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Blessed in Christ - An exposition of the letter to the Ephesians

Ephesians (Chapter 5)

Published since 04. Dec. 2024
Bible passages:
Ephesians 5
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Imitators of God

Chapter 5:1: "Be imitators of God now, as beloved children,"

At the beginning of chapter 5, we are reminded of our position as beloved children of God the Father. Suppose we were already allowed to experience God's undeserved love as lost sinners. How much more glorious is His love for us who have become His children! We saw in chapter 1:4 that He sees us "holy and blameless before Him in love," which means nothing other than that we have become His children who correspond to His nature. After all, we are born of Him (John 1:13) and are also to partake of His divine nature in practice (2 Peter 1:4) - not His divinity in omnipotence and omniscience, but His moral nature: love and light. 

Thus, we are to be His imitators, that is, faithful revelators of His nature, just as it was revealed in the man Jesus Christ. We are sent from our position in the heavenly places (cf. chapter 2:6) to earth to radiate His love and light in the darkness that prevails here (cf. Phil 2:15). 

Verse 2: "And walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God."

First, we are called to walk in love. This is followed in verse 8 by the call to walk as children of light and finally in verse 15 by the call to walk in wisdom. The nature of God is expressed in these three lines. The model and standard for walking in love is the love of Christ, "who loved us and gave Himself for us." God's love found its perfect expression in Him, the man who corresponded to God's thoughts in everything. In His love, He gave Himself for each believer, us, and the assembly. He not only gave His life for us, as great as that would have been in itself, but He gave "Himself" in all the glory of His wonderful person.[1] The merchant in the parable, who was looking for beautiful pearls, gave everything he had for the one very precious pearl, the congregation (Mt 13:45). But the Lord Jesus did more: He gave Himself! He could not give more! - Adorable love! 

This total offering was, first and foremost, for God. In the letter to the Ephesians, the work of redemption on the cross of Golgotha, therefore, also has the character of a burnt offering (cf. Gen 1). This was the only sacrifice prescribed in the Old Testament offered entirely to God. Not all of the other sacrifices were placed on the altar, and the priests or the sacrificer also received a certain portion for themselves, but not in the case of the burnt offering. It was solely for God, "an offering made by fire of a pleasing aroma to the Lord" (Lev 1:9, 13, 17). 

Through the perfect offering of the Lord Jesus as a burnt offering, God was glorified in such a way that He can not only offer His grace to all people based on this work but also that every believer is "pardoned [or: made acceptable] before Him in Christ" (chap. 1:6). In His life, Christ was the perfect grain offering (cf. Gen 2). The word used here for "offering" (Greek: prosphora) already appears in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, as a rendering for "grain offering" and is translated accordingly in Hebrews 10:5. In His death, He was the perfect sacrifice or burnt offering, "a fragrant aroma to God." 

Verse 3: "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness shall not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;"

Isn't it always amazing how God's truths with eternal weight and the simplest human behaviors are juxtaposed in the Bible? This would not be so if it were not necessary. The believer's flesh (the old nature or the members of the old man) has not improved through conversion and the new birth because it is incorrigible. Even though we have put off the old man and put on the new (chap. 4:22-24), the flesh is still present as long as man lives on earth (Col. 3:5). Therefore, Christians are always in danger of being able to occupy themselves with the loftiest thoughts and at the same time being at a moral low. 

A group of Gnostics in the first centuries taught that the spirit was everything. At the same time, the flesh was nothing and tolerated the worst excesses of carnal lust. Today, there is a danger that the Christian will become accustomed to the increasing immorality of the world instead of recognizing its true character in the light of the Word of God. Therefore, like the Ephesians, we are admonished not even to speak these things in our mouths, let alone do them. This is not to say that when they occur, they are not to be judged and dealt with scripturally in the assembly. According to 1 Corinthians 5, fornicators and covetous persons, among others, must be excluded from the community of believers as evil. 

When it is said here that it is not proper for saints to name these things, this refers to a frivolous and worldly way of thinking and speaking. According to God's Word, fornication is any sexual intercourse outside of marriage. The only place for sexuality is marriage. Impurity is a term for moral uncleanliness, mainly in the sexual sphere. Covetousness (Greek: pleonexia) refers to an unbridled affection or greed for what does not belong to one. The word is translated as "greed" in chapter 4:19. All of this is completely inappropriate for saints who are set apart by God for Him from all evil.

Verse 4: "Also, shamefulness and silly chatter or joking, which are not appropriate, but rather thanksgiving."

It is the same with profanity, silly talk, or joking. These things are also inappropriate for a Christian. They are mentioned in the same breath as the sins mentioned in verse 3 and are also condemned. Our hearts are distracted from the Lord and defiled through frivolous and evil conversations. How easy it is to make ambiguous statements or mock others! In this way, we defile our hearts and dishonor the Lord. 

But is a Christian not allowed to laugh and rejoice? Of course, we are allowed to rejoice in everything that God gives us in His goodness. But that is different from seeking carnal 'amusement.' The expression of genuine Christian joy is thanksgiving. "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I want to say: Rejoice! Let your kindness be known to all people; the Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:4-7).

Verse 5: "For this, you know and recognize that no fornicator or unclean person or covetous person (who is an idolater) has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."

God's ways of government do not change. Suppose someone "who is a fornicator or a covetous person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or a robber" must be put out from among the believers, and it is added that God judges those who are outside (1 Cor 5:11-13). In that case, it is also clear that people who habitually practice these sins cannot have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. This statement is not about whether a believer can be lost or not, but about the fact that people who live in these sins cannot claim the grace of God (cf. 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21). 

While in other passages of the New Testament, the kingdom of God is seen as present (Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 4:20), the kingdom of Christ and God here is the future millennial reign over all creation. God is the origin, Christ as glorified man the executor of the government in peace and righteousness (cf. 1 Chr 29:11). Hence the expression "kingdom of Christ and God." If a sinner will have no part in this, how much less in the eternal blessings of the Father's house! 

Verse 6: "Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these [things], the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."

People have always wanted to abuse God's grace and lull themselves and others into a false sense of security (cf. Jude 4b). In another passage, Paul contradicted the mere thought of this. "Should we persist in sin so that grace may overflow? Far be it from us! We who have died to sin, how shall we live in it?" (Rom 6:1, 2). Someone who has truly experienced and understood the grace of God will not allow himself to be deceived by such thoughts. He knows that the wrath of God will come upon the unbelievers because of these things. It will be revealed from heaven, not only in His governmental ways as in the captivity of Israel and Judah in Assyria and Babylon but in the immediate judgment on all unrighteousness of men (cf. Rom 2:5; Rev 6:16, 17).

"Sons of disobedience" are all people who are characterized by disobedience to God (Eph 2:2). God's rightful demand of man as a creature is and remains obedience (Gen 2:16, 17). Through the disobedience of the first human beings, all their descendants were placed in the position of sinners, but, thank God, through the obedience of the One - Christ - the many who believe in Him are placed in the position of the righteous and are now called "children of obedience" (Rom 5:19; 1 Pet 1:14). 

Verse 7: "Do not be their comrades."

Now, we are asked not to have any fellowship with them. We may pray for such people that God will have mercy on them and that they will be saved, but we must not participate in their activities. Separation from all kinds of evil is and remains a principle of God (cf. 1 Thes 5:22). A simple but serious reason for this is given in 1 Corinthians 15:33: "Do not be deceived: Evil intercourse corrupts good morals."

Children of light

Verses 8 to 10: "For once you were darkness, but now [you are] light in [the] Lord; walk as children of [the] light (for the fruit of the light [consists] in all goodness and righteousness and truth), testing what is pleasing to the Lord."

As unbelievers, we were not only in darkness (1 Peter 2:8; 1 John 2:9), but we were darkness. God alone is "light, and there is no darkness in him" (1 John 1:5). His holiness, righteousness, and eternal truth could not be expressed more simply and appropriately than with the words: "God is light." He also inhabits an inaccessible light (1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 2:8). When the Son of God came to earth, He was the light of this dark, godless world (John 1:4; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46). "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Everyone who believes in Him receives His life and His light and thereby becomes light in the Lord Himself. Light and darkness here are, of course, moral terms that speak of the nature of God on the one hand and of the remoteness from God and complete ignorance of sinners on the other.

Now, we are called to walk as "children of light." Whereas the call in verse 2 was to walk in love to reveal the nature of God, here we are called upon to conform to God's nature by walking as children of light. 

Even if every child of God shares in this light, this does not mean that the wonderful light also illuminates and shines through all areas of practical life. We can only reveal this fruit of light if we live in constant self-judgment. It consists not only of all righteousness and truth but also includes goodness, which shows us that light and love are not opposites with God but are in perfect harmony. This is how it should be with us, as it was in perfection with our Lord Jesus.

Continuing the train of thought begun in verse 8, Paul exhorts the Ephesians in verse 10 to test what is pleasing to the Lord. By reading the Word of God and in communion with the Lord Jesus in prayer, the believer examines and recognizes what is pleasing to Him. However, the necessity of testing shows that it is not always easy to recognize His will. That is why we are called upon in Romans 12:2 to test what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God and in Philippians 1:10 to test what is more excellent. 

Works of darkness

Verses 11 and 12: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather punish [them] also; for that which is done secretly by them is shameful even [just] to say."

The "unfruitful works of darkness" stand in stark contrast to the fruit of light. In the New Testament, fruit is that which pleases God. The works of darkness, however, are unfruitful. The believing Christian should have no fellowship with them but rather punish or expose them, that is, point out the evil in them and condemn them. This condemnation is primarily expressed in a complete separation or segregation from such works. With this in mind, the apostle Paul asks the Corinthians: "What fellowship [has] light with darkness? And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what connection has the temple of God with idols?" (2 Cor 6:14-16).

In verse 3, Paul had admonished the Ephesians not even to mention fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, and here he adds that the secret and shameful deeds of wicked people should not even be mentioned. Even talking about these things defiles the heart. If secret evil deeds still testify to a certain sense of guilt or at least an awareness of unseemliness, things were different in Jerusalem and Sodom: People spoke openly about the sins they committed, as has become common practice in many countries today (see Isaiah 3:9). Do we keep ourselves completely separate from this?

Verses 13 and 14a: "But everything that is exposed is made manifest by the light, for it is the light that makes everything manifest."

Only in the direct presence of God, in His light, can we see things as He sees them. The light reveals everything. God is light in an absolute way (1 John 1:5), Christ is the light of the world that shines in the darkness (John 1:5, 9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46), and the Word of God is also light (2 Peter 1:19). For as long as a person has not come into this light himself, he is in moral darkness and has no real awareness of sin. But as soon as the light of God shines into his life, everything is revealed. Gradually or even suddenly, he sees everything as God sees it and is thus led to repentance and conversion. In this way, he is led out of darkness into the light. A child of God is and always remains in this light (1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:7). Someone who has come out of darkness into the light can never leave this realm of light again, even though he can become like people who are in darkness in his practical way of life and also perform unfruitful works of darkness. 

Not only for unbelievers but also for a believer who sins, it is the light of God's word that reveals his sin to him. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path," says the psalmist (Psalm 119:105). The Holy Spirit uses the word to draw attention to sin, thereby touching the conscience and leading to confession of guilt. This brings the walk back into line with the position: "But now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light" (verse 8).

Verse 14b: "That is why He says: "Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!"

Here, a believer is seen in the midst of unbelievers (cf. Isa 60:1, 19). He is made alive with Christ, while unbelievers are seen as dead in trespasses and sins (chap. 2:1, 5). Just like light and darkness, life and death are completely irreconcilable opposites. This difference is practically lost if a Christian adapts his thoughts, words, and actions to those around him. He can no more become a "dead person" than he can return to "darkness" because that would mean that he would lose the new life again, and that is impossible (cf. John 10:28, 29). That is why he is referred to here as a sleeper, who is alive, but outwardly, and can hardly be distinguished from a dead person at first glance. We must call out to him: "Wake up!", that is, become aware of your state (cf. 1 Thes 5:4-8)! 

But then follows the admonition: "Arise from the dead!" - Separate yourself from the unbelievers with whom you find yourself, and show the life you possess in your walk! Finally, it is added: "And the Christ will shine upon you!" He wants to practically illuminate our spiritual life. The eyes of our hearts must be opened so that He can enlighten us with regard to our life of faith. How clearly and distinctly we can then recognize and walk the narrow but blessed path of faith, which causes many difficulties for a worldly-minded Christian!

Walk carefully

Verses 15 and 16: "Take heed therefore how ye walk circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise, buying out the time that is convenient; for the days are evil."

This is the third exhortation in this chapter, which relates to our practical walk. After walking in love (verse 2) and walking as children of light (verse 8), we are called upon here to walk carefully in wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to practically apply and live out the teachings of the Word of God that enrich our knowledge. This is not a question of intelligence but of obedience. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov 9:10). 

The time of our lives that the Lord gives us on earth is the opportune time for Him. When an unbeliever is asked about the salvation of his immortal soul, it is usually an inconvenient time for him (see Acts 24:25; 2 Timothy 4:2). The time may not always seem convenient to us if we consider other things to be more important. But time is short, and the days are evil! Only now do we have time to do something for our Lord, whether in the gospel or in serving His people. We must buy out this time, that is, use it as well as possible for him.

Verse 17: "Therefore be not foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is]."

Anyone who does not recognize this is foolish and has no understanding of the Lord's will, which alone is decisive for our actions. When He was on earth, He knew only one goal: to do the will of the One who sent Him and to accomplish His work. That was His food (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29). His will was always in perfect harmony with the will of His Father. However, our self-will often makes us foolish concerning the will of our Lord. Hence, this is the call to discern what His will is. In verse 10, we are asked to consider what is pleasing to the Lord. Here, we are urged to discern what His will is. In the next verse, we find the third source of help for living according to His will: the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 18: "And do not become intoxicated with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with [the] Spirit,"

Someone who takes intoxicants such as alcohol and drugs is no longer in control of his senses and himself. He is controlled by another power, which, as it says here, leads to debauchery. However, the Christian should not expose himself to such influences but should be filled with the Holy Spirit. As sad as this juxtaposition is on the one hand, it is also instructive on the other. A drunk person often does things that neither he nor those around him understand. He can no longer do what he wants because he is under the influence of someone else. The Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit also no longer does what he wants, but the will of God. However, being filled with the Holy Spirit is not ecstasy but the highest form of spiritual sobriety.

God seals everyone who accepts the gospel of salvation in faith with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:16). A characteristic of the sons of God is that they are led by the Spirit (John 16:13; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18). But this does not happen automatically. We must make room for the Spirit, who has chosen our body as His temple. We read of men like Stephen (Acts 6:3, 5; 7:55) and Barnabas (Acts 11:24) that they were full (Greek: pleres) of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 4:1). This seems to indicate a constant, enduring state. In other places, we read of being filled with the Holy Spirit (Greek: pimplanai) 'to fill, to be filled, to be fulfilled'; Acts 2:4; 4:8; 9:17; 13:9, 52). This refers to certain occasions, purposes, or ministries in which the Holy Spirit finds room to work powerfully.

In our verse, however, a different word (Greek: pleroun) is used, which has the meaning 'to fill completely, to fill, to make full' (Acts 13:52). If we want to be filled with the Spirit, our 'vessel' must be empty and pure. Otherwise, He would be grieved or quenched (Eph 4:30; 1 Thes 5:19). He wants to glorify the Lord Jesus in us!

Verses 19-21: "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in [the] fear of Christ."

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit and His power so that He can work in us unhindered, the following characteristics are also present in us: praise, thanksgiving, and submission. In the letter to the Colossians, in which we find similar exhortations, the prerequisite for this is that the word of Christ dwells in us richly (Col 3:16). The more the Holy Spirit occupies us with the blessings that God has given us in Christ, the more our hearts will be filled with praise and thanksgiving.

The psalms with which we are to encourage one another and praise the Lord are not those of the Old Testament. They speak neither of the enjoyment of eternal salvation as the fruit of Christ's accomplished work of redemption nor of the adoption of believers who may now call God their Father. The frequent calls for justice and revenge on enemies also do not fit into the time of grace (cf. Rom 12:19, 20). The psalms mentioned here are songs that deal with Christian experiences of faith. Songs of praise express the feelings of children of God who live in full awareness of Christ's redemptive work on their behalf, and spiritual songs show that all the blessings we possess and sing about are spiritual. But it is not the audible melody that is decisive for the Lord, but the heart from which everything comes forth for His and the Father's glory.

Every Christian can understand that we should be grateful when we think of the spiritual and material blessings we have received without having earned them. But all the time and for everything? Unfortunately, there are often enough times when the heart is not in a thankful mood. But aren't these times also in the hands of our loving Father? Our eyes must, therefore, be opened to the fact that everything comes from Him and that we are completely dependent on Him. But then we must also realize that His intention with all these things is to make them work for our good. 

If our heart is focused on Him and if our life is filled with love for Him who first loved us, then we also recognize "that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose" (Rom 8:28). He, who predestined us before eternity to be conformed to the image of His Son, will also bring us safely to the desired goal. Nothing and no one can stand in the way of God's counsel and its realization. Our God and Father will accomplish it. This gives us peace and allows us to give thanks "always for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Verse 21 forms the end of this section and, at the same time, the introduction to the following one. Up to this point, the exhortations are general and are addressed to all believers without distinction. The section from chapter 5:22 to chapter 6:9 contains specific exhortations for certain groups within the assembly of God: first for wives and their husbands, then for children and fathers, and finally for servants and masters. This is followed by general exhortations and the conclusion of the letter. 

In the earthly relationships of believers, the lower should be submissive to the higher: the younger to the older (1 Pet 5:5), the women to the men (Col 3:18), the children to the parents (Eph 6:1), the servants to the masters (Col 3:22). This shows recognition of the order established by God in a spiritual sense. But those who esteem every brother and sister higher than themselves occupy an even higher spiritual position. This is true Christian humility, which does not seek its own but always the good of others (Phil 2:3). This attitude was in Christ Jesus, who made himself nothing and humbled himself. If every child of God possessed it, we would all be submissive to one another. The ability to do this is the fear of Christ.

Christ and the assembly (chapter 5:22-33)

In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul returns to the relationship between Christ, the Head, and His body. In verses 22 to 33, this subject is not so much presented to us in an instructive way but more to show us the love of Christ for His assembly and His tender care for them. Furthermore, the third 'picture' of the assembly in this letter is introduced here.

In chapter 1:23, the body, the image of unity, is mentioned first; this theme runs through the entire letter like a red thread. Remember the words in chapter 4:4: "There is one body ..." Chapter 2:20-22 then speaks of the assembly as a building, a holy temple in the Lord, and a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. In this, we see the dwelling place of God and the order and holiness that characterize the assembly. Finally, in chapter 5:22-33, we find the assembly as the wife of the glorified Christ. Even if the expression as such does not occur, the constant comparison between the believing spouses on the one hand and Christ and the assembly on the other presents precisely this relationship. John also sees the assembly in Revelation 19 and 21 in its heavenly glory as the bride and wife of Christ. The Holy Spirit uses this understandable designation to show us the love of our Lord for His assembly, but also their submission to Him as their Head. 

Earthly and heavenly relationships

The passage we are dealing with now contains a fundamental spiritual teaching of great beauty and depth. God does not view the earthly bond of marriage in isolation from our heavenly relationship, and we should also see it in this light. 

In detail, we recognize three different aspects here:

  1. The earthly relationship in marriage is created according to a heavenly model. Before God instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve, He had made the eternal purpose in Christ concerning the assembly (Eph 3:10, 11). Marriage is, therefore, an image of the relationship that exists between Christ and the congregation.
  2. The spiritual relationship into which we have been brought is the standard for our earthly relationship. Christ is the perfect model of the husband's love and care, and the assembly is the model of the wife's submission. In the marriage of believers, the same love and submission that characterize the relationship between Christ and His assembly should be evident.
  3. Marriage makes it easier for us to understand the love of Christ for His congregation. How could we even begin to understand this love if we did not know about the relationship between bridegroom and bride, between husband and wife? It is similar to our relationship as children to God the Father. From eternity, He is the Father of His beloved Son, but how could we have even a remote idea of this relationship if we were unaware of what fathers and sons are on earth. However, we must always remember what the Son Himself says about this eternal relationship: "No one knows the Son except the Father" (Mt 11:27).

Verse 22: "Wives, be submissive to your own husbands, as to the Lord."

God's word says: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). Together, they form the whole person. Both have the same value for the Creator. The great man of faith, Abraham, had to listen to his wife, Sarah, according to God's command (Gen 21:12). The New Testament says of the spiritual status of man and woman: "There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). Man and woman therefore enjoy the same esteem from God. However, according to the divine order in creation - even after the redemptive work of Christ - it is not the woman but the man who is the head: "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him'" (Gen 2:18). "But I want you to know that Christ is the Head of every man, but the head of the woman is the man, and the Head of Christ is God" (1 Cor 11:3).

Different principles apply in the world we live in today. The social equality of women with men is the declared goal, especially in Western industrialized countries. In addition, women are encouraged to find their self-affirmation in professional life. Marriage and family are increasingly taking a back seat in society. However, the principles laid down in the Word of God remain valid for Christians. And practice shows that sticking to them brings blessings, but deviating from them brings suffering and pain.

In practice, however, the relationship between believing husbands and wives does not always correspond to the principles mentioned here. A sister may have a husband who is not easy to deal with. If she brings this difficulty to the Lord in prayer, she will receive the strength that will make submission easier for her. Once she sees the Lord instead of his whims and unrighteousness, her path will become easier. In submission to her husband, she is subject to the Lord. Of course, this does not apply if he demands something that contradicts the Word of God. The words "as to the Lord" are, therefore, both an encouragement and a restriction. 

Let us also note that here, with regard to the attitude of women, it does not say "obedient" (see chapter 6:1) as in the case of children, but "submissive." To be obedient means to carry out orders. In contrast, submissiveness or subordination (as the Greek noun hypotage can also be translated) is an attitude of the heart.

Verses 23 and 24: "For [the] husband is [the] head of the wife, even as the Christ is [the] Head of the church; He is the Savior of the body. But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so also the women are to the men in everything."

The reason for the subordination of the woman to the man is now given: As the glorified Christ is the Head of the assembly, so the husband is the head of the wife (cf. 1 Cor. 11:3). This position was not given to the man so that he could dominate the woman or treat her harshly. The domination of Adam over Eve, mentioned in Genesis 3:16, was not in accordance with God's will but was a consequence of the fall of man (cf. Gen 4:7). According to God's word and will, the husband has authority in marriage and the family, but his first task as head is to care for the well-being of his wife and to be a support for her. 

Head and Savior

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus is referred to as "head" in various ways. This does not refer to the position of the sovereign God, which David already expressed with the words: "Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted above all as Head" (1 Chr 29:11), but to Christ's current position as the glorified man in heaven. He has become the Head over all things (Eph 1:22; cf. Col 2:10). He, the second man, the last Adam, received this place from God based on His work on the cross as an expression of the highest honor because through His deep humiliation and perfect obedience He acquired all the rights that the first Adam had lost through his disobedience (cf. Rom 5:12ff.; 1 Cor 15:45-49; Heb 2:6ff.). As head over everything, He has all authority, but at the same time, He takes care of everything that is entrusted to Him. Moreover, He is our Lord, whose greatness must one day be recognized by all people, when every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue confess "that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:10, 11). 

As Head and as Lord, He now sits at the right hand of God in glory (Acts 2:34-36; Ephesians 1:20-22). His authority as Head is very closely connected to and yet distinct from His authority as Lord. He is the Head over all, the Head of every man and the Head of the assembly, but the Lord of every individual believer, and one day all men will acknowledge Him as Lord. 

In a wonderful way, God will bring all things in the heavens and on earth together under one head in the Millennial Kingdom (Eph 1:10). Our beloved Lord will then be the glorified Head of all creation; He will reign in righteousness and peace over a purified creation, and we with Him. 

In another respect, the Lord Jesus is the head of every man in the world (1 Cor 11:3). According to the order of creation, the man is the head of the woman, for he is "the image and glory of God" (1 Cor 11:3, 7; Eph 5:23). This fact remains despite the fall of man into sin. However, through Christ - the second man and last Adam, who is the perfect image of God and has glorified Him where the first man dishonored Him - an authority has intervened. As the glorified man, Christ is now the Head of the man, and in this "hierarchy," God is the Head of Christ.

Christ is also the Head of the assembly. This expresses by far the most precious of all relationships in which He is the Head. Only the assembly is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all, and only she is called His wife, His bride, whom He loved and for whom He gave Himself. A more intimate relationship than that expressed by these two "images" is unthinkable for us. Nothing is as inseparable as head and body, and nothing could describe true love better than the relationship between man and woman in marriage.

So that we can understand these wonderful spiritual relationships, God, in His wisdom and goodness, has given us images of them in creation. As Head, the Lord Jesus is spiritually to the assembly not only what the head is to our human body (Col 1:18) but also what the husband is to his wife in position and should be in practice. The assembly is eternally inseparable from Him. We may know that the Lord Jesus loves and cares for His assembly in a perfect way. He is its sole leader and authority. It needs no other guidance than that of its Head through the Holy Spirit and His Word. Practical adherence to the Head is their protection and preservation (cf. Col 2:19). 

If we follow the history of the Christian church through the centuries, we must realize that it has moved far away from this in practice. Yet He who gives willingly to all and reproaches nothing remains the same. Even if in large parts of Christendom organization, human leadership and independence from the head of the body are the order of the day, true believers in submission to Him and His Word may still experience today what He does for them as the Head of the body, the assembly, in His never-ending love and care. 

However, our Lord is not only the Head of His assembly but also the Savior of the body. What is meant by this is clear from the fact that this passage does not refer to the Head and Savior's preoccupation with the earthly circumstances of individual believers and their "body of lowliness" but with His assembly as a whole, which is so precious to Him. The individual believer needs a Savior or Redeemer for soul and body (cf. Phil 3:20, 21). For the assembly, however, Christ is the sustainer who surrounds it with constant, loving care (cf. 1 Tim 4:10 on the meaning of the word "Savior" and "sustainer"). He has given Himself completely for them in His love. He now sanctifies and cleanses them by washing them with water through the Word (verse 26) to bring them more and more into conformity with Himself. He will one day have them before Him in glory, holy and blameless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. At the same time, He nourishes and cares for her (verse 29) so that she can grow and flourish spiritually. In His care for her, He lacks nothing.

The divine standard given here for the wife's behavior towards her husband is the relationship of the congregation to Christ. The congregation is subject or submissive to Christ because it is dependent on Him. The same motive should guide the wife in her behavior towards her husband. According to the Word of God, the wife is the "weaker vessel" (1 Pet. 3:7). Unfortunately, things sometimes look quite different both in the assembly and in marriage. But just as the congregation is only to the glory of its Head and Savior when it is subject to Him and His Word in all things, so is the woman in marriage. 

Verses 25 to 27: "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it, cleansing it with the washing of water by [the] Word, that He might present the church to Himself glorified, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and blameless."

In accordance with verse 24, the love of Christ for His assembly is the divine standard for the love of men for their wives. The mention of Christ's love, however, leads the apostle to describe its full greatness in a few words, viewed from three different aspects.

  • In His love for the congregation, He gave Himself for them. The merchant in the parable in which the congregation is mentioned for the first time in the New Testament - albeit only in one image, that of the pearl - sells everything he has to possess the "one very precious pearl" (Mt 13:45f.). Still, the Lord Jesus laid down His precious life on the cross, yes, Himself in all His grace and love, for the congregation. He could not give more! - That happened in the past.
  • But Christ's love for His assembly is not fulfilled or exhausted by this. In His love, He remains active for them by sanctifying them, "cleansing them with the washing of water by the Word." Having given Himself on the cross for His assembly, He is busy throughout the time it is on earth, with never-ending patience and care, bringing it more and more into conformity with Himself, sanctifying it, that is, separating it from everything that defiles it, and purifying it. This cleansing takes place by washing with water through the Word, not through the blood of Christ. Although God acquired the assembly through the blood of His own Son (Acts 20:28), it did not need to be cleansed from sin and reconciled with God as such, as every person does. Therefore, this cannot be about the one-time 'bath' of cleansing at the conversion of the individual believer (John 13:10; cf. Titus 3:5), and even less about baptism. The cleansing of the assembly described here takes place through the Word (Greek: rhema, 'utterance') of God addressed to it, in which the heavenly things concerning the glory of Christ are communicated to it. This detaches the hearts of the believers from their preoccupation with earthly and worldly things. At the same time, the purifying influence of the Word of God causes everything contrary to His nature to come to light and be condemned. In this way, the assembly as a whole is to be brought more and more morally in line with Christ, its Head. All this happens in the present.
  • Finally, Christ will present the assembly to Himself glorified, "not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and blameless." This will happen when He raptures the assembly to Himself in the glory of heaven. Unfortunately, the practical state of His assembly on earth is far from this goal. From an earthly perspective, the Lord's current efforts to sanctify and purify them seem to have little success. This must make us deeply ashamed. But finally, at His coming, He will accomplish by His power what His love and care were unable to do because of the resistance of the flesh! He will transform our body of lowliness into conformity with His body of glory, "according to the effective power with which He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (Phil 3:21). He will not only present us as children to the Father with the words: "Behold, I and the children whom God has given me" (Heb 2:13) but will present the assembly glorified to Himself. After the Rapture, we will appear before His judgment seat. Then, He will see His assembly perfect before Him for eternity for His joy and glorification. At the marriage of the Lamb, which will take place shortly before His appearing in glory, it will be clothed in "fine linen, bright and pure," and in its eternal state, it will appear "as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 19,8; 21,2). 

All this springs from His perfect love for His assembly. Through it, Christ acquired the assembly on the cross of Golgotha; through it, He is currently sanctifying and purifying it, and through it, He will one day present it to Himself glorified, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless. 

Here, we have the first clear reference to the first human couple. In Genesis 2:22, it was God who presented his wife to Adam in all her perfection. The Lord Jesus, however, who is both God and the "last Adam," will present Himself glorified as His bride.

Verse 28: "So, men are also guilty of loving their wives as their bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."

The relationship between husband and wife in marriage is presented here in a completely new light, which the believers in the time of the Old Testament did not yet know and were, therefore, sometimes far removed from it in practice.[2] The standard given here for the practical relationship between husband and wife is the highest imaginable. 

But Paul does not ignore the natural aspect either. Again, he alludes to the first human couple, in which Eve was created from Adam's body. When Adam loved Eve, he loved something that was originally a part of himself. In the marriage established by God, however, man and woman become "one flesh" again. Marriage is therefore regarded in God's Word as an inseparable union that lasts until death (cf. Rom 7:2). For this reason, and not only because Christ loves the congregation, men are called to love their wives as themselves.

The idea, sometimes expressed in connection with this verse, that in marriage, love for oneself is the prerequisite for love for one's spouse is an almost unsurpassable distortion of what is being said here. It stems from modern ideas about self-realization and self-affirmation, which are nothing more than a cultivation of human egoism. 

Love for one's own body is not seen here as a desirable or even necessary goal but is nothing other than man's natural instinct for self-preservation. It does not say that men should love their bodies or themselves but that they do so anyway. Just as a normal, healthy man does not allow his own body to decay or even perish but naturally gives it everything it needs, so men should show the same care and love for their wives as they do for their bodies. 

Verse 29: "For no one has ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the assembly."

What has just been said is confirmed at the beginning of this verse. No normal person hates his own body but gives it everything it needs. Well, this is exactly what the Lord Jesus does, who comes into view again here. He is presented here as the One who has done and continues to do in perfection everything that men must be earnestly admonished to do in marriage: He loved the congregation in the beginning and gave Himself for them. He will present them to Himself glorified in the end, and He nourishes and cares for them throughout their entire earthly existence. Their weaknesses, their needs, and burdens are only opportunities for Him to bestow His faithful care on them! 

Like the human body, the assembly must also be spiritually nourished and cared for, for Christ nourishes and cares for it. Just as Eve was originally a part of Adam and became one again in union with him, so the assembly is already one with Christ in glory. 

Verse 30: "For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones."

When Adam saw Eve, he said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Gen 2:23). According to her origin, she was part of Adam's body and, therefore, literally "of his flesh and of his bones."[3] These words also remind us of King David, who is also a well-known role model for Christ (2 Sam 5:1; cf. 2 Sam 19:12). Applied to us who believe in the Lord Jesus, the words "of his flesh and of his bones" make clear the reference to the equality of life that we have received through the new birth. After all, the risen Christ himself is our life (Col 3:4). A fact worthy of worship!

When Paul inserts the words before this quote: "For we are members of His body," he is returning to an important subject of the letter to the Ephesians, namely our membership of the assembly as the body of Christ. After the Lord Jesus laid the foundation for this through His atoning work on the cross, He sent the Holy Spirit from heaven as the glorified Head, through whom all the redeemed were baptized into one body on the day of Pentecost. With the words "members of His body," we are reminded of this wonderful unity into which the Holy Spirit has introduced us with Christ, the Head. Only twice in this letter are the redeemed referred to as members: in chapter 4:25 as "members of one another," here as "members of His body."

The words "members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" thus express the two facts that Christ now has a body with many members on earth, to which we belong, and that we have come forth from Him, as it were, like Eve from Adam. No other servant recognized and experienced this as Paul did. Even the first words of the Lord Jesus addressed to him from heaven at the gates of Damascus: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?", the implications of which he could not understand at the time, made it clear that those whom he had persecuted and killed until then were "members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones."

Verse 31: "Therefore, a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."

In another context, Adam is already called "a forerunner of what is to come" in Romans 5:14, and in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, he is contrasted with the Lord Jesus as the man from heaven. The first two chapters of the Bible, in which the creation of Adam and Eve is reported, therefore not only contain the authentic account of the origin of mankind but also - as this verse, in which Genesis 2:24 is quoted, shows - the first model of Christ and His assembly, which was given before the fall into sin.

How precious and significant God's eternal purpose for Christ and the assembly, made before the foundation of the world, must be that He gave mankind an image of it immediately in creation (even before the Fall)! None of the other Old Testament models reaches the original perfection and beauty of the first, whether we think of Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, Joseph and Asnath, Moses and Zipporah, David and Abigail, or Ahasuerus and Vashti. They often contain only a single trait that points to the congregation. The example of Adam and Eve, however, shows us the divine principles.

When God created Adam, He said: "It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a help meet for him" (Gen 2:18). Then He let Adam fall into a deep sleep and formed from one of his ribs the woman He presented to him when he awoke. In the same way, today, after the Lord Jesus died on the cross and returned to glory after His resurrection and is now "hidden" in God (cf. Col 3:2), God is forming His assembly. When it is complete, Christ, who is both God and the last Adam, will take it to Himself in the glory of heaven and present it to Himself glorified (cf. Eph 5:27).

Then come the weighty words that the Lord Jesus reminded the Pharisees of when they questioned Him about divorce (Mt 19:5). The woman is seen here as an independent personality, with whom, however, a new unity, "one flesh," even "one body," is created again in marital affection, as Paul expresses it warningly in another context (1 Cor 6:16). 

Verse 32: "This mystery is great; but I say [it] in relation to Christ and to the assembly."

The humble but wise Agur had already said: "There are three that are too wonderful for me, and four that I do not recognize: the way of the eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on the rock, the way of a ship in the heart of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin" (Prov 30:18. 19). The creation of the first woman from the first man, his relationship with her and the resulting new unity reveal divine and admirable thoughts. But the application to the relationship between Christ and His assembly is a mystery unsurpassed in grandeur and glory.

A mystery

The mystery that is mentioned and described in the New Testament, especially in the letters to the Ephesians and Colossians, includes the fact that the Lord Jesus, since He sits at the right hand of God as glorified man, is not now united with Israel as a people, but with the assembly, which is His body. And as a result, it will reign with Him in the fullness of time, when all things will be brought together in Him under one Head (Eph 1:10; 3:3, 4, 9; Col 1:27).

This mystery was unknown in earlier times, i.e., the times described in the Old Testament. It was only revealed to the apostles and prophets of the New Testament and entrusted to the apostle Paul for administration or proclamation (Eph 3:3-9; cf. Rom 16:25f.).

But this mystery is not considered as a whole in this verse. Only the one particularity or detail of it is presented to us here, that the assembly forms a wonderful, mysterious unity with Christ. She is both His body, of His flesh and of His bones and also His wife, inseparably united with Him and the object of His divine love. In love, He once gave Himself for her. In love, He is unceasingly concerned and occupied with her during her earthly existence so that He can one day present her to Himself glorified, without spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and blameless for eternity. 

Verse 33: "But ye also, let every one of you love his wife as himself; but let the wife fear her husband."

Similar to how it begins, the passage ends with a call to men and women to realize their God-given position and relationship in marriage. Both sides are addressed three times (the women in verses 22, 24, and 33 and the men in verses 25, 28, and 33). How this emphasizes the importance of right conduct in marriage on the one hand, but also the obvious danger of failure in it on the other! 

If we have this passage and the heavenly example given in it in mind, there can be no reason for a believing husband not to love his wife as himself (cf. verse 28), but also no reason for a believing wife not to submit to her husband and not to fear him. This fear is in no way to be equated with anxiety but is the believing wife's respect for her husband in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Scripture. May the Lord Jesus help us to heed this holy but also gracious admonition!

Some readers may have asked themselves when reading this passage: How is it to be understood that the apostle writes here in alternating succession of Christ's relationship to His assembly as a woman and then again as a body? In verses 23 and 28-32, these two 'images' even seem to flow into one another. As we have seen, the references to the creation story contained in this passage provide the answer. In verse 23, the Lord Jesus is Head of the assembly and Savior of the body; in verses 25 to 27, His love, devotion, and care for the assembly is described as a model for the love of men for their wives. Then, in verse 29, man's care for his own body is mentioned in comparison to Christ's care for the assembly, which is emphasized in verse 30 with the words: "For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones." Finally comes the quote from Genesis 2:24: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Just as Eve came into being from Adam, only to form a unity with Adam again, so the congregation is both the body and the bride, the wife of Christ.

[1] Cf. Mt 20:28 ("his life"), Gal 1:4; 2:20; Eph 5:25; 1 Tim 2:6; Tit 2:14 ("Himself").

[2] However, it is remarkable that men like Isaac and Joseph, who were special role models for the Lord Jesus, each had only one wife.

[3] These words are missing in some old manuscripts (including P46 א A B), so many newer translations omit them.

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