We now come to the climax of the instruction to husbands and wives. These verses hold the whole instruction together and show how Christ’s relationship to the church is the basis for the marriage relationship. As we noted earlier, Paul has been building up to this point by introducing body and flesh language in v29-30.[1]
Category: ethics
Marriage at work (5) “husbands love”
The instruction to husbands could be seen as the key, radical point within Paul’s instructions.[1] Paul devotes more space to this instruction than to the other aspects of the Household Codes[2] and the command to love supplies a surprising twist.
Marriage at work (4) “Wives submit”
3.1. Two Views We now get into the body of Paul’s instruction to wives and husbands. So what does he mean by “wives submit” and why does he require it? As we have seen already, Egalitarians treat any requirement for wives to be subordinate and husbands to lead as a temporary cultural requirement.
COVID-19 and the ethics of mask wearing
Regular readers of Faithroot.com will have seen my occasional risk assessment and advice posts concerning COVID-19. In summary, my position through the summer has been that churches should seek to move cautiously towards full re-opening. In the short term this would mean Continuing to allow additional capacity to provide extra space for people to meet… Continue reading COVID-19 and the ethics of mask wearing
COVID – update and thoughts as we look towards autumn and winter
As we move towards September and out of the summer holidays, we want to start looking forward and thinking about the implications of what comes next in terms of COVID. The other day I mentioned that the UK figures were being confused a little by what we are seeing in England and what we are… Continue reading COVID – update and thoughts as we look towards autumn and winter
Marriage at work (3) Submit to one another”
Our understanding of Paul’s instructions to husbands and wives will be influenced by how we understand the phrase hupotessomenoi allelloi Here we have two apparently strong concepts.
Marriage at Work (2) A conversation in context
It may seem obvious to suggest that we should start with context, but despite our best evangelical intentions, there are two temptations which can distract us from this. We might describe them as the temptation to play “Proof Text Trumps” and the temptation to treat all the Household Codes the same.
Marriage at work (1) Introduction
I. 1. Why This Question? This dissertation arises from personal circumstances. Sarah and I both grew up in what might be termed traditional households; dad worked while mum looked after the children and the home. Our own circumstances when we got married were different to what we had experienced growing up; whilst I studied Theology,… Continue reading Marriage at work (1) Introduction
How ‘nice’ are the anti-vax conspiracy theorists?
Did you know that amongst other things, the book of Revelation prophesies the advent of big pharma and the plot by these multi-nationals to take over the world in the face of a global pandemic? Here it is in Revelation 18:23 “all nations were deceived by your pharmacy” There you have it. The big pharmaceutical… Continue reading How ‘nice’ are the anti-vax conspiracy theorists?
The big beautiful marriage story
One of my favourite Bible passages is Ephesians 5:21-33. It’s the passage which I looked at for my MTh dissertation and yet in many respects I’m frustrated by how it is treated by Christians. It has become the battle ground for tribal disputes and the result has been a narrowing of focus and a squeezing… Continue reading The big beautiful marriage story
