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No.18.
The title Head, and its relation to the Fullness.
pp. 69 - 72
The largest section of the Epistle to the Ephesians is in the practical portion, and
occupies the whole of chapter 5:, and nine verses of chapter 6: This great section falls
into two parts. (1) A threefold walk; (2) A threefold relationship.
The threefold walk
a |
5: 2. Walk in love.
b
| 5: 8. Walk as children of light.
c | 5: 15. Walk circumspectly.
The threefold relationship
a |
5: 22, 23. Wives and husbands.
b
| 6: 1-4. Children and parents.
c | 6: 5-9. Servants and masters.
The first thing to observe is that if Eph. 5: 22-33 teaches that the church is "The
Bride" or "The Wife", then by parity of reasoning, w must continue the analogy and say
that the church is also a `child' and a `servant', but that would be untrue in this
connection, for while individuals believers are `children of God' and many of the Lord's
children are also His `servants' that is very different from teaching that the church in its
dispensational aspect is itself either child or servant. This is not true. The church of the
Mystery is categorically called in the doctrinal section "The Church which is His Body,
the fullness of Him that filleth all in all", and to forget that Eph. 5: and 6: deals with the
practical outworking of the truth in the daily life of the individual believer is to make an
initial mistake, the consequences of which are far reaching. While we are dealing with
this aspect of the subject, let us deal with another, which is allied. It is sometimes taught
that seeing that the word `Church' is feminine that Eph. 5: 25 should be translated `As
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for HER', but this is to confuse gender
with sex. In many languages both ancient and modern, things are often expressed in
either the masculine or the feminine gender, but this is in reference to the language
employed, not the thing itself. The very word we have before us "The Head" is the
Greek kephale which is feminine, consequently the same argument that demands `her' in
Eph. 5: 25 would demand that we use `she' when speaking of Christ the Head! Peace
and forgiveness are feminine, but blessings and will are masculine. This has reference
only to their grammatical form. The reference to "The Head" which is the reason for
turning to Eph. 5: is found in verse 23:
"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and
He is the saviour of the body."
It is evident that this passage is part of an argument, an argument that develops from
the closing statement of verse 21:
"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (or of Christ)."