We ALL know the chapter - it's one of the biggest chapters used against "feminism" so let's break it down.
1. There were no breaks, titles, chapters, or verses in the original letters that Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus. It was a continuous thought.
2. We have to remember that Paul was writing a *letter*. He was responding to a letter with questions, concerns, and problems that he was offering specific advice for (those situations). That is why Paul seems to contradict himself by having women like Junia, Priscilla, and Phoebe as equal church leaders/partners who did preach and teach men while saying to Timothy "I do not permit a woman to speak" (when *obviously* he did). (I will talk about this in a post this evening).
3. Ephesians 5 - in verse 21 Paul tells the church to "submit yourselves one to another". So, first, he establishes a NEW concept of "mutual submission" where that had never been taught before. In a culture where women were seen as commodities and bartering chips between men, Paul was saying that Christian men should be treating the women as their equals - it was revolutionary.
4. Now, let's talk about verses 22-32. In the first part, Paul talks about husbands being the "head" of their wives. Marg Mowczko has done an incredible job explaining this so I will defer to a blog on her website on this subject that you can (and should) read here: https://margmowczko.com/pauls-main-point-in-eph-5_22-33/
In the rest of this portion of Paul's letter he tells wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives. Now, Paul telling women to submit to their husbands was nothing new - women were already doing this. It was cultural norm. However, Paul telling husbands to love their wives, THAT was new! Paul was paving the way for marital equality. In that culture, men didn't HAVE to love their wives - again, women were used as bartering chips between men. Most women were basically sold to the highest bidder from their father to their new husband. Also, these were young teen girls - not grown women. These were 14 year old girls marrying men old enough to be their grandfather. In *our* modern culture that would be unheard of - another thing that was normal in their culture but we don't do in this modern culture. In our culture, that man would be a pedophile. So, before we go off on a trail about how "culture didn't matter, Paul was creating doctrine" - it absolutely DOES matter. What was happening in that time, how they lived, etc MATTERS when we are trying to understand why Paul said the things he said. But, ANYWAYS...Paul commanding men to love their wives was a huge thing for that culture where men didn't have to love their wives and could divorce them for things like being barren (though they never considered that maybe it could also be the husband's issue).
5. So, what does "love" look like?
Love is sacrificial - we see this talked about as a theme throughout the New Testament, especially in the life of Jesus and Paul's letters. According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
If husbands treated their wives in the above mentioned ways they would absolutely be walking in mutual submission, considering their wives as their equals, etc.
Love is God's greatest commandment - love God, others, and yourself. When we truly love others we cannot see ourselves as better than, higher than, or superior to another human - we are all made in God's likeness.
Can you imagine the waves it must have caused when Paul commanded men to submit to women (see vs 21) and THEN had the audacity to tell men to LOVE THEIR WIVES like Christ loved the church? Woooooo! I bet there were a lot of men who struggled with this - it is a huge change from what they had been used to for centuries.
In Ephesians 5 (written around AD 60), Paul laid the ground work for marital equality. He started paving the way for the work Ezer Rising is doing today - advocating for the equality and inclusion of women in every area of church culture as well as full marital equality.
If you would like to read more about the context of Ephesians 5, here are some fantastic resources:
Yes fish were made before man. But God also tells man to have dominion over them. When Ephesians 5 talks about mutual submission it is talking about the general Christian community. Afterwards Paul zeros in on marriage. He basically says that marriage is a reflection of Christ and the Church. Should Christ submit to the Church? Christ is the second Person of the Trinity and is therefore God. Should God submit to the Church?
There will be times when a husband fails (unlike Christ who never has, does, or will). We have to be discerning. However, if a husband is not asking you to violate what Scripture says then there is no reason to have a problem submitting to him.
There is time when some will be faithful, without failing, it's not told to be disagreed with..
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
man had dominion over all the animals, yet man is told he is just the same, no greater at all, so submitting to man is no use, unless God is present...
Ecclesiastes 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
It really does not matter who is first, what matters is Christ is before all, any other knowledge of this life has no value, without faith in Him deeply....
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
