Ephesians 5:22-6:9. The grace walk requires voluntary submission in all relationships. This is a means of obeying the command in 5:18, being filled with the Spirit. It is accomplished by submitting to one another. So, what follows should not be taken as a new law reflecting some kind of order of authority. Paul is encouraging mutual submission as a means of reflecting God’s grace in relationships.
- Wives can best reflect grace in their relationships with their husbands by submitting to them out of respect (5:22-24, 33).
- Husbands can best reflect grace in their relationships with their wives by sacrificial love (5:25-29, 33).
- Both husband and wife are equally members of Christ’s body, and demonstrate that unity by being one flesh in their marriage (5:30-32).
- Children can best reflect grace in their relationships with their parents by obeying the commandment to honor them – both father and mother. This goes beyond simply obeying them while still in the household. It means bringing honor to them by living the grace walk as adults (6:1-3).
- Fathers are reminded that discipline of young children should be for training purposes, to instill instruction in the grace walk. Otherwise they might provoke anger which might lead to rebellion (6:4)
- Slaves (read employees) should reflect grace by rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man (6:5-8). Ephesus probably was composed of about 1/3rd bondservants.
- Masters (read employers) should reflect grace by acting in the same manner toward their bondservants.
The church is responsible to rebel against cultural norms, not to help impose them. The relationships that Paul encouraged were part of the grace walk that he prescribed. They were intended to show the difference between how believers lived, because of God’s grace. The mutual submission that Paul commanded would have been ridiculed by Ephesian society. The same is true of us if we dare follow this instruction.
LORD, show us how to follow the grace walk in our relationships.
Devotions 