Through The Bible in a Year - September 17, 2026

"…Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is…, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:17, 21

Before Paul addresses wives or husbands individually, he lays a foundation for relationships that bless everyone: mutual submission rooted in love for Christ. This is not weakness — it is the posture of those fulfilling Christ’s purposes for others in a Spirit-filled church. Paul has spent the whole previous letter to the Ephesian church building toward this moment, calling believers to "walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us" (5:2). Submission, then, is an apex word for Christ-like, self-giving love applied to our most important and intimate relationships.

The word Paul uses here is the same word he later applies to wives’ responsibilities as they submit to their husbands’ needs, and to the church as it submits to Christ’s priorities. It is not a word for suppression or silence. In strict translation the word “submission” means to arrange one's gifts, energies, and will under the priorities of another's good. When wives do this, as husbands are simultaneously obeying Christ’s command to give themselves sacrificially for their wives’ good — each pouring themselves into the blessing of the other, then marriage becomes a living picture of the gospel.

RESPOND: Where in your closest relationships are you most tempted to insist on your own way for your own good, rather than to act selflessly for another’s good? What would it look like today to arrange your gifts — your time, your words, your attention — under the priorities of that person's spiritual blessing?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your Son did not grasp equality with You but emptied Himself of heavenly power and privileges our sake. Teach me the same posture — not demanding my rights but offering my gifts. Fill me with your Spirit so that submission flows not merely from duty but from deep love for you and for the ones you have placed in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.