Ephesians 5: 21-30: Restoration of equality between male and female

To live responsibly for Christ, we need to allow ourselves in the submission and obedient of Christ to govern our relationships. As such, we also are to submit to one another i.e. to show respect for each other.

Submission comes from a Greek word subject and it does not refer to being under the absolute control of another but to voluntarily place oneself under the authority of another. Let’s look at the example of Jesus’ submission to His disciples. (John 13:13-15).

You know the disciples called Jesus Master and they were right because that is who He is, as such He should have received service from them right? But instead his action teaches again that humility is what every child of God acquires especially those who think they are higher or mighty than one.

Jesus performed the most humbling task of washing the feet of His subjects. He then gave us a command to do likewise! Such an act involves acknowledgement that one is a salve or servant to the one whose feet are being washed, but no one person is to take the servant’s role.

Washing one another’s feet is same as submitting to one another. The disciples were to wash ‘one another’ indicating that everyone washes everyone else’s feet. Same way is submitting to one another is the obligation that both male and female owe to each other. As God’s children, whichever male or female, we are to be both master and servant at the same time to one another just as our Lord Christ showed us. He is Master yet he served us all.

The concept of submitting to each other is an act of service that we render to each one in love. For this service too has a reward. In the beginning man and woman were places in the pinnacle of God’s creation. Neither sex is exalted nor neither is depreciated, both are equal partners Woking for the common good, to bring glory to God who made them so.

Submit to one another; Submission is a free will of yielding to a superior force or will or authority of another person. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will. Human submission is for both the male & female to submit to each other’s will. Brothers and sisters, the secret of submission is Freedom!!!

Freedom; what do we do with it, for it comes with great responsibilities and it exercises the power of choice and this choice can break or build us up. So, submitting to each other means; we must be willing to give-up our egos or pride for the sake of Christ within us for the other. This simply means putting the other person first. Therefore, no matter one’s sex, we must learn from Christ’ submissiveness.

God’s submissiveness for the female means, she must willingly follow her husband’s leadership in Christ, not in tradition or according to the society but in Christ. For the male, this is for him to put his prides aside, his manly ego and his own interest behind in order to care for his wife’s interest first. The man must sacrificially love his wife as Christ loved the church His bride with all its weaknesses.

The bible tells us in Genesis 2 from verse 23… that a woman was a suitable helper for the man. God’s ways no man can fathom, God uses the same word as the Holy Spirit to call a woman. In John 14: 15 the bible records that Jesus told His disciples He was going to send them a helper in the person of the Holy Spirit and in Acts 2 the helper, comforter, enabler, etc came.

It is said behind every successful man, there is a woman why? Because a woman is a comforter to the man, she is a helper to him. She is not a subordinate, a slave that the man can toil with as the society seems to have made it, instead, she is a suitable helper to build alongside the man.

The man and the woman were equal before God, together they ate the forbidding fruit, together their eyes were opened, together they were naked, and together they made fig leaves to cover themselves. God came for answers to their disobedient, and then the blame game culture began Genesis 3:7, so after the fall everything changed.

In Genesis 3:13-16 we see the birth, of domination of a man over the woman, and this has been ever since. This plays out in the world a lot; through traditions, cultures and the society by large. So, Jesus coming had redeemed female subordination and male domination. How? We see in Ephesians 2:14 that our peace was restored, and all the walls of wars and domination was wiped out in God’s view. That is why Jesus told the crowd in Matthew 22:30, that there will be neither male nor female in heaven, to be given to marriage. If there will be none giving to marriage that means there will be no male domination because before God we are equal. He sees only His beloved children no sexuality to separate us, meaning no dominations or subordinations.

This means God wants both sexes of His children to start living here on earth as they will in heaven. Where none is to be a salve or a subject to the other but that each serves the other with joy as unto God.

Paul reminds us again in Galatians 3:28 that ‘in Christ there is no male or female, no salve or master. All are free, in order words men & women are equal. So, God has restored the equality between His children- which the devil stole in the Garden of Eden.

Through Christ’ restoration of gender equality, both man and woman are to serve each other and serving together as equal partners. So friends, don’t limit your helper by suppressing her. God gave each sex a role as elaborated by Paul in Ephesians 5:22-30 . But the key to effectively apply these roles is verse 21 ‘submit to each other’.

In the world or society, submitting to each other is too hard because they choose to be blind in that God has restore the equality of both sex, the world also finds the submission to each other offensive, because the society adoption of female subornation. And to them it should stay that way.

In as much as these may seem difficult for the world, but for those in Christ it is meant to be very easy for us because love for the other ought to be what rules in our hearts. Jesus didn’t come for us to serve Him but for Him to serve us first then we can serve Him in return what a lesson to learn.

Friends, sometimes people are headed for destruction, not out of stubbornness but out of thoughtlessness. So, it is of great importance that the truth of God’s word be preached. God’s word is a two-edged sword; sometimes it comes to help us stop & think about where our lives is headed. We must at all times take stock of our lives, asking; are we putting Christ’s way of living first in our lives or are we ignoring His message, or are we picking and choosing which one of His word should be obeyed or not.

Too many things in the world seem good and have been made right by the society, but are they really right in God’s sight? Because the society, culture, tradition, and even some religion made a thing or somethings, it does not mean that thing is right. We must think… and anything that is wrong in God’s view must be wrong. He, who has ears, let him hear.

Amen