Ephesians (W10D1) Mutual Submission

Week 10. Monday: Mutual Submission

PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.

READ: Ephesians 5:21

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words

• Submit (Greek: hypotassō): to be subject, to yield to one’s admonition or advice

• Paul is teaching a principle we call mutual submission.

• Submission is not one-sided nor can it be demanded.

• We submit freely for the sake of the other person.

• Submission to others is taught throughout the New Testament.

• See Romans 13:1; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:5,9; 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13,18; 3:1; 5:5

• One Another (Greek: allēlōn): reciprocally, mutually

• The context here is the Christian household.

• Therefore, the “one another” refers to immediate family relationships.

• How we treat each other is evidence of our faith (John 13:35).

• Out of Reverence for Christ (Greek: phobos Christos): out of fear for Christ

• We don’t submission to each other only for the other person’s sake. We submit to each other out of reverence or fear of Christ.

• We are called to submit to others in the same way we submit to Christ.

• We follow Christ’s example of how He was in submission to God the Father.

APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?

Submission is certainly not a popular term in our culture today. We wrongly view submission as overbearing, controlling, and even abusive. But that’s not what Paul is teaching. Mutual submission is at the core of following Christ. We are called to lay down our own selfish desires for the sake of those we love. In doing this we fulfill Christ’s command to “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

What do you think of when you think about submission?

In what ways can you be better at submitting to those you love?

In what ways did Christ submit to God the Father on our behalf?

PRAY: Ask God to help you understand and apply this passage.