Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “Responsibilities of Married Life,” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, Pages 45-50, and “Mutual Obligations,” The Adventist Home, Pages 114-120. Ellen G. White consistently urges marriage partners to turn away from efforts to control the other: “Do not try to compel each other to yield to your wishes. You cannot do this and retain each … Continue reading –>
Study the Creation narrative of Genesis 2:15-25. What happens in the story before the statement concerning a husband and wife being “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24)? A key to applying Paul’s counsel to wives and husbands is to see his citation of Genesis 2:24 (in Ephesians 5:31) as the culmination of it. As he meditates on the Creation story of Genesis, Paul considers … Continue reading –>
What new argument does Paul use to encourage husbands to practice tender love toward their wives? Ephesians 5:28-30. Paul’s rules for the Christian household (Ephesians 5:21-6:9) disclose a challenging social context. In Ephesians 5:28-30, Paul addresses husbands who, following the all-too-frequent pattern of the time, may choose to “hate their own flesh” (see Ephesians 5:28-29), abusing and beating their wives. In the … Continue reading –>
How does Paul use elements of the ancient wedding in appealing to Christians in Corinth? When does the presentation occur? (1 Corinthians 11:1-4). Using one final element of the ancient wedding, in Ephesians 5:25-27 Paul portrays Christ as the One who: (6) presents the bride (to Himself!). In ancient times the bride would be given away by the best man, best men, … Continue reading –>
Compare Ephesians 5:25-27, Ephesians 5:29 with the foundling story of Ezekiel 16:1-14. What elements of that story does Paul reflect in his own sketch? As Paul, in Ephesians 5:25-27, Ephesians 5:29, shapes his wedding-marriage metaphor for the church and its relationship with Christ, he draws creatively on the customs and roles of an ancient wedding. In relationship to the church as … Continue reading –>
Paul begins with a hinge passage, Ephesians 5:21, connecting Ephesians 5:1-20 and Ephesians 5:22-33, in which he advocates for church members to submit to each other (compare Mark 10:42-45; Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3-4). Believers are to do so “out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21, ESV), the first of several times Paul will identify the relationship with Christ as the most important and defining … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 5:21-33; Philippians 2:3-4; Ezekiel 16:1-14; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4; Genesis 2:15-25. Memory Text: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Looking back at Ephesians 5:1-20 as a whole, we watch Paul take a strong stance against sin and evil, especially in the form of sexual immorality and crude speech. He is unwilling to accept the presence of corrupt behavior among the people of God. Instead, he calls the believers in Ephesus to a high standard … Continue reading –>
In Ephesians 5:18-20, Paul imagines Christians gathered to worship. What does he depict them as doing in that worship? In his final argument in Ephesians 5:1-20, Paul urges believers to turn away from the mind-numbing use of wine and instead experience together the presence and power of the Spirit. Paul bans drunkenness (probably with a quotation from Proverbs 23:31 in … Continue reading –>
Paul concludes Ephesians 5:1-20 with two clusters of exhortations, Ephesians 5:15-17 and Ephesians 5:18-20, completing a section with sustained interest in sexual purity. The first cluster begins with the exhortation, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15, ESV), restated as “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17, … Continue reading –>
