andy cottingham

Ephesians is a magnificent letter. Paul sets out the whole ‘Story’ in 6 short chapters. There is an emphasis on the unity and diversity produced when the gospel is faithfully preached. Paul uses the phrase ‘in Christ’ numerous times in this letter, using it to describe all the benefits of our salvation. We see how the church is central to God’s plan of salvation.

The letter ends with some details as to how our being ‘in Christ’ is to be worked out on a practical level in the church, home and work place.

Our attention is particularly focused in verses 21-33 with the instructions concerning marriage.

Paul immediately elevates Christian marriage to a different plain giving the reason for the wife’s submission to her husband as Christ being head of the church. As Paul continues we see the Biblical pattern emerging.

• Jesus in submission to the Father’s will
• The Holy Spirit glorifying Jesus
• The Church recognizing Jesus as it’s head
• Wives submitting to their Husbands
• Husbands loving their Wives as Christ loved the church
• Children submitting to their parents

Paul wraps up this section in verse 32.

“This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

Ephesians 5 v 32

Marriage according to God’s order is a glorious, practical demonstration of how Christ has given himself for the church. There is an element of mystery to it but we need to joyfully embrace these instructions because Christ’s honor is at stake.

Next time – Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church

So lets start where the Bible starts, with God.

God created a perfect world, everything was right and good. Into that perfect world he put a man and a woman and along with this perfect creation came the perfect culture. God and humanity walking and talking together, enjoying one another and marveling at all that was.

If this pre-fall eden is a kind of blueprint for us as to how things are meant to be then the nature of those relationships are key to our understanding of how Biblical masculinity and femininity is to function.

Let’s try and answer a few questions.

• Were Adam and Eve equal in their standing before God before sin entered the world?
• Did Adam and Eve have clearly defined rolls prior to the fall?
• Did any such understand of rolls cause conflict?

Genesis 1 v 27 speaks of male and female equality at the point of creation. It affords us the incredible honor of being made in the likeness of God Himself.

“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1 v 27

They were equal but clearly distinct – Adam had been charged with subduing the garden God had made (Genesis 2 v 15). The command concerning the forbidden tree was given the Adam (Genesis 2 v 17) Adam was responsible for naming the animals (Genesis 2 v 19).

We could say at this point that of course Adam was given the instructions to do all this as Eve was not yet created? This might hold some sway but for two issues. Firstly God didn’t create Eve as an afterthought and secondly Paul refers the the created order as significant when he addresses these issues in 1 Timothy. (1 Timothy 2 v 13)

There is no indication that Eve struggled with this distinction of roles before the fall. There is warning of conflict to come after sin had entered the world. (Genesis 3 v 16)

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”

Genesis 3 v 16 – emphasis mine

This idea that there can be absolute equality of worth while maintaining different roles is a mirror of God Himself. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in status but have different roles the Son in submission to the Fathers will the Holy Spirit glorifying Jesus. There is no conflict or clamoring for worth based on role (Philippians 2 v 5-11). In some way this submission and authority were nesecary for the great work of salvation to succeed.

Next time we’ll look at how this plays out in the marriage relationship.

Now having said that:

Even looking at scripture like this can cause problems.

There are many colored glasses we can put on and through them view the Bible. The worst kind of glasses and the hardest to avoid are cultural. We wear them without knowing and view everything through their misty fog.

The Bible does have a clear focus and a very clear filter through which to view old and new testaments, Jesus. He is the central focus, the key player, the flavour, the lead character, everything written in it points to him and is about him, nothing makes sense without him and everything falls into place with him in central view.

And here’s the point, I find my place not when I search scripture to discover what it says about me or my particular issue but when I allow the truth about Jesus to consume me. The passion of scripture is to glorify Jesus.

When I come to Jesus I come as one ‘poor in spirit’, my own preferences and opinions become subject to his. It’s not that I become a faceless clone, unthinkingly being shuffled along, but I do become the man or woman God intended when He is central, when His glory is paramount and when my will is subject to His.

If you approach the Bible with a feminist ethic, or for that matter any ethic other than a biblical one, there will be trouble. We’ll begin to look at the nature of that trouble next time.

A topic that generates at least as much excitement and heat as the debate over PSA is that of women’s roles in the church.

The problem starts with the ground on which we choose to take our various stands.

If you think about this issue for a moment and allow those various emotions to rise within you, you’ll begin to understand what I mean.

Imagine the issues you are now focused on as a field, in this field you are going to make your stand against opposing ideas and thoughts. The big question is whether this field, this chosen ground finds a happy home in Scripture.

One of the problems, which Alpha addresses, is with regards to the gospel. Often people don’t respond to the gospel because they are asking the wrong kind of question. If people approach Jesus with the idea that they have something pretty special to offer God and if that position doesn’t change then the bible doesn’t have much to say except in terms of condemnation. It has a huge amount to say to you when you learn to approach Jesus as Lord and King recognizing that without Jesus gracious help you are dead in the water, face down.

So where does this lead us?

What is happy ground for scripture and our thoughts to meet on?

Let’s start with the general feel of scripture with re-guards to women.

From Genesis on we see a glorious celebration of God’s final, spectacular act of creation namely woman. We can only speculate what Adam’s reaction was when God brought this fabulous creature to him to be named, indeed he mind boggles?! (Genesis 2 v 23)

Both Adam and Eve had direct and unhindered access to God himself as they walked in the garden together.

God’s plans have consistently drawn on the particular gifts of women for the story to continue. So whether it is Sara, Ruth, Esther, Rahab, Deborah, Jael, Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, Lydia, or myriads of others they all have a vital and honored role in God’s great plan.

I’ll continue again soon with more on God’s great plan for men and women.