…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:20-21
The two prevailing attitudes that are talked about, really commanded, in these two verses are part of a broader four-part string of commands that follow from being a part of a Spirit-filled church. The context is corporate worship. Church should be a mutual experience. We “address one another” in the use of psalms and music and we sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord. Those are a given experience any Sunday. That’s why we sing in church. It is what God’s people have always done.
The two other commands are equally important when Christians gather. The next command is to give thanks. The person to whom we express our gratitude is God the father. The way we do it is through prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Real praise must flow from sincere gratitude. Thankfulness is a big part of our deepest worship. We pray with thanksgiving, joy, gratitude, and humble expression of our dependence upon God Who supplies all we need. Gratitude should flow from worshiping hearts. It helps our hearts submit to God.
But the real shocker of Spirit-filled worship is submission to other believers. Here it is commanded in the text. When we love and submit to God, we love and submit to one another in Christ’s church. Yes, there is submission to leadership, but Paul isn’t just writing to elders. He places this submission in a corporate setting. I should respect every brother and sister in Christ. I should submit myself to serve Jesus by serving my fellow believers. My motivation is not for my own position. My motivation is not because other Christians “deserve it“. Paul says we serve each other submissively out of reverence for Christ. I serve Jesus when I serve others. And a church gathered together doing just that is a beautiful picture of Christ’s transformative work!
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