Submission and Equality

Part 5: Ephesians 5:21-24; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1-8; Galatians 3:28

So far, we have studied the basis for male headship.  We have found that this ordering of men over women, and all of us under God, is based on the creative order in Genesis.  The nature of subordination and roles can be found in the Godhead as well.  The Son submitted Himself to the will of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from God, yet all three are co-equal in essence, the Three-in-One. Now we turn our attention to the various passages that deal specifically with a woman’s submission to man in society and the home.

Read Ephesians 5

As we read the whole chapter of Ephesians 5 for context, we get a picture of several ways the believers are to act.  We are to put away many things, and many things should be characteristic of a true believer.

1. What commands are we to do in Ephesians 5:15 and 5:18?

2. Look up the word “circumspectly” and write the definition.

3. The next several verses give ways in which we are to carry out being circumspect and being filled with the spirit.  What are the participles (words ending in –ing that describe how we are to “walk”) in verses 16-21?

Submitting to one another ends this string of exhortations originating in verses 15 and 18.  In other words, we are to walk circumspectly and be filled with the spirit by redeeming, speaking, giving, and submitting.

After all of that, our key verses in the chapter (vs. 22-24) further apply the submitting to one another.  Paul gives the application to the marriage relationship, to the parent-child relationship, and to the employer-employee relationship. We tend to understand the concept of a child submitting to a parent and an employee submitting to an employer. But our culture does not want to apply this dynamic to the wife submitting to her husband. We will just focus on Paul’s words about the marriage relationship.

4. Who is to do the submitting in Ephesians 5:22?