“Be filled with the Spirit…submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:18, 21).
Not only do praise, sincerity, gratitude, humility, and unselfishness permeate the life of one who is walking in step with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20), another notable characteristic is a deep respect for and submission to divinely assigned authority within life’s social fabric (Ephesians 5:21-6:9).
In the home: A wife is to submit herself to the authority God has entrusted to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-24). A husband is to submit himself to the example of Christ’s love for the church (Ephesians 5:25-29). Children are to be obedient to their parents (Ephesians 6:1). Fathers are to nurture their children (Ephesians 6:4)—they have no better example to model themselves after than that of our heavenly Father (Ephesians 5:1).
In the church: Christ is the sole, rightful head of the body He has sanctified and cleansed from sin by His own blood (Ephesians 5:25-26). His bride, therefore, is to be subject to His will in everything (Ephesians 5:24).
In first century society: A bondservant was to be obedient to his master in imitation of Jesus’ example of servanthood (Ephesians 6:5-8). A master was to be fair in his treatment of those under his authority; knowing that his delegated authority is inferior to his heavenly master who will one day judge him impartially (Ephesians 6:9).
Being Spirit-filled results in an orderly arranging of life’s most essential building blocks—the home, the church, and the workplace—into conformity with God’s enduring intentions for them.
