First off, I love God’s Word. I love it like the prostitute Mary who anointed Jesus’ feet. The lady who had failed in basically every way to meet the religious requirements and expectations of her day. She failed the system, and it failed her, because that is what it was- a system. Not an instruction guide on how to live a holy life, though that’s what it had been made into.
I used to love the Word like a Pharisee- constantly trying to figure out how to obey all the instructions I could glean from its pages in every area of my life, and taking pains to apply the law in areas of life that the Bible itself doesn’t give clear instruction into. It’s this perspective that influenced my attempts at biblical interpretation and application until recently, and it was this perspective that not only confused me with its presentation of seemingly impossible instructions and contradictory values, but also distracted (if not often totally blinded) me to the clear commands and cohesive values presented in the Bible. What are the fruit of the spirit again?? What does it look like to be filled with the Spirit?? I have no clue-I’ve been too caught up in whether or not the Bible commands me as a woman to do all the house chores.
Are women supposed to stay at home and do everything their husbands tell them to in all areas of life? Are they supposed to never talk at church, but to silently submit to whatever men present to them, however heretical and unjust? OR, are they supposed to be the Proverbs 31 women (cherished in the same circles that hold the above views…), buying and selling goods and property, interacting in commerce outside of the home? Are they supposed to teach the Word to not only women, but also alongside Paul, and to their sons and grandsons, etc.. (Euodia, Syntyche, Prisca, Claudia, Lois, Eunice…)? Are they excluded from being students of Jesus, or are they welcome at the feet of Jesus to hear and interact with His teaching, free to NOT leave when the male leadership tells them they are not in their proper places (tending things in the home, not interacting in religious settings)? Wow.
The question that repeatedly arises in this topic is this: is Paul a male chauvinist who doesn’t hold Jesus’ value and teaching of women, a Pharisee that follows in the footsteps of his oppressive Jewish leadership? OR, is he a true, inspired Christian who personally knows the danger of rebuilding “walls of hostility,” by taking that which was foreshadowing and imaging Christ and turning it into personal application, and measures of holiness? What is the Sabbath? What is it about? Why do we rest? What are we resting from? Do we interpret it literally, void of scriptural context, or do we understand more fully? Christians A.D. have the privilege of looking not only forward, but also backwards through our Abrahamic heritage. We have no excuse: Jesus Himself has come and made things clear. Should we continue to blindly fumble through the Scriptures, inflicting our own misguided interpretations on people, binding them in impossible religious laws rather than understanding and embracing Jesus and the apostles? Thank God for context, language, history, and divine inspiration! All of which God uses for the accomplishing of His purposes in His people.
In direct relation to head and body, love and submission (if we want to stay true to the text’s pairing): The passages that I addressed have been isolated, removed from the context of the book, and used to support messages and teaching that various people got excited about. Paul’s glorious application of Gospel truth as it relates to relationships in church and family has been torn to shreds- dismantled of the gospel, dismantled of the Spirit of Christ, and turned into a nice law book for people who feel like they can be good people in their own strength. Too bad.
I see this misuse of Scripture all the time. Unfortunately, I see this more often in pulpits than I see teaching that is true to the text. Often teachers and pastors teach things that are mostly true, but they use texts that are not making the point they are, thus misleading hundreds and thousands of Christians as to what that text is actually talking about. This also happens when incorrect emphasis is given to particular portions of passages- emphasis where it was not originally intended. Thanks to our contemporary infatuation with self-help and achievable application lists (which apparently isn’t that contemporary of a trend if I read the Gospels, and Epistles correctly), the Christian culture has for years embraced multiple religious and cultural beliefs that were never more than a misguided individual’s misapplication of Scripture, in many cases used to justify their own personal lifestyle preferences. Do we again forget that it is the Spirit who transforms us, and that He does this through His Word? Trusting in Him more and loving Him more as we take to mind and heart the depth and breadth of His love for us is where true transformation takes place. Not in obeying a list of rules.
I challenge you to go back to the book of Ephesians. Reread my post, and reference the text itself as you do to see if my points are staying true to the text. Paul was no fool or apostate: his teaching is cohesive, comprehensible, and in complete agreement to the teaching and character of Christ and the Scriptures. Only when people corrupt his clear teaching by taking it out of context and using it to support their various beliefs does it become nearly impossible to understand and apply. I’ve done it. I do it. It’s confusing. I would argue that Paul wasn’t talking about who in the household decides how to wash the laundry or who cooks dinner: nor, if I’m correct, does he ever put time into teaching about these things in any of his writing. Paul didn’t write the Epistles to tell the churches that they had their gender roles all wrong. He wrote to the churches to address their disbelief, and how their disbelief and wrong belief was corrupting their homes and their churches. He wasn’t defining womanhood and manhood/femininity and masculinity. He was taking their minds off of fleshly things, and directing their attention to the person and teaching of Jesus. Did they believe in Him? Were they acting out of fear in their relationships? Were they acting out of greed, vain pride, love of self? Humble submission (self-sacrifice?) is key to Christian love, NOT being the strongest, smartest, rightest person or voice in the relationship. The head/body analogy beautifully describes Christ’s relationship to the church. Paul is talking about the unity and love of believers and how that should manifest (including within marriage). The analogy of head and body is simple and flawless. And it’s just that: an analogy. Of course we can’t interpret it literally!
At this point, I’d like to challenge your interpretation of my friend’s comment. His donation of historical context is not necessary for correct interpretation, but is significant and helpful. His pointing out that Paul isn’t reinforcing sinful Roman devaluing of women, slaves, and children (and unintentionally of men, for that matter) is correct. On the contrary, I believe he was correct in asserting that Paul was challenging the Christians of that day to live counter-culturally, to follow the way of Jesus in their love for and value of humans that weren’t culturally valued. Paul’s teaching in Ephesians was incredibly bold and counter-cultural, as it basically states that headship in the home isn’t headship in an authoritarian military sense, but in the sense of a head that sustains, nourishes, and unifies the body.
I challenge you to put aside the various applications you’ve heard of this particular text, and to instead yourself go through the text carefully, making sure to use the phrases and terms as Paul himself intended in his analogy and teaching.
Just some thoughts in response to your thoughts. I appreciate you sharing, to be sure. I’m a baby at all this and am still processing so much. As I get older and better at reading, I am stunned by how little I have understand of God’s Word, and how much I have yet to learn.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” James 3:1
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
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