said, it's not forced oppression, but also might add to it.

Not only is it not forced oppression, it's not inferiority.

Someone may suggest, well, it is because the rank is different.

But as far as personal value, that's not diminished.

It is a disposition of willing alignment.

That's a good way of saying it, a disposition of willing alignment.

It's the opposite of self assertion.

Submission biblically means that I place myself under God's order rather than demanding my own way.

Jesus had that spirit in Gethsemane, you'll remember not my will, merely remember that Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

That's submission.

It's willingly placing oneself under the will of another, aligning ourselves to another's will.

So that's the disposition, that's the attitude that describes this word, submission.

And we must remember something else very critical here.

The greatest example of submission, friends, is Jesus Christ himself.

All this is marvelous.

In Philippians 2 we're told that Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death.

He was not inferior to the Father in nature.

Some people seem to think that there is a rank even with in deity, that the Father is above Jesus.

And they have a hard time knowing where to put the Holy Spirit.

But at least as it pertains to Christ and the Father, they think there's some kind of ranking order there.

But Paul makes it quite clear that with regard to equality, he wasn't behind the Father.

They were equal.

He was not inferior in any way.

He was.

But he willingly submitted to the Father's will in carrying out divine prerogatives and divine will.

That was his role.

In fact, I would argue that Jesus, before he became Jesus, the Word, who was eternal with the Father, whom all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelt among us.

But he was the Word.

And if you think about his role as it pertains to humanity, In other words, his role with humanity, his role was always, at least he came to declare divine will.

That's not the best way of saying that on the human level, on the human realm.

But the Word often appears as takes on human form.

You'll find that when he was in the furnace and there was one likened of the Son of Man, you find it perhaps even in Judges several times the reference is made to the angel of the Lord, the messenger.

We definitely see it in Genesis 18, where Abraham, he hosts three messengers, one of whom does not go into the city and stays behind.

I'm convinced that was the Word.

So the Word was the agent, divine agent that appeared on the human level, appeared on the human range, and cohabited, or at least had some kind of relationship in some way to man as a messenger or some support.

So it's not surprising then that the Word thus becomes flesh in order to carry out divine will and provide a way for creation, his human race, to be redeemed, without which it could never have been done.

So Christ, the Anointed One, he took on flesh and ultimately paid the price of death.

But in doing that, he had to submit to that divine will.

He had to give Himself over to it.

So it's all about order.

It's not about value, it's not about equality.

But he willingly submitted to the divine purpose.

Now, notice something else.

In Ephesians 5.

I'm sorry, I drugged that out a little too much.

In verse 18, he says, Be filled with the Spirit.

Now, the reason I start here, because I suggest to you that there's another very valuable point to be made about submitting to one another.

In verses 19 down through verse 21, which this verse says.

Verse 21 is the verse that says submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

But this describes the results of being Spirit filled.

So we're to be filled with the Spirit.

And then he uses these participle phrases that describes the fill it being filled with the Spirit.

Number one, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Number two, giving thanks always.

Number three, submitting yourselves one to another.

Now, grammatically, submission is a fruit of spirit maturity, spiritual maturity.

It's a fruit of the Spirit's work in our hearts.

Submission is not weakness, it's maturity A spirit filled person is not self assertive.

The spiritual minded individual is someone who is not demanding, not controlling, not domineering.

What are they?

They're humble.

So when you think about the examples of submitting to one another and what that actually means, this is where so many people stumble.

Does this mean that every Christian is under the authority of every other Christian?

Someone says, well, no.

And that comes up a lot when it deals.

When someone, a woman, asks in a Bible class, well, does that mean that a woman should submit to every man?

We see that in 1 Timothy 2 where women are not to teach or usurp authority over man, but to learn in quietness.

This is a very similar thought that presented here in Ephesians 5.

And the question is, what does that mean I have to submit to every man?

Or is that just my husband?

And of course the thought is it's just the husband.

The point is it's the spirit that permeates the entire life, the entire role.

And so again, this is where we often stumble because we're thinking about authority, we're thinking about somebody being over another person.

Scripture doesn't contradict itself.

There's just a matter of roles.

For example, in the passage that we looked at quite frequently in Ephesians 4, where Christ gives to his people prophets, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry.

These were things that Christ gave to his people to equip them, to furnish them, to provide them with what they needed to grow and to develop, to be built up the word edify.

So elders or pastors were one of those who were taught to oversee congregations.

Now you caught that, didn't you?

Actually, they were, they were given the role of overseeing souls, individual souls in the cities in which they live.

There is no example of congregations that they oversaw.

Now that makes it a lot more evident as far as the need to submit.

Because here were people who we would say, without that context, they were, okay, overseeing another man's matters.

In other words, they were busybodies, which is exactly what that word means.

And they would be if they weren't given that prerogative, if they weren't given that role of watching over souls, we would say, buddy, go home, you're in my space, you're invading my home.

But they were there, they were watchers, they were overseeing souls.

And it was a demanding task.

But because of their role, saints deferred and recognized that role and submitted to them due to the fact or because of their work's sake.

So there was honor, there was submission for their work's sake.

They were respected and they were obeyed.

This has nothing to do with congregational oversight, as if some people were making decisions for a group of people.

In fact, you won't find anywhere where elders were making decisions for a group of people.

The best you can even come close to it would be Acts 15.

And that was an entirely different situation.

My point simply is, here were men who were given a task to oversee souls, and people submitted to that.

Why?

That was God's order.

That was his arrangement.

And in order for me to please the Lord, I have to align myself under that arrangement.

That doesn't mean that someone is.

That we're less important or valuable or that somehow these men are, you know, that we're inferior to them.

They have a different role.

And it was due to the fact that they were qualified for the task that the Spirit gave them.

So again, Scripture doesn't contradict itself.

So husbands are heads of wives, parents govern their children.

So what does all of that mean?

Well, it just means that there's mutual deference.

It means a spirit that seeks the good of others over personal advantage.

See, it's about using oneself or preferring others over oneself.

Chapter 14, Paul says he would not eat meat or do anything that would cause his brother to stumble.

And then in chapter 15, you that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.

And Christ becomes the par excellence, the perfect example of that which Paul alludes to in the 15th chapter of Romans.

So this is submission.

In practice, it is the refusal to dominate.

It is the refusal to insist on self so that what is said.

And this is true even with fathers and children and mothers and children.

They need to understand with respect that the fathers are trying to raise their children in the nurture and an admonition of the Lord.

That's the emphasis, friends.

It's not a matter of wielding oneself's authority and walking with a gate and an authority that you willed in the home that says, I'm boss around here, and you do what I said do because I said do it.

Now, that can get it done for a little while, I grant you.

But when they're able to leave and they graduate from school and go off.

And just what that kind of fatherhood is going to promote later down the road is another thing.

In fact, they may decide that, boy, when I get big enough, I'm believing this place.

And you're not going to treat me the way you treated me before, and what good is that?

But see, the direction and the training is done in the admonition of the Lord.

And so, even while doing that, fathers communicate to their children, listen, sweetheart, I'm doing this.

I'm doing the very best I can to instruct you in the ways of the Lord.

Yes, he's going to make mistakes, and he admittedly would recognize that, and so would the children.

But they respect what he's trying to do, and thus they submit.

Do you see the point?

Oh, that's very valuable.

And it makes the roles and carrying out those roles so much easier.

But when you have somebody that's arrogant and they want to push their weight around, it leaves a different response.

That's true in husbands and wives.

It's true with children and parents.

It's true with bosses and employees.

See, it's all related to one's disposition.

So this submission is a submission, that is, in practice, it is the willingness to yield personal rights for peace and unity, not to insist on oneself.

He ever thought about the fact that in the three places where Paul stays the longest, Corinth, Ephesus, and Thessalonica, he doesn't receive anything from them.

And of course, Paul never received wages as if he was a paid employee.

But in 1 Corinthians 9, he said, I had the right as an apostle to receive this from you.

But he said, I didn't exercise it.

So here's an example of someone who has a right but doesn't exercise it for the benefit of those that really should have felt the obligation to do so.

And so again, here's a perfect example.

We could say more about that.

But it's another illustration.

Paul is not teaching chaos.

He's teaching humility within structure.

Submission is a posture of the heart.

It's saying, I do not insist or I do not live my life to assert myself over you.

I exist to serve Christ, and that means serving you and helping you.

If you don't have that as the background, then carrying out these obligations and these passages become exceedingly difficult.

There are many examples or contexts in which this can be true.

A teacher doesn't belittle his hearers, and the hearers don't despise the teacher.

We are told to remind each other, to put each other in remembrance, as Peter said when he wrote his Epistle.

And so members of the body of Christ consider one another's needs.

You think about Galatians 6.

Here's a really good example of this.

If anybody is overtaken in default, you that are spiritual, go to him and restore him.

Notice now, restore him in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.

You're not above it.

Don't go to somebody with the idea that I'm above this sin that you've committed, and I can't imagine why you'd ever do this, or as if you're some sort of an authority over this person and you're going to correct him and bring him back.

That's the wrong attitude, friends.

But you need to go with the idea that, listen, I could be in the same boat you are in my friends, and in love and respect and honor, you go to them to restore that brother back to Jesus Christ.

That's the attitude.

Now, we may all have differing roles, no doubt, but we treat each other with humility.

This true in marriage.

Before Paul ever addressed wives or husbands specifically, he established a shared atmosphere, and that's humility.

A husband who loves sacrificially is submitting to God's order, and a wife who respects her husband is submitting to God's order.

Both are yielding self for the good of the other.

It's also true in disagreements.

Submission may mean yielding a preference for the sake of unity.

It may mean not demanding the last word.

It may mean giving up personal advantage in matters of liberty.

Romans 14 teaches that one may restrict his liberty so as not to wound a brother's conscience.

That's submission.

It's strength restrained by love.

Now, what about wives submitting to their husbands?

When Paul says in verse 22, he's not introducing a new concept here.

He's applying the principle of submission to wife to a specific relationship.

The wife's submission is not rooted in culture.

It's rooted in Christ.

The husband is head even as Christ is the head of the Church.

Headship implies order.

Submission implies aligning oneself with that order.

Doesn't matter which you're talking about or who you're talking about, husbands or wives.

But notice the husband is commanded to love as Christ loved the Church and gave himself.

See, Christ becomes the center point.

Again, this is not tyranny.

This is sacrificial leadership.

So the passage does not elevate men and diminish women.

It calls both to Christlike self denial, self denial within God's design.

Now, what does this in the fear of Christ mean.

Well there is another example, a lot like as unto the Lord statement.

Again we've got to focus, bring all of these relationships and these roles into focus and see it as an obligation of our relationship to Jesus Christ.

So why does Paul anchor submission in the fear of Christ?

Well the phrase means reverence, it means awe.

It means recognizing his authority.

Submission is not first about the other person.

It's about Christ.

I don't submit because the other person is flawless or over me.

I submit because Christ is Lord.

And if Christ is truly head, which I believe that he is, then I can't live in pride.

The fear of Christ destroys arrogance.

It reminds me that I answer to him.

He sees my spirit, he judges my motives.

He judges, he knows submission without Christ.

And the fear of Christ becomes manipulation.

The fear of Christ without submission becomes hypocrisy.

And so the two belong together.

The vertical produces the horizontal.

In other words, so if I tremble before Christ, I will not exalt myself over you.

The greatest example that we have is Jesus Christ, one who washed disciples feet.

The Lord of glory, wrapped a towel around himself and submitted himself in action.

He did not cease being Lord when he did it.

He demonstrated what greatness really looks like in the kingdom.

And he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

He would say submission isn't about dignity or losing dignity.

It's about reflecting Jesus Christ, our Lord.

There are two dangers that I want to mention to you very briefly.

Denying role distinctions and abusing authority.

Paul does neither.

He affirms structure.

He commands humility.

And the world rebels against submission because it worships self.

That's the problem.

But the the kingdom of God runs on self denial.

So where submission dies, conflict will always thrive.

Where pride rules, unity will collapse.

And so let's return to the verse submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

The word is the same word used for wives.

It means to place oneself under God's ordered design.

It's voluntary humility.

It's mutual deference.

It is Christ centered reverence expressed in relationships.

Submission isn't weakness.

It's strength governed by love.

It's obedience to Jesus Christ.

I thank you so much for listening today.

I trust you have a good day and a pleasant week ahead.