Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. As you mentioned, Christian submission is reciprocal, (unlike worldly submission). As you mentioned, it means to place your own interests BELOW (hypo) that of the other. I believe it is synonymous with agapao (“love”). 1 Cor 13:5 says agape love seeks not its own interests. Also Eph 5:2 is written to men and women, and in the Greek it mirrors Eph 5:25. So ALL Christians are to love as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Verses 26-27 are a Christological “aside,” not something husbands must do. There is a good article on the CBMW website about this. I don’t think husbands and wives (today) have different requirements. Eph 5:21-33 forms a chiasm which I would love to send to you if you’re interested. God bless you and your ministry.
David Croteau article titled “To Make Her Holy” is on the CBMW website. Also the chiasm I put together points out things I’ve not seen mentioned before. If you change your mind.
Excellent post as always, thank you. To your list of recommended reading, I’d like to suggest Andrew Bartlett’s book Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts. Your post put me in mind of Ch 6 where Bartlett points out that in verse 23 in the Greek, Paul places the phrase that refers to Christ as the savior of the body in apposition to the phrase referring to Christ’s headship of the church showing that the analogy is “a comparison with Christ’s headship as saviour of the body, not with his headship as lord over the church.” Paul is therefore emphasizing that the husband’s call is to self-sacrifice for his wife. This apposition is something some popular English translations obscure by adding either a conjunction or prepositional phrase.
Deep in my bones, I know that if husbands treated their wives like Christ treated the church as called for in Ephesians 5, “submission” would be a natural outcome. That is servant leadership in action. It would be beautiful. So beautiful. 💜🙏🏽
Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. As you mentioned, Christian submission is reciprocal, (unlike worldly submission). As you mentioned, it means to place your own interests BELOW (hypo) that of the other. I believe it is synonymous with agapao (“love”). 1 Cor 13:5 says agape love seeks not its own interests. Also Eph 5:2 is written to men and women, and in the Greek it mirrors Eph 5:25. So ALL Christians are to love as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Verses 26-27 are a Christological “aside,” not something husbands must do. There is a good article on the CBMW website about this. I don’t think husbands and wives (today) have different requirements. Eph 5:21-33 forms a chiasm which I would love to send to you if you’re interested. God bless you and your ministry.
Thank you for your comments. I am familiar with the chiasm but would love to see the article you recommend.
David Croteau article titled “To Make Her Holy” is on the CBMW website. Also the chiasm I put together points out things I’ve not seen mentioned before. If you change your mind.
Thank you!
Jill, I would love to see the chiasm you put together!
Could I get your email address?
Of course!🙂
lauramumofnine@gmail.com
Excellent post as always, thank you. To your list of recommended reading, I’d like to suggest Andrew Bartlett’s book Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts. Your post put me in mind of Ch 6 where Bartlett points out that in verse 23 in the Greek, Paul places the phrase that refers to Christ as the savior of the body in apposition to the phrase referring to Christ’s headship of the church showing that the analogy is “a comparison with Christ’s headship as saviour of the body, not with his headship as lord over the church.” Paul is therefore emphasizing that the husband’s call is to self-sacrifice for his wife. This apposition is something some popular English translations obscure by adding either a conjunction or prepositional phrase.
Deep in my bones, I know that if husbands treated their wives like Christ treated the church as called for in Ephesians 5, “submission” would be a natural outcome. That is servant leadership in action. It would be beautiful. So beautiful. 💜🙏🏽