In this passage we see the highest demonstration of the Spirit’s power. Namely, the elevation of the everyday duties of the Christian life into the spiritual realm.
In these verses we see the possibility of wives and husbands, children and parents, and servants and masters submitting themselves one to another in the fear of God. The realization of such Christian fellowship and such natural and social relationships is a greater exhibition of power than that of healing the sick, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, or any other of the extraordinary gifts in connection with the kingdom message of I Corinthians, chapters 12-14.
To the wives (5:22) and to the husbands (5:25), to the children (6:1), and to the fathers (6:4), to the servants (6:5), and to the masters (6:9); God has said: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:18-21).
Wives,
“submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:22-24).
Husbands,
“love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it: that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh. But nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church; For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let everyone of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” (Ephesians 5:25-33).
Children,
“obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3).
And, Ye Fathers,
“provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
Servants,
“be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free” (Ephesians 6:5-8).
And, Ye Masters,
“do the same thing unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him” (Ephesians 6:9).
These orders are given to the saved people of our particular church age and we can only carry them out when we are “filled with the Spirit” (5:18). However, when we are all filled with the Spirit, there is no room within us for the evil one who would keep us from speaking to ourselves according to 5:19, or giving thanks according to 5:20, or submitting ourselves one to the other according to 5:21 to 6:9.
Any Spirit filled wife will enjoy submitting herself to a Spirit filled husband who manifests his love toward her “even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.” And the Spirit filled husband cannot but love and give himself for a wife who is so filled with the Spirit as to submit herself to him as unto the Lord. But let both wife and husband remember that just a little bit of the old devil in either of them makes this divinely intended relationship impossible.
Spirit filled children find it easy to obey and honour their parents who are also filled with the Spirit and careful not to provoke the children to wrath, but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And, of course, it isn’t difficult for fathers and mothers, who are filled with the Spirit, to bring up children who are willing to obey them in the Lord. But, if either children or parents give place to the devil, the result will be strife and confusion in the home.
The servant whose heart is filled with the Holy Spirit can joyfully work with his hands for a Spirit filled, forbearing master. And the master who knows his heavenly Master and is filled with the Holy Spirit can always get along with his servants who render their service in the will of God, from the heart, as unto the Lord, and not to men. But without the filling of the Spirit, the devil will get in with his weapons of greed and selfishness causing untold ill will and strife between the employer and his employees.
After reading these verses and prayerfully meditating upon them, we are brought to the conclusion that to put them into practice in our everyday life, we must be “filled with the Spirit.”
The Bible speaks of the baptism of the Spirit, Acts 1:5; the indwelling of the Spirit, I Corinthians 3:16; the gift of the Spirit, Acts 2:38; the sealing of the Spirit, Ephesians 4:30; the earnest of the Spirit, Ephesians 1:14; the anointing of the Spirit, II Corinthians 1:21; and the fullness of the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18. It is the fullness of the Spirit that makes possible the behaviour and walk set forth in this lesson text.
God has made it possible for us to do what He has told us to do in these verses. His grace is sufficient and He is ready and well able to work in us a work of grace that will enable us to live up to His instructions.
Our part is to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” and not “give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:24-27).
