Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: EPHESIANS #7 - 5:15-6:9)
J. 5:15-6:9 THE SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIAN WALK
2. 5:22-33 THE MARRIAGE WALK FOR WIVES AND HUSBANDS
a. 5:22-23 SPIRIT-FILLED WIVES ARE SUBJECT TO HUSBANDS
Hai guNAIkes [1135], tois iDIois anDRAsin [435], hos toKuRIo, HOti aNERke-phaLEes-tin tes gu-naiKOS
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord, 23 because thehusband is the wife’s head
hos kai ho ChrisTOS ke-phaLEtes ek-kleSIas, auTOS soTER [4990] tou SOma-tos.
as also the Christ ishead of the church, himself savior of the body.
b. 5:24 CHURCH AND CHRIST: PATTERN FOR WIVES AND HUSBANDS
alLA hos heek-kleSIa hu-poTASse-tai toChrisTO,
But as the church is subject to the Christ,
HOUtos kai hai guNAIkes tois anDRAsin en panTI.
so the wives bealso to theirhusbands in everything.
c. 5:25-27 HOW HUSBANDS ARE TO LOVE WIVES
Hoi ANdres, a-gaPAte [25] tas guNAIkas, kaTHOS kai ho ChrisTOS eGApe-sen ten ek-kleSIan,
:Husbands, love the wives, even as the Christ also loved the church,
kai he-auTON paREdo-ken [3860] huPER auTES; HIna auTEN ha-giAse[37],
and gave himself up for it; 26that he might sanctify it,
ka-thaRIsas [2511] tolouTRO[3067] tou HUda-tos en 'REma-ti,
having cleansed itby the washing of the water with the word,
HIna pa-raSTEse[3936] auTOS he-auTOENdo-xon ten ek-kleSIan,
27that himself might present to himself the church glorious,
meEchou-san SPIlon [4695] e'ruTIda [4512] eti ton toiOUton; all’ HIna ehaGIa kai Amo-mos [299].
not having spot or wrinkle or any :such thing; but that it be holy and without blemish.
d. 5:28a Thus ought the husbands also to love theirown wives as theirown :bodies.
HOUtos oPHEIlou-sin kai hoi ANdres a-gaPAN tas he-auTON guNAIkas hos ta he-auTON SOma-ta.
e. 5:28b-30 UNITY OF BODY MEMBERS: A PATTERN FOR HUSBAND TO WIFE
ho a-gaPON ten he-auTOU guNAIka he-auTON a-gaPA:
Who loves his own :wife loves himself:
ouDEIS GAR po-te ten he-auTOU SARka eMIse-sen [3404];
29for no one ever hated his own :flesh;
alLA ekTREphei [1625] kai THALpei [2282] auTEN, kaTHOS kai ho ChrisTOS ten ek-kleSIan;
but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Christ also the church;
HOti MEleesMEN tou SOma-tos auTOU.
30because we are members of his :body.
f. 5:31 MARRIAGE: CLOSER UNITY THAN A SON AND PARENTS
AnTI TOUtou ka-taLEIpsei [2641] ANthro-pos ton paTEra kai ten meTEra,
For this causeshall a man leave :father and :mother,
kai pros-kol-leTHEse-tai [4347] pros ten guNAIka auTOU; kai Eson-tai hoi DUo eis SARka MIan.
and shall cleave to his :wife; and the two shall be one flesh.
g. 5:32 This :mystery is great: but I speak in regardto Christ and to the church.
to musTEri-on [3466] TOUto MEga esTIN: eGOde LEgoeis ChrisTON kai eis ten ek-kleSIan.
h. 5:33 CONCLUSION: HUSBANDS LOVE – WIVES RESPECT
plen kai huMEIS hoi kath’ HEna HEkas-tos ten he-auTOU guNAIka
Nevertheless you also severally love each his own :wife
HOUtos a-gaPAtohos he-auTON; hede guNEHIna phoBEtai ton ANdra.
even as himself; and the wife seethat she fear the husband.
3. 6:1-4 THE BELIEVER’S WALK FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS
a. 6:1 :Children, obey your :parents in theLord: for this is right.
Ta TEKna, hu-paKOUe-te [5219] tois goNEUsin [1118] huMON en KuRIo: TOUto GAR es-tin DIkai-on.
b. 6:2-3 HONORING PARENTS – BRINGS LONG LIFE
TIma [5091] ton paTEra sou kai ten meTEra (HEtis esTIN en-toLE[1785] PROteen e-pag-geLIa [1860]),
Honor your :father and :mother (which is the commandment first with promise),
HIna EU soi GEne-tai, kai Esema-kroCHROni-os [3118] ePI tes ges.
3that it be well with you, and you be long-lived on the earth.
c. 6:4 TRAINING: OBLIGATION OF FATHERS TO CHILDREN
Kai, hoi paTEres, mepa-rorGIze-te [3949] ta TEKna huMON:
And, you, the fathers, provoke not your :children to wrath:
alLA ekTREphe-te [1625] auTA en paiDEIa [3809] kai nou-theSIa [3559] KuRIou.
but nurture them in theLord’s chastening and admonition.
4. 6:5-9 THE WALK FOR EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS
a. 6:5-8 REASON FOR EMPLOYEES TO OBEY EMPLOYERS
Hoi DOUloi, hu-paKOUe-te tois kaTA SARka kuRIois,meTA PHObou kai TROmou [5156],
:Bondmen, be obedient to the lords, according to theflesh, with fear and trembling,
en haPLOteti [572] tes karDIas huMON, hos toChrisTO;
in singleness of your :heart, as unto the Christ;
mekat’ oph-thal-mo-douLIan [3787], hos an-throPAres-koi [441]; all’ hos DOUloi ChrisTOU,
6 not in eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as bondmen of Christ,
poiOUNtes to THEle-ma tou TheOU ek psuCHES met’ euNOIas [2133];
doing the will of :God from the soul with good will;
douLEUon-tes [1398], hos toKuRIo, kai ouk anTHROpois:
7doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
eiDOtes HOti HEkas-tos eAN ti poiEsea-gaTHON,
8knowing that whatsoever good each does,
TOUto koMIse-tai [2865] paRA KuRIou, EIte DOUlos EIte eLEUthe-ros[1658].
the same shall he receive again from theLord, whether bond or free.
b. 6:9 THE WALK OF SPIRIT-FILLED EMPLOYERS TOWARDS EMPLOYEES
kai, hoi KUri-oi, ta auTA poiEIte pros auTOUS, a-niENtes [447] ten a-peiLEN [547]:
And, you, the lords, do the same thingsunto them, forbearing :threatening:
eiDOtes HOti kai auTON kai huMON ho KUriOS es-tin en ou-raNOIS,
knowing that the Lord of both of them and you is in theheavens,
kai pro-so-po-lemPSIa [4382] ouk EStin par’ auTO.
and no respect of persons is with him.
NOTE: In 1946-48 I was attending St. Andrew’s College of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, one of the 9 United Church of Canada Seminaries at that time. I found out they were using me as a “decoy duck” to have young men enroll as candidates for the ministry, and I had what I had in spite of my denomination. I was awaiting them to put me out for my conservative, spirit-filled stance, and overlooked completely their wisdom. Immediately upon learning this, I resigned four positions: President of the Student Body at St. Andrews; candidate for the ministry; Bible Study Convener for the youth of Saskatchewan; and member of Third Avenue United Church of Saskatoon.
One other straw in the wind that helped in this decision: the President of our Seminary in Homiletics class assigned a sermon outline for each member. I chose the above passage of Ephesians 5:15 -6:9, and used as my main points the 4 divisions in “The Walk” that Paul sets forth: One, 5:15-21: The Spirit-filled Christian Walk; Two: 5:22-33 – The Marriage Walk of Wives and Husbands; Three: 6:1-4 – The Believer’s Walk for Children and Parents; and Four: 6:5-9 – The Walk for Employees and Employers.
Our President’s comment: “True to the passage, Jim – but surely you wouldn’t preach it!” I assured him I would!
“To the Torah (Word of Teaching) and its testimony: if they speak not according to this word (entire Bible) – it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20
It takes courage, boldness and complete dedication to declare such truths as this, even in our evangelical churches of today. Let’s join together, like Oswald Chambers – and determine to let our light shine in accordance with the full counselof the Word of God as exemplified in this Ephesians' passage. This is what Paul did for the Ephesians according to Acts 20. J.A.W.