Devotion 19 – Unity in the Body of Christ

Eph.5:18-21 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”

This scripture deals with the basic remedy for disunity in all human relationship. A lack of the fear of God is the root of many conflicts and disunity as we relate to one another in the body of Christ. Often, we insist on our rights without being sensitive to the needs of others and thus, hurt and become obstacles to each other. Christians must never forget that in every relationship of life, another person is present – God our Father. When we mistreat others, we are mistreating God’s children, our brothers and sister in Christ.

However, because of this, some commentators have understood verse 21 as a call for “mutual submission,” such that both husbands and wives place themselves under one another’s authority. We believe that Ephesians 5:21 actually calls for believers to recognize and respectfully follow God-ordained authorities because of their fear of the Lord. For without exception, the Greek word for “submission,” hupotassõ, always signals obedience to God-given authority. Therefore “Submitting to one another in the fear of God” could be paraphrased “those ‘who are under authority’ should be subject to others among you who have authority over them in the fear of God”. It makes sense of the passage that follows:

Eph.5:22 – “Wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord”

Eph.6:1 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right”

Eph.6:5 – “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ…”

A basic principle of submission on every level is not asking whether we can trust the one we are submitting to, but whether we can trust God to work through the one we are called to submit to.

Being Filled with the Spirit is the Foundation for Submission to one Another.

Being filled with the Spirit means to be under the Spirit’s control. Verse 21 is a continuation of the result of verse 18, “be filled with the Spirit…”.

To be filled by the Spirit is when the Spirit takes up full residence in our heart and we are alive with feeling and emotion in Him. Paul contrasts the filling of the Spirit here to being drunk with wine… In some way, being filled with the Spirit is similar being drunk with wine. Alcohol captivates your bodies; affects your thinking; controls your responses. To the extent we are not controlled by the Holy Spirit, we are controlling our own life. If we are filled with the Spirit, our relationships should be marked by joyful submission to one another out of the fear of the Lord. And submission can be joyful because we know that God has our ultimate good in mind and that submission to proper human authority is ultimately submission to the Lord Himself.

Sadly, our fallen human nature is not inclined toward submission. In fact, our default mode is usually to rebel and to take control. Even as believers, we have a strong propensity to resist authority. Thus, we must first and foremost learn to submit fully to God. When we fear Him, then we can learn how to submit to the various spheres of human authority that He has ordained for our good.

Also, when those in authority live in the fear of God, they will not dare to abuse their authority. They will exercise authority in love and out of a desire to seek the highest good of those under their authority, knowing that one day, they will need to give an account to the One who holds all authority. So, we should always view leadership not as an opportunity for personal advantage, but as a solemn responsibility to be exercised in the fear of the Lord.