Ephesians 5 Footnotes

5:22-25 Paul’s command for wives to “submit” follows the all-encompassing command to submit “to one another in the fear of Christ” (v. 21)—the last outcome or result of the filling of the Spirit (vv. 18-21). While a submissive wife is countercultural today, she was not so in Paul’s time. Moreover, while a self-sacrificing and loving husband sounds quite appropriate in our culture, he was radically counter-cultural in Paul’s day. The Bible by no means approves domineering or self-centered husbands; rather, it calls for a home environment of mutual giving and selflessness. For the husband, this commitment extends even to being willing to give his life for his wife (v. 25).