Submit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:21
Ephesians 5:21
The heart of the New Testament is the message of the cross.
The central tenet of the New Testament is that if we want to find our lives, we
must lose them, and if we want to be exalted, we must humble ourselves. When we
hear this, we know right away that this book is not normal and does not reflect
the wisdom we receive from the world. It should not surprise us then that the
Biblical message about how to succeed in relationships is going to fly in the
face of conventional wisdom.
In this section of Ephesians, Paul begins with a word that is
very nearly despised in our world: submit.
It is a word universally hated by teenagers, college students, employees and
citizens. We can react to this passage and argue that Paul was just molded by
his own culture, or we can humbly come to this text with a desire to learn the
deeper spiritual truth that we need.
There is room for some difference of opinion as to what this
verse introduces. However, when seen in context, verse 21 clearly teaches that
submitting to one another is to flow from the filling of the Spirit (v18). That
means it is to be a part of the Christian’s lifestyle. Paul has written most of
this letter to emphasize that in Christ we have been brought together as one
body and one family. The admonition to submit to one another is the logical
conclusion to everything he has written about our relationships.
We are not to
resist one another or pull away from one another or dispute about our rights
with one another. We are to submit our lives to one another. Our mentality must
not be “how can I get people to do what I want?” but rather, “how can I serve
and help and support people so they can be encouraged to become more
Christlike?” The world says, figure out how people can help you and get them to
do it. Jesus says, see how you can give to people and make them feel loved,
respected, needed and valuable.
I completely appreciate this perspective, Tom. What I wonder is I do feel like I give to to people the way you (and the bible) suggests. But, I'm in a place right now where I don't feel like I get a lot of that back - even from my own bible talk. So, that leaves me wondering...do they need me?
ReplyDeleteJust know that you are dearly loved by the Creator of all the universe and that people, in their weaknesses, do not always see the needs around them. But GOD does and He cares for you.
DeleteI appreciate that! Actually had a great bible talk the other night and was able to share how I was feeling. On the road to something better!
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