“and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” –Ephesians 5:21

The passage of Scripture that leads up to the above verse (Ephesians 4 and 5) is lengthy so I did not include it. However, it is no less important because Paul is addressing the Church at Ephesus on how to exhibit Christian character in their lives. He’s informing them how to walk, talk, worship, sing and praise the Lord. Then he adds this phrase (Ephesians 5:21) as if to summarize and encompass all of what he just said.

What makes this passage so amazing is the Greek word used for “subject.” It is the compound word “hupotasso.” The word “Tasso” is a term which has a military connotation and indicates soldiers being drawn together in order, with none breaking rank or turning on each other. They all walk in obedience to those placed in authority over them. “Hupo” simply means under, as in to subject oneself under. So the meaning of this verse is that we are to be subject to one another in the divine callings and order in which our supreme commander, the Lord Jesus Christ, has placed us. We are not to assert ourselves with a self-centered, independent spirit, but we are to accept His commission to serve humbly and in love toward one another.

By using the word “hupotasso,” Paul clearly puts this entire passage of Scripture in the context of war, spiritual warfare to be exact since that is his subject in the next chapter. All believers who place their life and trust in the work of Christ make up the “body of Christ” (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, Ephesians 3:6, Colossians 1:18 and Colossians 1:24). The body of Christ is in a life-and-death struggle against the powers of darkness which rule this world system. In order to stand against the onslaught of Satan, we must be unified and “subject” to one another in love and service.

This verse reminds me of how America came together after the horrific events of 9/11. It didn’t matter what sex a person was, what color their skin was, what social status they had attained, or for that matter, what faith they were. We all came together as one. That’s the message Paul is conveying to the Ephesians here. He’s saying that we are all fighting the same evil spirits that are out to destroy us. And whether God has placed me as your commanding officer or you as mine, we are united by the cause of freedom and subject to one another through the blood of Jesus. We are equally important in His eyes and He has assigned us all duties for which we are compelled to carry out in the service of the Lord.

The Devil is working endlessly to divide the church. The results of this past election show how evenly divided we are as a country. However, as Christians (regardless of political party affiliation) we must come together in spiritual unity as the body of Christ, understanding that we all have a common enemy to stand against. One way we can stand against him is to unite ourselves in the love of Jesus Christ “subjecting” ourselves to one another in the service of Christ!

In Christ,

Dave