Bible Study on Ephesians 5:22 (“Wives submit to your husbands”)
Ephesians 5:22
“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (CSB)
Welcome to the Bible Study Guide for Ephesians 5:22, which leverages questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide when studying this verse. Below are the questions the Chara team chose to ask, in the order they chose to ask them, but feel free to use other questions or change up the order as you dive into this passage. For ANSWERS from the Chara team on these questions, check out the video below.
APPLY
Yield: What personal, cultural, or religious bias and assumptions do you bring to the text? For example, the word “submit” in American culture isn’t always positive. It can be looked at as being weak or inferere and can cause people to be taken advantage of.
CONTEXT
Immediate: What is the theme or main idea found in the surrounding paragraph(s)? Start by reading Ephesians 5:21-33. What’s the main idea of that section of scripture?
Now back out to read the broader context around our last passage in Ephesians 4 through Ephesians 6:9. What’s the main idea of that section of scripture? How does knowing the broader context help determine what the verse means? (Hint: Pay close attention to Ephesians 5:21 and who that direction was given to - Just women? Just men? Or both?)
AUTHOR
Person/Purpose: Who was the author of Ephesians?What was the author's purpose? Why was Paul writing to the Ephesians? (Hint: You can learn about the author and their purpose from the intro to the book in a Study Bible and/or by reading the entire book. For Ephesians specifically, you can see who’s writing this letter by reading Ephesians 1:1 and insight to their purpose from verses like Ephesians 1:15-18, 4:1, 5:1)
HISTORY
Who was it written to? Check out Ephesians 1:1 to see who this was being written to. Was it for believers in Christ or unbelievers?
What worldview, cultural, religious, political factors and experiences were a part of their world and how did that influence them? (Hint: take a look at Study Bible notes or commentaries to help you out.) You may learn for example, that up until the 18th century, a woman's place was one of submission and reliance on her husband, so this instruction wouldn’t have been a new idea for women. What was a new idea, was the instruction for the men to have self-sacrificial love for their wives.)
RESEARCH
Original Language: What does the word “submit” and “obey” mean in the original Greek language in Ephesians 5 and 6? (Hint: check out a Hebrew/Greek lexicon, such as blueletterbible.org or biblehub.com or check out Amplified Bible translation). Notice that these words are different words and mean different things. How does realizing that “submit” and “obey” aren’t the same thing help you understand what Ephesians 5:22 means?
CONTEXT
Bible: Does my interpretation hold true throughout the rest of the Bible? (Hint: use cross references to uncover verses like Colossians 3:18-19 and 1 Peter 3:1-7. which all mirror our passage and have similar application from the interpretation we gain by studying Ephesians 5:22. Also consider the equality God has placed on men and women with verses like Galatians 3:28, Acts 10:34, and let’s not forget Ephesians 5:21! Finally, you may run across verses like 1 Peter 5:5 and Philippians 2:1-5 on what it looks like to have mutual submission and unity with each other)
APPLY
Respond: What was expected of the original audience and what principles make sense for us now (is it a cultural or timeless truth)?
Yield: Based on the bias and assumptions you brought to the text, what do you need to surrender, if anything, to be in harmony with the Bible?
Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
Join the Chara Project team as they study Ephesians 5:22 and see their ANSWERS to the questions asked from the CHARA Bible Study Guide.