Episode 25
Submitting to One Another (Ephesians 5:21)
Today, we're diving into more texts that deal with the responsibilty of the individual saint in the body of Christ. Withdrawing of fellowship is individually applied. We explore how this discipline manifests not only as divine guidance but also in the relationships we have with one another, particularly among believers. The episode highlights the importance of treating one another with love and gentleness, reinforcing that discipline should always stem from a place of care, rather than judgment. We also take a closer look at the biblical principles of submission, illustrating that true submission is not about power dynamics but rather about mutual respect and selflessness. So, whether you’re navigating relationships or just trying to figure out this whole "loving your neighbor" thing, we’ve got some thought-provoking insights that might just turn your perspective upside down—without the risk of whiplash!
Takeaways:
- The concept of discipline in Christian life is framed as a loving corrective measure from God, emphasizing its importance in spiritual growth.
- Understanding the reciprocal nature of relationships in the Christian community highlights the importance of treating each other with love and care.
- Submission is not about inferiority but rather about mutual respect and service in various relationships, including marriage and community.
- The teaching from Titus 2 underlines the need for older generations to guide the younger, fostering healthy relationships and preventing future mistakes.
Transcript
Good day to you and thank you for joining in our study.
Speaker A:We have been looking at the treatment that should be given to one another.
Speaker A:We've been looking at the one another passages, as I call them, that describe the reciprocal action of fellow Christians in the body of Christ.
Speaker A:Today we want to talk about a related topic a little bit and some examples for this pattern of life.
Speaker A:One of them is the idea of discipline.
Speaker A:If God deals with us as children that he loves, then we could expect some sorrowful discipline.
Speaker A:The Hebrew writer talks about that and explains that he disciplines us for our good, that we can share his holiness.
Speaker A:Now such discipline is a gift from God.
Speaker A:It may involve some very painful lessons, and we do that.
Speaker A:We experience a lot of pain from mistakes that we've made and some of the consequences of failing faith.
Speaker A:But among disciples of Christ, discipline may take the form of rebuke.
Speaker A:It may just take the form of some withdrawal from a brother or sister in Christ.
Speaker A:But this is individual action.
Speaker A:It may merely be the reading of Scripture that addresses a sin about something that we need some conviction on.
Speaker A:But such discipline needs to come from a heart of love and gentleness, and it comes directly from the hand of God or indirectly through human agency.
Speaker A:And it never should be treated lightly.
Speaker A:If God is the giver of every good and perfect gift, as James says he is in James 1, discipline is a gift from God, and that he offers his children that which displays his great love for them.
Speaker A:For what son does a father not discipline?
Speaker A:He loves them.
Speaker A:Hebrews 12 teaches such a gift in his way to perfect and to finish the work that he created in us is to conform us to His Son's image.
Speaker A:And so the Hebrew writer wishes to remind us not to treat this lightly and not to disregard this discipline.
Speaker A:Because God's discipline is not physically taking a paddle to my back end, but it requires a knowledge of His Word and some vigilant thought and awareness of life's experiences.
Speaker A:In order to know his discipline and in order to respond to it properly, as we already introduced, I want to note with you some examples in the Bible of this life, this new life, this pattern living.
Speaker A:And we've noted already several times the example of Ephesians 4:11, where these gifted men, especially apostles, evangelists and pastors, they were all taught to be in samples or examples for others.
Speaker A:All of them were to be examples.
Speaker A:The personal examples of these men were not soundproof examples to follow.
Speaker A:But the Spirit's guidance did not guarantee the proper application of truth.
Speaker A:Every time these people walked out their door, the only thing that was guaranteed was the revelation of truth from which saints could then be conformed to the image of Christ.
Speaker A:But certain patterns of living that became living examples of what was taught, that they were examples to follow and were put forth in the text as examples.
Speaker A:Such things like working rather than mooching off of others, things like sharing or giving what one has, or spending our time and resources in service to one another.
Speaker A:This all falls under the category of loving our brethren and loving our neighbor as ourself.
Speaker A:Older women, for example, were taught in Titus 2 teach the younger women.
Speaker A:And it seems to me that while this is expected to be a normal practice, it is so uncommon in many circles of American culture, I think because of our independent private lives.
Speaker A:Younger women today are not looking to the older for any kind of counsel.
Speaker A:They're not seeking sound advice, or it's that or older women are not seeking to come alongside these younger women to serve and to set themselves up as an example.
Speaker A:And while the younger women are determined to figure it out all on their own, they're making some terrible mistakes that could be avoided, mistakes that have some serious consequences in their future relationships.
Speaker A:Not only may it affect horizontal relationships, of course, but it affects one's relationship with God, according to Titus 2.
Speaker A:5.
Speaker A:And so the way of life described in these verses in Titus 2 is to be lived out so that the word of God is not blasphemed.
Speaker A:This thought is taken from several scriptures in the Bible, from the consistency between one's teaching and one's way of life.
Speaker A:They must correlate how one lives must be consistent with what one teaches.
Speaker A:To disregard any part of God's will by not putting it into practice is to effectually say, I don't care what was taught, I don't give it any serious attention.
Speaker A:It is to disrespect the cause of Christ and to blaspheme the Word of God.
Speaker A:According to verse three of Titus 2, these older women are teachers of good things.
Speaker A:Among those good things that one might list, Paul writes that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.
Speaker A:Not only that, but he would later explain that they must be discreet, chaste keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Speaker A:See, God's people have no excuse for not following this teaching.
Speaker A:However, most have allowed the world to conform themselves to its practices.
Speaker A:Women have left the home, taken positions of leadership over men, while their homes that there are to rule have become just nothing more than glorified motels with a just continental breakfast.
Speaker A:If you want to grab something on the run and sit.
Speaker A:See you later.
Speaker A:Very little relationship but older men are also to be examples.
Speaker A:We're told that they're to teach the younger men, and part of that teaching involves their own example.
Speaker A:Once again, they are to be sober minded, dignified, self controlled, and sound in faith, love, and steadfast.
Speaker A:Younger men are also told to be self controlled and a model of good works, showing integrity, dignity, and sound speech in their teachings, so that the unbelievers and the profane have no evil report to spread.
Speaker A:One common feature that should be true of all of in Acts 2, I mean Titus 2 is the need for soberness.
Speaker A:It's interesting that that word shows up in these various categories.
Speaker A:This doesn't just prohibit drunkenness, it's really addressing the way in which one presents himself or herself.
Speaker A:Because as servants of God, life isn't about just having fun while we enjoy life and we find moments of laughter.
Speaker A:My life is not to be characterized by silliness.
Speaker A:It discourages any approach for serious concerns, and it breaks down our inhibitions and causes us not to be vigilant and be prepared.
Speaker A:It leaves us open and vulnerable for the enemy.
Speaker A:And so there is a great need to be sober minded.
Speaker A:It's a preparedness of mental preparedness.
Speaker A:Not only that, but we also see from Ephesians 5 How we should treat one another in specific relationships.
Speaker A:One of the phrases that we'll find with reference to one another is that we're to submit to one another.
Speaker A:Now that principle of interaction among saints is still applicable today.
Speaker A:It's taken from Ephesians 5:21 that is addressed to the called out, where it just says submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Speaker A:Again, this is reciprocal action.
Speaker A:There are particular relationships where submission is especially required.
Speaker A:But in submitting to another we're just saying that we are to place oneself under another in the sense of serving one another, preferring one another.
Speaker A:It's reaching out and using any means of helping others, assisting them, providing for their care.
Speaker A:In the case of husbands that cherish their wives and love them as their own bodies, providing such care and love is a means of submission.
Speaker A:It's not submission in the same sense, because it's not the same relationship, nor does he carry the same role that she does toward him.
Speaker A:So it's not the same submission that's found later in the text in Ephesians 5.
Speaker A:But it is a form of submission.
Speaker A:A disciple of Christ would not balk over this responsibility because it reflects a heart that's always yielding, ready to serve, willing to bend, willing to spend and be spent for our brethren.
Speaker A:And that's the sense of submission.
Speaker A:That is, I think, the meaning behind verse 21.
Speaker A:Once again, Jesus Christ is our great example in this.
Speaker A:He is God, but he didn't use it to his advantage.
Speaker A:This was not a mere position of power that can be held by anybody over another.
Speaker A:And so, as deity and as creator and sustainer of life, Jesus Christ became a man.
Speaker A:That's submission.
Speaker A:He became a man and accepted the nature of a slave.
Speaker A:And as if this were not enough, he then humbled himself as a man by taking out our place rather in death, dying the death of a criminal.
Speaker A:His death was not just any death.
Speaker A:It was the death of the cross.
Speaker A:This is found in.
Speaker A:This description is found in Philippians 2, beginning in verse 5.
Speaker A:And so the nature of submission requires that it be something that is done by voluntary choice.
Speaker A:If one is compelled to do it or forced into compliance, it's not submission by definition and through the example of Christ.
Speaker A:Paul's teaching about submission describes a person who does not use his position of power or did not use his position of wealth or intellect or strength or his social prominence as a leverage with other people.
Speaker A:Instead, he just yields to others.
Speaker A:He gives it all up for their good.
Speaker A:Jesus describes this mindset in Matthew 20 as one who serves and sacrifices instead of lording it over others and exercising their authority over others.
Speaker A:Jesus says, that's not going to be how it is in the kingdom.
Speaker A:My kingdom.
Speaker A:Now we are not left to wonder what that looks like in our dealings with others concerning our government.
Speaker A:We must yield to them also, even if it is a dictatorship.
Speaker A:The idea of yielding suggests that we may not agree with their policies, but we refuse to rebel against them.
Speaker A:We yield.
Speaker A:The emphasis on submission here is because of the emphasis given to it in the fifth and sixth chapters of the letter of Ephesians.
Speaker A:So you've got, for example, the heading of it, or the beginning in verse 21, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Speaker A:And then you've got it starting out in Ephesians 5, where the wives are said to submit themselves to their husbands.
Speaker A:Well, wives show their submission by yielding to their husband, by respecting him, and by showing that respect as his role, his role as her head.
Speaker A:And so she may not like it, she may not even agree with it, but she still yields to him.
Speaker A:Her responsibility is not dependent on him being right.
Speaker A:It's not dependent on his abuse of his position by mistreating her.
Speaker A:As far as she's concerned, she submits to him voluntarily.
Speaker A:These passages were not written for the other party to beat over the head.
Speaker A:The ones that would make their life easier if they would listen to and obey the instruction given to the wives is for her ears and for her ears only, has nothing to do with him in the same sense that Christians are to submit to the government despite their wicked, unjust policies.
Speaker A:So this has nothing to do with whether or not the husband loves her as he should.
Speaker A:It does not have anything to do with, in other words, her submission to him.
Speaker A:Nor does his love for her have anything to do with whether she submits to him.
Speaker A:I mean, it's not.
Speaker A:It's not dependent on the other one's performance.
Speaker A:So wives show submission by yielding to their husbands and by respecting him and his role as her head.
Speaker A:Now, she may not like it, she may not even agree with it, but thus she yields to him just like we yield to a government that may not be really making good laws at all.
Speaker A:And as far as he is concerned, he loves her voluntarily.
Speaker A:And all of this on both counts.
Speaker A:Both of these do so voluntarily.
Speaker A:Husbands show submission in the marriage relationship by loving their wives as Christ loved the church.
Speaker A:Again, this is independent of the wife's rebellion or her disrespect or her any kind of unbecoming activity.
Speaker A:As far as he is concerned, he has to love her.
Speaker A:And this expectation is not dependent on how he feels.
Speaker A:Because love is a choice, not a feeling.
Speaker A:I've had people come up and say, you know, when you start talking about their marriage relationship and try to describe the things that are wrong, and he might just come out and say, well, you know, I just don't love her anymore.
Speaker A:And you know, this is interesting because that's a good place to start because that's the problem.
Speaker A:Love isn't an emotion.
Speaker A:It's not based on how one feels.
Speaker A:That's the issue.
Speaker A:Your problem here and the reason the marriage is failing is because you don't love her.
Speaker A:So start loving her.
Speaker A:It's pretty simple actually, because it doesn't have anything to do with how you feel about, just has to do with as far as you're concerned, you're going to put her first.
Speaker A:Now that expectation is not dependent on a choice or feeling rather, or what she does.
Speaker A:It's just a choice.
Speaker A:Husbands should choose to give themselves and sacrifice themselves just as Christ did.
Speaker A:The body, his body, the ecclesia, the called out.
Speaker A:They love their wives as their own.
Speaker A:Bodies they nourish and cherish, two terms that are used to describe his affection and his care for her.
Speaker A:Now, in this first pair, both husbands and wives submit by placing themselves last, and they elevate the other's desires and their interest and their wishes.
Speaker A:And then in Ephesians 6, you have verse 5, beginning the submission, the slaves submitting to their masters.
Speaker A:Again, it's all part of that heading of submitting to one another in the fear of Christ that chapter 5, verse 21 references.
Speaker A:So whether slaves or whether employees who have masters over them in their workplace, they are to submit to their authority.
Speaker A:So the sincerity of heart describes a good work and a good work ethic that is consistent even when no one is watching.
Speaker A:The reason is that one is watching, and all work that we do is done as doing the will of God from the heart.
Speaker A:In addition to that, the bosses in authority must not use their position of authority to threaten or to abuse or mistreat others that are under them.
Speaker A:This tandem, this again illustrates that in both cases, each yields to the other by placing their interests above themselves.
Speaker A:And then we find in Ephesians 6, with reference to children, there's a submission to the fathers, and it's expressed in this way.
Speaker A:Children are to obey and honor their parents.
Speaker A:Again, they're.
Speaker A:That may not be easy, and they may not even agree with the decisions that are made, but they don't rebel because they realize their parents are acting in their best interest, or at least that's their intent.
Speaker A:So early on, we need to learn the meaning of submission as children.
Speaker A:It seems that children have to be taught how to do this, and the best teacher is one who's living a life of submission, putting oneself under another in order that we might serve them.
Speaker A:Now, if we don't learn this as children, and we're going to be at a disadvantage all of our lives as parents, as husbands and wives, and any relationship that we have today.
Speaker A:These are the years to learn respect and honor and submission.
Speaker A:And then in Ephesians 6, 4, another example of one in some position of power that could be used to advance oneself.
Speaker A:You have the example of fathers, and they should submit to their children.
Speaker A:How do they submit?
Speaker A:By yielding to them when it is in their best interest, instead of making unreasonable demands and humiliating them in front of their friends, trying to abuse their power of discipline.
Speaker A:The text tells them not to do that, not to provoke their children to anger.
Speaker A:And that might be accomplished in different ways, but it can be easily done and abused because of their authority over their children.
Speaker A:This stands in contrast to the instruction to bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.
Speaker A:In other words, the instruction is not to establish their power.
Speaker A:The instruction is not to try to teach who's boss.
Speaker A:Which is pretty typical with parents.
Speaker A:You know, they continue to say, you do what I tell you because I said so, and that the yielding Father isn't trying to establish himself as the authority figure to be obeyed.
Speaker A:He presents himself like Jesus.
Speaker A:It's true that there are times when one has to establish themselves as the authority.
Speaker A:But the instruction and the teaching that is given here is not for the sake of the Father, or to think in terms of it being daddy's wishes or the Father's dictates, but rather it's notice the instruction here.
Speaker A:Bring them up in the nurture and ammunition of the Lord.
Speaker A:You see, the Father is just the mouthpiece.
Speaker A:And when children want to know why, at least one clear answer should be given.
Speaker A:To please God.
Speaker A:That's why the discipline and the instruction are from God, not the Father.
Speaker A:The Father is just the guide and the exemplar.
Speaker A:He provides the example.
Speaker A:He's not the source of authority.
Speaker A:Fathers, keep that in mind.
Speaker A:You are just representatives.
Speaker A:And so as you yield to the presentation of biblical instruction, rather than presenting yourself as the authority figure to be obeyed, you present in fact the Lord's will, and you just the mouthpiece of divine revelation.
Speaker A:Now, that is a submission.
Speaker A:It is a form of submission.
Speaker A:So Ephesians 5:21 teaches us that we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Speaker A:Do you see that?
Speaker A:Whether we're married with children or have bosses that hold us accountable at work or, or whatever, Christians in whatever role we show submission.
Speaker A:It has nothing to do with value or importance or intelligence or one's ability, but it has everything to do with having the mind of Christ.
Speaker A:What did he do?
Speaker A:He emptied himself of his glorious position, became a man, and died on the cross to make atonement for.
Speaker A:For the sins of the world.
Speaker A:That's what he did.
Speaker A:And this he did willingly.
Speaker A:He said, no man took it from me.
Speaker A:I lay it down of my own accord.
Speaker A:And we must then defer to others, prefer them above ourselves, seeking to please them like Jesus did.
Speaker A:And we have a wonderful example of this that we read last week in Romans 15.
Speaker A:Now, there are multiple other passages that we can look at that refer to submission.
Speaker A:I think we could look for the shepherds in that role as being the pastors and the shepherds that care for souls.
Speaker A:We cannot avoid the setting of spiritual gifts in this context.
Speaker A:And the list of gifted men that Christ gave his people for the first century, they were given to the Christians in that era until the commencement of a new era, an era of which we are now part.
Speaker A:Now granted, there are men and women of this present age that have a great deal of experience and older men and women today that should be able to teach by virtue of the fact that they've had more years in advancement and learning and that they've applied, have greater opportunities in use of the principles of truth that they've implemented in their lives.
Speaker A:We see this example In Hebrews chapter 5, when by reason of use you have your senses exercised to discern good and evil.
Speaker A:So there are principles of respect and honor that's to be granted to these older men and women.
Speaker A:Titus 2, I think, gives a good example of this.
Speaker A:But it makes no difference who among God's people speaks his word to us.
Speaker A:We must never despise the chastening of the Lord which may come from anyone who shares the word of truth, even if it is a child.
Speaker A:Pay attention and listening for the God's Word and His will.
Speaker A:And so we must understand the context of the New Testament times to really appreciate fully the requirements to submit to the shepherds.
Speaker A:These men were made overseers by the Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:They were given this stewardship of watching out for the souls of the saints.
Speaker A:So their work was labor intensive.
Speaker A:It required a watchful eye.
Speaker A:But the saints needed to show patience with this in regard to this, because of his presence, it's as if he's always watching.
Speaker A:He's with them.
Speaker A:And in accomplishing this oversight, he had to be overseeing them.
Speaker A:He had to be in their midst.
Speaker A:Outside this context, one might conclude that his work was invasive, and it would have been invasive to private life.
Speaker A:He might have even been considered a meddler in some people's minds.
Speaker A:But except for the fact that God had given him this work and that he was actually guided by the Spirit, then we would agree if it wasn't for that, he would definitely be a meddler.
Speaker A:But because he was given this special role as teaching teachers of the Word, showing themselves as an example to the flock they submitted to that this was Heaven's will.
Speaker A:And so they complied with what God's will was.
Speaker A:Applying this to our time is really comparing apples to oranges.
Speaker A:First, for leaders of churches in our day and time, they don't have the same role that they did then.
Speaker A:If they did, they'd be much more involved in the daily oversight of souls than they are today.
Speaker A:You know, it's not just the fact that saints are not conditioned to accept this level of oversight.
Speaker A:It's the fact that such leaders are not authorized.
Speaker A:They're not equipped to offer such rigorous care in the lives of Christians today.
Speaker A:So neither church members nor its leaders would expect such work among them.
Speaker A:Once again, to apply this work today, the rules have no.
Speaker A:They have to change.
Speaker A:For example, in the membership of a local organization, they're only expected to accept the decisions of administrators as it affects them in the assemblies.
Speaker A:But it's believed that, you know, here's where the leadership rules in that context, the membership is expected to submit to their decision makers, that is, the elders or the shepherds.
Speaker A:They're the ones.
Speaker A:They are the ones that's.
Speaker A:And it could be different.
Speaker A:Churches have different, I guess you'd say, positions of leadership, but it's all the same application.
Speaker A:But that's the only way it can work.
Speaker A:In a local church organization.
Speaker A:There's got to be leaders and people who make decisions for the group.
Speaker A:And they are decision makers.
Speaker A:They're the administrators.
Speaker A:But in this case, they have abandoned their role as spiritual shepherds, shepherds who are supposed to lead by example and oversee the work and the lives of the flock to practice in some kind of an authoritarian rule in some organization which you don't read about in the Bible.
Speaker A:We've already noted this on other lessons and discussions, but they can't possibly fulfill the same role that was given to the early disciples of the first century.
Speaker A:And therefore, believing that such an office exists, they've applied their rule as decision makers of a local church and preach that their membership should accept them.
Speaker A:Ironically, while they're preaching against majority rule, they are actually defending minority rule.
Speaker A:And that's just as contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures as any other.
Speaker A:In fact, in 1st Peter 5, 3, Peter specifically refers to this matter of lording it over the flock.
Speaker A:And then we have preachers and the membership are also responsible for supporting this arbitrary rule of elders when they exalt them to a position of authority that is neither healthy nor scriptural.
Speaker A:Some leaders are not ignorant of the biblical description of this role, but they're caught up.
Speaker A:They're caught up by the expected norms of the majority, and they accept a position of authority as overseers in a local church organization.
Speaker A:And those who know better feel compelled to remain silent in the interest of pleasing the people.
Speaker A:Furthermore, the responsibility of the membership to know their elders is important.
Speaker A:To establish an attitude of respect and appreciation for them.
Speaker A:We'll have more to say about this in the next weeks ahead.
Speaker A:Our time is actually up for now.
Speaker A:We'll come back to this and talk about these roles as found in the Old New Testament and how, how they relate and are applied today, if they are.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for your kind attention.
Speaker A:Have a good day and a pleasant week.
