The closing passages of Ephesians offer instructions on how families, or households should function. These seem to be follow in structure the household codes of the day, although with differences and as much rooted in Judaism/The Old Testament Scriptures as in Greek culture. They are sandwiched between the command to “be filled with the Spirit” and instructions on Spiritual Warfare. This reminds us that this is a direct consequence of being filled with the Holy Spirit and this is where the Spiritual battle is won. This is important too because the church functions as an extended household.
Paul follows the command to “be filled with the Spirit” with a series of participles which show that this is all about the results of being filled with the Spirit, it will result in addressing one another, singing, making melody, giving thanks and submitting to one another.[1]
The final phrase points to mutual submission where we look out for each other and put the needs of others first. Then from Ephesians5:22, we are given instructions about how this looks in the household. Literally, Paul writes “submitting to one another …. Wives to your husbands.” In other words, there isn’t a new verb to start a new thought, this is a sub category of how we submit.
Wives and husbands (5:22-32)
Submission is “to your own husband”, in other words, this is not about a hierarchy with men over women. Rather, male and female are made equally in God’s image and redeemed equally as co-heirs in Christ. It is mutual. Wives are to “submit to their husbands” and “husbands are to love their wives in the same way that Christ loves us, in other words a sacrificial love which is willing to die for the other. We might sum up the instruction as “husbands love your wives and wives let them.”
Wives are to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord.” This both restricts the nature of the submission and informs why they submit. It is in so far as their husband follows the Lord, it is not a licence for husbands to boss about their wives and treat them as their servants. It is because the husband is the “head”. This helps us understand why. Christ is the head of the church and this indicates his authority. Mutual submission is in the context of the husband’s headship but the point is that marriage provides a vivid picture of Christ’s relationship to the church.
Notice finally the reference back to Genesis and the two becoming “one flesh”. The focus is on unity (a big theme in the letter). We are not meant to focus too much on the nuts and bolts of who does what. Rather, the key question when we are looking at the health of a marriage is whether the two have become one, whether this is a marriage where there is one will.
Parents and children (6:1-4)
Paul reminds children of the commandment to “honour your father and mother”, a command that comes with an attached promise of long life. This is how children show love to their parents. However, loving parents will not make it hard for their children to love them by provoking them.
The context in the OT Law of the command for children to honour their parents was that parents were to teach their children God’s law and God’s ways. Indeed, this, practically was how the children could enjoy long life in the promised land, not just a happy and healthy life for themselves but a life for the whole people in coming generations without exile into captivity.
Christian parents therefore are first responsible for the spiritual well-being of their children. In Acts 2, Peter describes the Gospel as something promised for those who heard that day, their children, grandchildren and those far off (I take this to mean both geographically and chronologically). This was not a promise that children would automatically inherit salvation but a reminder that they too could repent and put their trust in Jesus, if they heard the Gospel from their parents.
Slaves and masters
Paul then turns to a third category. “Slaves.” Some translations interpret this as “bond servants”. This does not however lessen the force of the matter, whilst sometimes voluntarily bonded themselves into unpaid service for a period of time (e.g. to repay a debt), Paul does not distinguish permanent from temporary or voluntary from involuntary.
Slaves are to obey their masters, they are not to give mere lip-service or half hearted service but to give their all. Their motivation for doing so is that they serve their masters as though serving Christ. They know that even if their master does not reward them, then they will be rewarded by the Lord.
Then there is the radical bit, masters are to “do the same to them.” In other words, they are to put their slave’s needs first. Once again there is shocking and radical mutual submission. Now, if this suggests equality and if there is a form of reward or wage, underwritten by Jesus, then this looks very radical indeed. I think we can rightly argue that Paul here abolishes slavery within the context of God’s people. They can no longer buy, sell or keep slaves. To be sure, this isn’t a blueprint for an abolition campaign but Paul is addressing the church not the state.
Why then did the Bible allow for slavery? Well, there seem to be two elements to this. First, Israelites were permitted to keep Gentile slaves, I would suggest that this was partly about showing the implications of sin and rebellion against God leading to spiritual slavery and secondly a pragmatic matter of what to do with prisoners of war.
Secondly, you could not keep fellow Israelites, your brothers and sisters as permanent slaves. They could enter bond-service in your household but that was for 7 years until the Sabbath year or the Jubilee Year (50 years). Then, they were to be released and any debt cancelled. They were free to go, unless, they voluntary committed themselves to being a permanent part of your household.
I think this is important because, first of all, my brothers and sisters in Christ cannot be kept as slaves and secondly, we might argue that in Christ, the Sabbath or Jubilee has come so that any period of service is now ended. This was the understanding which led to the campaign for abolition of slavery. The abolitionists recognised that to keep slaves was a conflict of interests because it would discourage you from sharing the Gospel with them.
What then is the status of the former slave in the new society of God’s people? Well, first of all, they are free in Christ. Secondly, they as a minimum with treated reciprocally and rewarded are employees. However, I think the imagery is meant to push further because remember that the focus is not on 21st Century employment arrangements but 1st century households. The former slave remains in the household but no longer as a slave. Paul encourages Philemon for example to treat Onesimus as a brother. The slave becomes a family member.
Implications for the whole church
It may be tempting to stay away from church on Sundays when these topics are preached if you are single or without children. However, remember that Paul, on marriage, emphasises that he is using the image to point to Christ and the church. Those who are unmarried are part of the bride o Christ, those without children are part of God’s family. We were all once slaves but have been given our freedom in Christ but we still have responsibilities to others. So, this teaching has much to say to all of us.
We submit to Christ together as his church. Indeed, we might also say that this means that we let him love us. We can learn about what this looks like as we see godly marriages in the church. We submit to one another in love within the church family, showing whole hearted care for one another.
[1] Ephesians 5:18-21.
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