WORSHIP AND BEHAVIOR The church is to accept God's call to enjoy the new life in Christ. This new life is manifested in man's life, worship and behavior; so all his life becomes "a sacrifice to God", so that his worship is not separated from his behavior. 1. Following God, "Sacrificial love": Eph. 5: 1- 2 2. Behaving in the light of His resurrection: Eph. 5: 3 –12 3. Being circumspect in behavior and worship: Eph. 5: 15 –21 4. Marital relations and the mystery of Christ: Eph. 5: 22 – 33 1. Following God: The Sacrificial Love" "Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Eph. 5:1,2) Since love is the language of the universal church, where unity of the spirit is practiced and where the community and every member in it grows, where one desires that the door of faith is opened to everyone and the mystery of Christ is fulfilled, then love is also the sign of our following God our Father and the Incarnate Word of God, who through love has offered Himself a sacrifice to God. St. John the Beloved said, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16) A Christian shares with the Lord Christ His priesthood (the general priesthood) by offering his life a sacrifice of love for others like His Master. This is the trait of the new man instead of the old evil man. “…God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God…” (1 John 4:16) St. Augustine 162 “You were called a son, so if you refuse to follow His example, why do you ask for His inheritance?” St. Augustine 163 “Lest you think that the salvation of Christ was done as an obligation, listen to Him saying, ‘He offered Himself.’ As your Lord loves you, love your friend! If you cannot love him as much as He loves you, love as much as you can. Forgive others. When you follow the Lord Jesus, you follow His example. It is our duty to forgive others their sins more than we forgive them their financial debts. When you forgive others their sins, then you are truly following God. You cannot say that you are poor and unable to forgive others their debts, for it is in your authority to forgive others their sins! Listen, he is offering you a piece of advice, for he is urging you as "dear children". Truly there is another reason to follow Him, because you are called His son. Not all children follow their father, but only the ‘dear children.’ Here is the foundation of every task! When there is no wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, then the most important foundation ‘love’ exists. How did you become a son? He forgave your sins. In the same manner, you should forgive your brother! Through love, you were saved and became a son! If you can save others, wouldn’t you offer the advice, which was once given to you, saying, "Forgive and you will be forgiven.” St. John Chrysostom 164 “God the Father ‘…delivered Him for us all…’ (Rom. 8:32), and also He has ‘…given Himself for us…’ (Eph. 5:2). It is obvious that the work of the Father and His will are one with the Son.” St. Ambrose 165 "Walk in love" (Eph. 5:2) 2. Abiding in the light of the resurrection: Through practical love, we follow God the light, carrying the fellowship of His nature, and then we are considered "…children of light" (Eph. 5:8). There is no place for the darkness of death in us, but we enjoy the light of His resurrection. By this interpretation, St. Paul is commanding us to abide as children of light, enjoying the power of His resurrection and its joy inside us, manifested in our daily life and our inner behavior, forsaking all the works of darkness, for he says, "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." (Eph. 5: 3-8) We notice the following: First: He pointed the works of darkness, which are not fitting for us as children of light. These should not even be named among you. Earlier, we practiced these for we were in darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. About the works of darkness, he concentrated on three major sins, which are fornication, uncleanness and covetousness (Eph. 5:3). These sins should not even be named among us, as true saints in the Lord. He repeated these sins in verse five, as the reason for not entering into the kingdom of God. Father Serabion said: ‘We have to avoid those three kinds of sins equaly, for one of them can close the door of the kingdom before us.’ (166) Second: St. John Chrysostom said: “St. Paul presented the first group of sins which are‘bitterness, wrath and anger’ (Eph. 4:31), and the cause of these sins are clamor and evil speaking. The second group of sins are ‘fornication, uncleanness and covetousness’, and these stem from ‘foolish talking and coarse jesting’ instead of words of thanksgiving to God (Eph. 5:4).” St. Paul is stressing the cause of the evil works, which may appear as trifle matters, but later become bigger. One may consider clamor or coarse jesting as something trifle which do not affect one's life, however coarse jesting may spoil one's inner vision, then one may become angry, and anger turns into hatred and bitterness toward others, and may even go as far as killing, though not literally but emotionally. One may start by inappropriate foolish talking, which in turn stirs the lusts of man toward adultery, uncleanness and greediness. Solomon the Wise warned us, by saying, "Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house." (Prov. 5:8) Foolish talking and coarse jesting are signs of inner emptiness, which destroy and do not build, but drive one to adultery, uncleanness and greediness. St. John Chrysostom said, “What is the use of coarse jesting? You merely laugh! Does the shoemaker occupy himself with something else beside his profession? Certainly not! Don’t utter idle words, for, through these idle words, we fall into foolish talking. The present time is not time for idle joking, but rather time for repentance. Does any wrestler wrestles by joking? The devil walks about like a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8) seeking to devour you. The devil is setting traps against your salvation, and you are talking foolishly and with idle talks. Today is the time for spiritual war and strife, for vigil and putting on weapons, not for laughing and coarse jesting. The Lord Jesus said, ‘…You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice…’ (John 16:20) Christ was crucified for your sins and you sit and laugh? Listen to what David the Psalmist said, ‘Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.’ (Ps. 2:11) Coarse jesting causes laziness, and the one who does it has no edifying words at all.” St. John Chrysostom 168 Third: St. Paul contrasted foolish talking and coarse jesting with thanksgiving words. The believer rejoices by practicing the angelic life, the life of thanksgiving and continuous praise. Thus, his deep inner joy is not based on temporary foolish jokes but rather on his relationship with his Father on eternal basis. In his previous talk, he contrasted the works of the old man, which are lying, anger, and stealing, with the basic work of the new man, which is "love", by which we follow God. (5:1) Now, he is contrasting the works of darkness, which are fornication, uncleanness, greediness, foolish talking, and coarse jesting, with the basic work of the light which is "thanksgiving", which is the work of the angels. In other words, through love, we declare our son-ship to God, and through thanksgiving, we declare our fellowship with the heavenly creatures. Fourth: St. Paul added "greediness" to fornication and uncleanness. He said, "…No fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." (Eph. 5:5) He considered greediness not a small sin when compared to fornication and uncleanness. But greediness is "idolatry" (Col. 3:5), for one makes money his god. Fornication is slavery to the lusts of the body instead of living a holy life, and greediness is slavery to money and materialistic matters instead of the eternal life and the heavenly glory. We cannot belittle greediness nor fornication and uncleanness for these are traits of the sons of disobedience, which bring forth the divine wrath. (Eph. 5:6) Fifth: St. Paul did not say, earlier you lived in darkness but now you are in the light, but rather he said, "For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord…" (Eph. 5:8). Whoever lives in the darkness, he himself becomes darkness, and whoever dwells in the light, he himself becomes light and blessing, as the Lord said, "You are the light of the world." (Matt. 5:14 & Lk. 11:33-36 & Jn. 5:35) Sixth: Becoming light in the Lord, they should abide as children of light (Eph. 5:8), and then the holy life becomes a natural fruit in them and not pretence. He said, "…Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Eph. 5:8-10) “Not through your self-righteousness but through the grace of God, you obtain all this. Earlier you deserved punishment but now you do not deserve it.” St.John Chrysostom 169 “When you were in darkness, you were not in the Lord. But now since you are enlightened, you shine by the Lord, and that is not from you.” St. Augustine 170 “Talking about St. Peter who walked on the water, as His Master commanded, he was able to accomplish what the Lord had told him to do, not on his own but through the Lord. Peter walked on the water, as the Lord commanded him, realizing that he is incapable of this power, but through faith, he had the power to achieve what human weakness was unable to do.” St. Augustine 171 Since the Lord Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness, then we, through the Holy Spirit who is the light, enjoy the fruits of the light, which are, "goodness, righteousness and truth". As the earthly life had no existence without the sun, in the same manner, we have no life without the Sun of Righteousness who grants every goodness, righteousness and truth. Seventh: "proving what is acceptable to the Lord." (Eph. 5:10) He distinguishes between those living in darkness and those abiding by the works of the light. The former practice what is acceptable to themselves or to others, while the children of the light care to please the Lord and do what is acceptable to Him, repeating what St. Paul said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Eighth: Since we enjoyed the Lord, the Light, who through His resurrection has abolished darkness, then we have forsaken the works of darkness and were transferred to the light. We became light, carrying the fruits of the light. St. Paul is warning us from regressing to darkness and its works. He said, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things, which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light." (v. 11-13) St. Paul asked the believers to determine their stand whether they are children of the light or children of the darkness, not through foolish discussions but through practical life. He emphasized this point in more than one place, for he said, "…For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?" (2 Cor. 6: 14,15) Also, St. John said, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:10) Ninth: By abiding in the light as children of the light, we produce fruits of the light, declaring that the works of darkness are "unfruitful", moreover the works of the light expose the evil works and rebuke them. (v.11) St. John Chrysostom said: {You are light", for the light rebukes what goes on in the darkness. Since you are righteous, the evil people cannot hide, as when you light a candle, everything becomes in the light and the robber cannot enter. In the same manner, when your light shines, the evil people are rebuked and caught. Our task is to reveal them, why then does the Lord Jesus say, "Judge not that you be not judged." (Matt. 7: 1) St. Paul did not say, "judge them", but he said, "rebuke them", that is correct their mistakes.} 172 Tenth: Now St. Paul concludes his talk about abiding in the light by ascertaining our enjoyment of the light of His resurrection and emphasizing the victory of the light over the darkness. Probably, he excerpted praise from the liturgy of the baptism, which glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ who grants enlightenment to the human race instead of darkness, and the risen life instead of the death of sin. (John 11:11) He grants His believers the new risen life in a new creative way which corresponds to the creation of the light, for he said, "Therefore He says: Awake you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." (v. 14) {This is the resurrection of the hearts that is the resurrection of the inner man or the soul. He Himself who grants light to the blind, raises the dead.} St. Augustine 173 {What he means by the sleepy and the dead person is the one indulged in sin, whose aroma stinks like a dead man and who cannot see anything, like a sleepy person, and he lives in dreams and pretense. Forsake sin so you may be able to see Christ, for anyone who commits sin hates the light and does not come to the light. (John 3:20) But whoever does not commit sin comes to the light. "… God is not God of the dead, but of the living." (Matt. 22:32). Since He is not God of the dead, then let us arise and live.} St. John Chrysostom 174 3. Being circumspect in behavior and worship: Since the word of God granted us the light of His resurrection, then let us arise from the death of sin. On our side, we have to live circumspectly, not as fools but as wise. He said: First: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise." (v. 15) The spiritual life resembles a building whose foundation is the resurrection of the Lord who grants light instead of darkness, life instead of death, so that the believer walks circumspectly all the days of his sojourn, not by his own self but by the free grace, that is through the risen life in Christ Jesus. Every believer practices this inner spiritual building, as well as those who work in the Lord's vine on behalf of the whole congregation, as St. Paul wrote, "…But let each one take heed how he builds on it." (1 Cor. 3; 10) Here we notice that it is not only necessary to walk circumspectly but we have to behave in wisdom. Some considered that believing in the Crucified is foolishness and that relying on God is ignoring one's thinking and wisdom. That is why St. Paul emphasized "wisdom" or "knowledge". He said, " Understand what the will of the Lord is." (v.17) This point is very clear in all St. Paul's letters, for the Lord called us to have fellowship with Him, then we may realize His will and understand His wisdom. Second: "Redeeming the time because the days are evil." (v. 16) The sign of living circumspectly and wisely is to redeem the time. The believer realizes that his earthly life is his true treasure, for it is the reason for his eternal crown or his destruction. If he redeems the time, then his temporal strife will be changed to an eternal heavenly crown, and if he neglects his few days on earth, then his eternity is destroyed! "The days are evil" because it deceives the person, so one is enticed toward the earthly matters, as if one will live forever on earth, then suddenly he finds himself before the Judge to give an account of his stewardship. Pope Theophilus talked with Mother Theodora regarding this matter. This was mentioned in our book "The Dictionary of the Fathers and the Saints of the Church". 175 St. Augustine said: {Aren't these truly evil days, for we spent them in the corrupt body or under its burden, among the great tribulations? There is nothing in the world except vain luxuries, without real joy, but there is scary fear, greediness, and deep sorrow. Truly these are evil days, yet no one wants it to end, but everyone wants long life.} 176 Truly the days are evil, for many of the fathers relate that the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament and the Lord Himself ascertain the swiftness of the Second Coming of the Lord so we may be ready to meet Him, considering that the time, no matter how long it may seem, yet the days are evil when compared to the blessed eternity. St. Hipolitus the Roman said: {Truly, what excuse does man give when he hears God's word in the church from the prophets, the apostles and the Lord Himself without giving any attention to himself nor to the time when he stands before the Judgment Seat of Christ?} 177 St. John Chrysostom commented on the previous statement (v. 15-17) saying: {He requires that they walk circumspectly and wisely without ignorance to uproot the roots of bitterness and wrath. They were called lambs to live among wolves. They find attackers from outside as well as from their household, that is why they live circumspectly and wisely so that no wrath may penetrate their hearts, but they witness the message of the Gospel through practical love, even to the attackers. (Rom. 13: 7) He concludes by saying: {when the rest of the world sees that we are patiently enduring the tribulations, then they are ashamed of themselves.} 178 St.John continues his comment saying, {the time is not your own! In the present time, you are strangers and foreigners, so do not ask to be honored and do not seek authority nor glory nor revenge. Endure all things, redeeming the time. I imagine a man who lives in a rich house, and then some robbers came to attack him. He would give them a big sum of money to redeem his life. In the same manner, you are living in a rich faith, but the attacker, the devil, wants to rob you all that. Give him what he wants but keep your rich faith. He says, "The days are evil". What is evil in the body? Sickness! What is evil in the soul? Sin! What is evil in water? Bitterness. The evil of something is according to its nature and corrupts it. We are used to say: "I had a bad and evil day." The good events that happened this day are from God and the evil events are from evil people. Thus, the evil that happens are from the making of people, that is why they are called evil days.} 179 Third: "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." (v.18) Lot, who tortured himself by the wicked works of Sodom and Gomorrah, when he was drunk, had two sons, Moab and Ammon, from his daughters. Their offspring attacked God's work and His people, throughout the generations. In the same manner, everyone who is drunk brings forth fruit against God's works. St. Jerome warns us saying: {The Moabites and the Ammonites found their origin in drinking. (Gen. 19: 30-38)} 180 St. John Chrysostom said: {A regular man avoids drinking, how about the spiritual person who lives among the swords and is exposed to murder. Listen to what the Bible says, "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart." (Prov. 31:6) Wine was given to us for only one purpose, to cure a sick body. However, this purpose was destroyed because it was abused. St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy, "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." (1 Tim. 5:23) {Do you want to be happy? Do you want to occupy your day? I give you the spiritual drink, for getting drunk makes us even lose our good talks and makes us mumble, and also mars our eyes and all our features. Learn to praise God with the psalms, so you may experience the sweetness of the work, for those who praise God are filled with the Holy Spirit, and those who sing the devilish songs are filled with the evil spirit.} 181 {Instead of rejoicing with the drunkenness of this world. Let us be filled with the work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, so we may, without ceasing, get drunk with the love of God, and we continually fly toward heavenly matters and settle in His eternal bosom.} Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean accepting outer dwelling but accepting the work of the Holy Spirit in us and enjoying His power working in us. In his book about the Holy Spirit, St. Basilios the Great said that God gives the Spirit according to each man's readiness. The Spirit does not cease giving as long as one opens his heart and responds to His work. St. John Chrysostom commented: {"Then Saul who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, 'O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13: 9,10) Let no one think that St. Paul was not filled with the Holy Spirit when he talked with the magician, but the Holy Spirit inside him filled him with power to answer the magician. As the magician carried the power of evil, the Spirit offered him power…} 182 Fourth: "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." (v. 19,20) St. Paul gave us his life as an example, for in the same epistle, he presented many excerpts about church praises, demonstrating in a practical way that praising God is joyful to the soul as well as the community. The early church was " a holy community with continuous praising". St. Luke explained that in the book of Acts by saying, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people." (Acts 2: 46,47) Praising and thanking God are the work of the heavenly church, or the work of the heavenly creatures. Once we accept from Christ the heavenly life, then praises will naturally stem from the depth of the heart, where all one's being responds, even amidst tribulations. This is what shook the pagans, for they saw the Christians praising God inside the prisons, especially after the judgment of death was issued. In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Egyptians monasteries and deserts were like paradise, where one only hears the perpetual voices of praises, as St. John Kasian related. The church declares her joyful nature with the Lord by praises in all her liturgies, as well as the private prayers for every member. St. John Chrysostom commented on the previous verse: {what does he mean by "in your hearts to the Lord" (v.19)? He means that praises should be with full understanding and meditation, for whoever utters the praises without reflecting on the words, then his heart will wander and will not benefit.} He said, "Giving thanks always for all things…" (v. 20) He means that in everything by prayer and supplication…(Phil. 4:6) nothing delights the Lord except a thankful person. We can offer thanksgiving to God by withdrawing ourselves from the sins mentioned earlier and purifying ourselves by the means, which he had related. He said, "Be filled with the Spirit." (v.18) Is the Spirit inside us? Truly He is inside us, for when we uproot lying, adultery, uncleanness, covetousness, and become kind, tender hearted, forgiving one another, then we are qualified to have the Spirit to enlighten us. He does not only dwell in us but fills our hearts. When this great light inflames us, then the road of virtue becomes easy and simple. He said, "Giving thanks always for all things…"(v. 20) what does he mean? Do we thank for anything that befall us? Yes, even if for any sickness or poverty. In the Old Testament, the Wise Solomon said, "Accept what befall you with joy and patience, even when you become poorer." (Son of Sirach 2:4) How about in the New Testament? Give thanks always. If you only thank during the times of comfort and success and riches, this is not strange. However, one should thank during difficult times of tribulations and afflictions. Nothing is better than the words, "I thank you O my Lord"… Let us thank God for His blessings, whether seen or unseen, and which we involuntary accept, for we receive many blessings without our knowledge and our will. When we are poor or sick, let us keep thanking God, not by mere words of tongue but by deed and actions, and in the heart and mind. Let us thank Him with all our souls, for He loves us more than our parents. As far as good is from evil, so there is great difference between God’s love and the love of our parents. These are not my words but the words of the Lord Jesus Himself who loves us. Listen to what He said, "Or what man is there among you, if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matt. 7:9-11) He also said, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you." (Is. 49: 15) If He does not love us, why did He create us? Was he obliged to create us? Do we offer Him help or service? Does He need anything from us? Listen to what David the Prophet said, "O my soul, you have said to the Lord, You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You." (Ps. 16:2). Let us glorify God in everything! "Submitting to one another in the fear of God." (v.21) If you submit to the ruler, for the sake of your position, or for wealth, moreover, you should submit for the sake of the fear of God. Let us exchange services with submission, so there is no selfishness. No one should consider himself from an upper class and the other from a lower class as a slave. It is better that masters and slaves serve one another. {Suppose one master has hundred slaves who serve him, and another has hundred friends, where each one serves the other. Which life is a happier life? In the former case, everyone is obliged to work, but in the latter, they work with their free will. In the same manner, God wants us to be like that, that is why He washed His disciples' feet.} 183 After St. Paul talked about the church from the practical aspect, through the daily behavior of the believer by putting off the deeds of the old man and practicing the deeds of the new man, rejecting the deeds of darkness as a son of the light and being filled with the work of the Holy Spirit, now he is relating this behavior with his worship, so it is changed to true praise with unceasing thanksgiving stemming not from the mouth but from the heart, mind and all the inner feelings as well as his work. Now St. Paul is presenting reflections of these measures on the family life, which cannot be separated from our spiritual strife or from our church life. 4. Marital Relations and the mystery of Christ: The universal church, as declared by St. Paul in this epistle, reveals the mystery of Christ, that is, the mystery of the surpassing love of God through the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This divine mystery presents deep and new interpretations to the marital, family and social relations. The marital life carries a picture to our relation with the Father in the Lord Jesus Christ, the relation of love and unity. We also see in the earthly marriage an icon of the heavenly marriage, and the Christian home a shadow of the eternal house of God.184 Henceforth, the Law concerning marriage and the Christian home stems from the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We notice the following: First: The marital unity between man and woman is manifested as an icon to the unity between the Lord Jesus and His bride, the church. The former originates from the latter; therefore the marriage has to be fulfilled in the shadow of the cross, through the unity of faith in the Crucified Christ and the attachment to the church. {How can we express the marital happiness, which the church officiates, the oblation confirms and the blessing seals!} Tertillian the Scholar 185 {The married couples have to ask the opinion of the bishop, so that the marriage becomes according to God's will and not according to lust.} St. Aghnatios 186 {Since marriage has to be officiated by the priest, how can it happen where the faith is different?} St. Ambrosios 187 Second: The meaning of submission: Many misinterpret the meaning of submission: "Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord." (v.22) They think that submission means that man should exercise his authority over her and that woman should yield to her husband. In Christianity, submission does not mean weakness nor decrease in honor. That is what the Incarnate Word of God declared when He submitted to the Father, although He is one in essence with the Father. He exalted the virtue of "submission" to make it as a subject of race for us, until we reach the obedient and submissive Christ. St. Luke mentioned, "Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them…" (Luke 2:51) Although He is the Creator and Savior of St. Mary and St. Joseph, yet He was subject to them, and His submission did not hinder Him from fulfilling His mission, which they could not comprehend. He told them frankly, "Why is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49) Submission is not yielding on the expense of one’s mission nor blind obedience without thinking, but rather a widened heart and acceptance of the other's will with mature thinking. St. Hilopitus the Roman presented understanding of the submission of the Son to the Father. It is not a sign of Him being less in essence but He is united and equal with the Father. He said, {the unity goes back to the One God: The Father commands, the Son obeys, the Spirit grants understanding. The Father wanted, the Son did, the Spirit declared. This is what the Holy Bible clarifies.} 188 In the same manner, the submission of the wife to her husband is sharing with the Lord Jesus His obedience and submission to the Father, as a sign of love and unity and not demeaning her honor or decreasing it. St. John Chrysostom relates that the woman, who is the subject of great love to her man, should not match this love with pride but with submission as response to his love. He said: {Love belongs to men, and submission belongs to women. If man offers all his love to the woman, then she in return, will love and obey Him, and he will be meek with her. Do not brag because man loves you, for God made him love you so you may easily obey him in submission. Do not fear to submit to him, for submitting to the beloved has no difficulties.} St. John Chrysostom 189 St. Augsutine asks all wives to follow the example of St. Mary who was very humble and submitted to Joseph (Luke 2:48), although she is the one who had the honor of bearing the Lord Jesus Christ. 190 Thus, our fathers understood the meaning of wife’s submission with a spiritual perspective through the cross. Submission does not make her lose her equality nor does it mean that she does not share in carrying responsibility, but rather she submits so she may win his love being adorned with virtue. St.Ambrosios said: {Let a man lead his wife as a pilot and honor her as his partner in life and as an heir with him in the Grace.} 191 We discussed this point in details in the book of "Marital love." Third: The superiority of the man and his love: Often, man thinks that being superior means to become a dictator with authority, however, St. Paul associated being superior with the sacrificing love. He says, "For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body." (v.23) The Lord Jesus being the Head of the church was declared through His sacrificing love on the cross for her salvation. Likewise, if the man wants to be the head of his wife, let him offer a practical sacrificial love! St. John Chrysostom said: {Care for your wife in the same manner as Christ cared for the church, even if you have to offer your life for her! Endure any suffering for her sake!} 192 Since the man is the head, then there is no place for the head without the body, and there is no life for the head without the body. St. Ambrosios said: {Man without his wife is considered like one without a home.} 193 Fourth: Fellowship in the cross: When the wife submits, in the Lord, to her husband, and the husband practices his love toward his wife for the Lord, then both of them share in the work of the Lord Jesus by true sacrifice, then their marital life becomes a visible sign of their fellowship in the work of the Sacrificial Lord Jesus. In other words both the husband and the wife see in the sacrifice of Christ, the sacrifice of love for others, as a living example to their family life. This is what St. Paul wrote here: "Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." (v. 24,25) Under the shadow of the cross, the wife joyfully submits to her husband for the sake of the Lord, and the husband declares his love to his wife, following the example of the Lord Jesus who offered His life to sanctify the believers. From the words of St. John Chrysostom to the husband: {if you see her demeaning you, then your love and gentleness toward her can win her submission. There is nothing greater than these ties, especially from the husband and the wife! In spite of what you may face from her, do not be severe toward her, for Christ did not do that.} 194 Very strongly and clearly, St. Paul talked about the love of Christ toward His church as a living source for the love of man toward his wife, saying: "And gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." (v. 24-27) We notice in the love of the Lord Jesus to His church the following: A. He gave Himself for it, for love does not seek its own (1 Cor. 13:5). In His love for us, the Lord seeks our salvation to enjoy the fellowship of the inheritance with Him. He does not need us, but because of His love, He sacrifices His life for us. In the same manner, let the husband love his wife for her person as beloved to him, not just to fulfill his desires! B. The purpose of the Lord Jesus toward His bride is to sanctify her and cleanse her with the baptismal water and this by the Word, for the water is sanctified, through Christ, the Word, offering His cross a price for our sanctification. St. John Chrysostom said: {His church was full of defilement and abomination, but He did not despise her but gave Himself for her, as St. Paul said, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (Rom. 5:6) {In spite of her abomination, He took her and washed her and adorned her with beauty and gave Himself for her.} 195 With great power, the Lord talked about this sacrificing love, by the Prophet Ezekiel: "Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: "Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor swathed in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you, but you were thrown out into the open field when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born. And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, "live!" Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!" I made you thrive you like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became Mine,' says the Lord God. Then I washed you in water; yes I thoroughly washed off your blood and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord God." (Ezek. 16: 3-14) This is a marvelous picture for the surpassing work of God through His sacrificial love on the cross! C. "That He might present it to Himself…": In the rite of the Jewish marriage, there was a period between the marriage contract and receiving the bride. In the same manner, the Lord Jesus has signed the marriage contract by His precious blood on the cross, and bought us and accepted us as His bride. In His second coming, He receives the bride where all the chosen are gathered with Him on the clouds, as if He is presenting His bride to Himself. He loved her for no reason, but he wants her as His bride to respond to His love and to share with Him His eternal glory! Let us pause a little. In His love, the Lord Jesus sacrificed His life for His bride, but He asks for her sanctification. No one will enjoy the wedding except those who are sanctified in Him. St. Augustine said: {some of the evil fish may enter the net of Christ in the church, but they have no part with the good fish.} 196 Father Dorotheos from Gazza said: {The Lord Jesus became incarnate to restore man to his former image. But how do we go back to the former image? When we learn from St. Paul who said, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit." (2 Cor. 7:1). Let us cleanse ourselves so we may resemble God. Let us remove the filth of sin so the beauty of the virtue may appear. David prayed for this beauty saying, "You gave my beauty strength." (Ps. 29:8) So let us cleanse ourselves so we may resemble God.} 197 D. Talking about sanctifying the church through the sacrificial love of Christ, he referred to baptism by saying, "with the washing of water by the word." (v.26) {St. Paul confirms that in baptism, the old man dies and the new man is created, saying, "He saved us through the washing of regeneration…" (Tit. 3:5) Since the new birth takes place in the baptismal font, so how can a heretic, who is not a bride of Christ, give birth to children of God through Christ? Only the church, which cleaved and united with Christ can give birth to spiritual children. St. Paul said, "… Just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify her with the washing of water by the word." (v.25,26) Since she is the beloved and the bride, then she alone is sanctified by Christ and is purified in his baptismal font. It is obvious that the heresy which states that she is not the bride of Christ, cannot be sanctified nor purified in the baptismal font and cannot give birth to children of God.} St. Kibrianos 198 E. Since the Lord Christ made His church His holy body and He being her Head, in the same manner the husband sees his wife as his body, so he loves her and takes care of her. The Apostle says: "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones." (v.28-30) Here St. Paul is demonstrating three comparisons: Christ and the church, husband and wife, the head and the body. He pointed the extent of the unity between the husband and the wife being his body. St. John Chrysostom said: {nothing can unite our lives together except resembling the love between husband and wife.} 119 St. Paul declared two points: the first is the extent of our unity with the Lord Christ for we are members of His flesh and of His bones, and the second is our holy outlook to the body: "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it." Our unity with the Lord Christ being members of His body is the main and basic purpose of the redeeming work of God and our enjoying His Gospel. He wants us to be one with Him, to enjoy the eternal fellowship with Him as beloved children and heirs. This is very clear in all St. Paul's epistles, especially this epistle as long as he talks about the church being the body of Christ. Regarding our sanctity of the flesh, he clarified that we should not hate the flesh because it is God's holy creation, but to hate his evil desires. The body is not an obstacle, which we want to get rid of, but it is a divine gift, which remains holy as long as we live according to the spirit. The early fathers emphasized this point so that we should not deviate toward the Gnostic ideas, which state that the body is an element of darkness, which should be destroyed. St. Augustine said: {Let us care for the flesh, but only to keep it healthy. 200} F. Since St. Paul is addressing the unity between the husband and wife, he presents an understanding of this unity since the beginning of creation, which is achieved through the work of Christ. He said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (v. 31) He excerpted this from the book of Genesis (2: 24). This unity appears in a unique way between the Lord Christ and His church, where St. Paul called it "a mystery". He said, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (v. 32,33) The Lord Christ gave Himself as an example of His unity with the church the bride. St. Augustine said: {He left the Father, as He emptied Himself from all the glories and took the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7). He remained one in essence without separation. He also left His mother, that is the Jewish nation, of which He took the flesh through the Jewish St. Mary, to become one flesh with His bride. 201.}
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