Thursday, October 4, 2012

Ephesians 5:23


Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely
Ephesians 5:23

23 For [hoti] the husband [aner] is [esti] the head [kephale] of the wife, [gune] even [kai] as [hos] Christ [Christos] is the head [kephale] of the church: [ekklesia] and [kai] he [autos] is [esti] the saviour [soter] of the body. [soma]KJV-Interlinear

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. NASB

Relationships in society provide the fundamental stabilities for society.  When people reject these relationships, then society becomes unstable, families become unstable, individuals become unstable and all things fall apart in life, sooner or later.

Christ is the head, the leader, the authority over all of Christianity. All believers make up the church.

The word church, is a term that identifies the total collection of all members of the same following or principles.

Christianity is the following of Christ.  All believers are members of that church, which is His church.

But as far as humanity goes, we are more than a group of individuals that follow one God, we are also collectively, all members of Gods family.  Thus the relationship is established between believers and God through Christ.

As a family, we are bound to the principles and rules that govern that family, namely Bible doctrine.  And in order to understand our place in that family we are all bound and obligated to learn the rules and expectations of that family, thus your daily Bible study.

To reject that, is to reject God and Christ and the head of the family to which you belong.

Everything in this life is there so that you can learn spiritual values.  Parables are real life experiences that teach spiritual principles.  Jesus spoke in parables in order to teach of salvation and eternity and the spiritual life in general.

So too, we are taught in parables, or through real life experiences, in order to learn spiritual values.  If you have been following along in the Psalm study, then you know that even the sun and stars speak to all of humanity, regardless of language, culture or location, regarding a designer and superior being, at the very least.

In all principles you always have a choice.  You can either accept it and live by it, or reject it and do your own thing. Needless to say, whenever you reject Gods mandates and rules, then you are setting yourself up for a huge loss and misery in life.

So, your own problems are always, without exception, your fault.

The wife is to recognize her husband as the head, the leader, the authority of the marriage, the home, the family.

In this concept lies the stability of society.

But here, the Bible teaches us that not just the head of the household, but the husband is the head of the wife, and that is directed specifically to the wife so that she will abide by the principles of life as defined and designed by God, not only for her protection, but for society on the whole.

The husband is to head the house just as Christ heads the Church.  Such that, just as Christ sets Himself aside and places his Church first, so too, the husband now has the obligation to set aside his own personal interests and place those of his wife and family ahead of himself.

This is a matter of priorities as viewed in life by both husband and wife.  In effect both parents set aside their own interests in order to raise their children, so that they too will imitate this practice and raise their families appropriately.

When wives first meet their husband to be, they should never enter into a relationship unless they are totally committed to turning themselves over to his authority.  She determines this during the dating and pre-marriage part of their life.  If he is not the right one then on to the next acquaintance and so forth until a match is found that the woman will be willing to give over herself.  Likewise if the woman is not willing to defer judgment to her husband then she is not prepared to be a wife.

The Bible does not say, submit only if he is right, and then allow you to invoke your will when he is wrong in your opinion.

Likewise, the husband needs to learn both humility and poise and selflessness.  If he has a me-first attitude, then he is not a candidate for running any type of organization, much less a family.

When these principles are ignored, compromised, or rejected, then the obvious problems of life will occur.

Above all else, remember this very important principle.  God gave each one of us life.  God assigned each one of us a position in life.  To some He will make billionaires.  To some He will make impoverished.

While there are many inequities in life, all are made equal in their spiritual life, as in doctrine we all have the opportunity to define and design our own eternal profile.  But then that requires compliance with Gods mandates in spiritual growth.

To reject Gods decisions is to reject His plan for your life.

Some things may be difficult to accept, and arrogance is the principle instigator of rejection.

However, God placed you where you are, because it is the very best option for you and for your successful spiritual life.  Think about that before you complain and reject who and what you are, because in being resentful you are destroying or compromising your own future.

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