th1b.taylor
Member
Here comes that hill billy preacher again, ya'll watch him, he's a strange one, that one. Eph. 5:20-29 is, perhaps, historically, the most abused verse in the scriptures. It has been misused by everyone from King James to the Modern Day Televangelist to abuse women. You should see, immediately, that I appear to have gone crazy and added some verses. Well, guess what, I'm one of those silly people that if you were to look at my transcript it looks as though I learned very little but we're not here to discuss my Cs and Ds, but rather, I paid close attention to what the teachers said.
As a result of eight years of formal education, some college course by mail and a good bit of "hungry" research I learned to always pay attention to the context. Now, these verses are being drawn out of their "local" context but for the matter being discussed, these verses do form the required context to define the truth needed here.
The first three verses of this passage are, almost, never used together and when they are, verse 22 changes the implied translation, immediately. One of the most common perversions of this verse is it's use in the marital bed room. When viewed with verses 20 and 21, it becomes clear that this verse is applicable, NOT, in that context. when viewed in it' s entirety, it is, absolutely, clear that our wives are to submit to us, just, as we submit to God and there lays the problem.
I know very, very few men that have submitted their lives to God as an offering to Him. This is the submission we must learn to understand and that is very much a lesson we all, not need but, must learn and make a moment by moment driver of our lives. But there is sad news for the average man and that is found in verses 23-29.
Immediately we see in v. 23 that the husband is to be to his wife, the same sort of person to the wife that Jesus was and is to his bride, the Church. Jesus, not only was ready to, He died to redeem the Church. Just as Jesus died for His Bride the husband must stand ready to die to protect his wife.
Verse 24 standing by itself can be a woman' s nightmare but it does not stand alone. already we see that it is tied to the first four verses of this passage for contextual application and there is more to come. In verses 25 & 26 we find God/Jesus highlighting His previous statement. God did not use a Magic Marker to highlight and to emphasize a point, instead God would repeat the instruction to draw our attention to a fact or instruction and that is what we find here.
Now, remember, the emphasis is pointed at the male member of this union, not the wife. the husband is responsible to lead his wife on the path of righteousness. We are to love our wives so much that we seek to lead them to be glorious and the most valuable possession we hold. The husband is instructed to bath his wife in righteousness just as we are just a we, the husband, are to submit to the LORD for him to do unto us.
Finally we see the summary that amounts to stating the instruction the third time in one short passage. As a former warrior I have always paid a lot of attention to my body. Even today, as I prepare to leave this realm and to enter the next, I pay attention to my body mass. In that same manor I am to love my wife. I am not to view her as a divided portion of my life but rather I must view my wife just as I view my own body.
If any, and I do mean any, danger were to approach my wife, it is my intention to move between her and the danger that before anything might happen to her, it must kill me first. this understanding completely destroys the conventional understanding commonly used for this passage.
May God bless all of us that seek Him with wisdom.
As a result of eight years of formal education, some college course by mail and a good bit of "hungry" research I learned to always pay attention to the context. Now, these verses are being drawn out of their "local" context but for the matter being discussed, these verses do form the required context to define the truth needed here.
The first three verses of this passage are, almost, never used together and when they are, verse 22 changes the implied translation, immediately. One of the most common perversions of this verse is it's use in the marital bed room. When viewed with verses 20 and 21, it becomes clear that this verse is applicable, NOT, in that context. when viewed in it' s entirety, it is, absolutely, clear that our wives are to submit to us, just, as we submit to God and there lays the problem.
I know very, very few men that have submitted their lives to God as an offering to Him. This is the submission we must learn to understand and that is very much a lesson we all, not need but, must learn and make a moment by moment driver of our lives. But there is sad news for the average man and that is found in verses 23-29.
Immediately we see in v. 23 that the husband is to be to his wife, the same sort of person to the wife that Jesus was and is to his bride, the Church. Jesus, not only was ready to, He died to redeem the Church. Just as Jesus died for His Bride the husband must stand ready to die to protect his wife.
Verse 24 standing by itself can be a woman' s nightmare but it does not stand alone. already we see that it is tied to the first four verses of this passage for contextual application and there is more to come. In verses 25 & 26 we find God/Jesus highlighting His previous statement. God did not use a Magic Marker to highlight and to emphasize a point, instead God would repeat the instruction to draw our attention to a fact or instruction and that is what we find here.
Now, remember, the emphasis is pointed at the male member of this union, not the wife. the husband is responsible to lead his wife on the path of righteousness. We are to love our wives so much that we seek to lead them to be glorious and the most valuable possession we hold. The husband is instructed to bath his wife in righteousness just as we are just a we, the husband, are to submit to the LORD for him to do unto us.
Finally we see the summary that amounts to stating the instruction the third time in one short passage. As a former warrior I have always paid a lot of attention to my body. Even today, as I prepare to leave this realm and to enter the next, I pay attention to my body mass. In that same manor I am to love my wife. I am not to view her as a divided portion of my life but rather I must view my wife just as I view my own body.
If any, and I do mean any, danger were to approach my wife, it is my intention to move between her and the danger that before anything might happen to her, it must kill me first. this understanding completely destroys the conventional understanding commonly used for this passage.
May God bless all of us that seek Him with wisdom.