“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21).
Our calling is to “walk worthy.” Our gifts are “perfect and complete. Our behavior is changed by the “new man.” Our wisdom is to “understand the will of the Lord.” Our control is being “filled with the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:22 through 6:9 presents a basic primer on human relationships in dynamics that impact most of our lives, our families, and our places of employment. Our relationships are to be carried out by “submitting (ourselves) to one another in the fear of God.” That key word, hupotasso is itself, instructive. It is a compound of the preposition, “under,” and a word that means, “to arrange in order.” Thus, “to arrange under, in order.”
In the home, the submission (order, arrangement) is compared to the Lord’s house, the church. Wives are to be arranged under the husband (emphasis on authority) just as the church is under the authority of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:22–24). Husbands are to be under the responsibility of love (emphasis on sacrifice) just as Christ gave His life on behalf of and for the benefit of the church (Ephesians 5:25–33). Children are to be under the arranged order of correct behavior (emphasis on obedience) just as the fifth commandment so requires for the protection and promotion of well being and longevity (Ephesians 6:1–4).
In the workplace, those who serve are to serve as though they were serving the Lord, not men (Ephesians 6:5–8). Those who lead and own are to relate to their “servants” as though they were serving the servants, recognizing that one Master is over all (Ephesians 6:9). These instructions are really quite simple. We do not need to complicate them. HMM. III
