Memory Text: Ephesians 5:21 NKJV “submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
Ephesians 5:21 Clear Word “Show a submissive spirit to one another for Christ’s sake.”

Sunday, December 4 Submit to One Another
Ephesians 5:21 NLT “And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:21 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE Let no man be so tenacious of his own will or his opinion in matters indifferent, as to disturb the peace of the Church; in all such matters give way to each other, and let love rule.

Monday, December 5 Authority Ephesians 5:22 KJ21 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord;”
Ephesians 5:22 Clear Word “Wives should respect and honor their husbands according to the rule of Christ.” Ephesians 5:22 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES While Christianity designed to elevate the character of the wife, and to make her a fit companion of an intelligent and pious husband, it did not intend to destroy all subordination and authority. Man, by the fact that he was first created; that the woman was taken from him; that he is better qualified for ruling than she is, is evidently designed to be at the head of the little community that constitutes a family. In many other things woman may be his equal; in loveliness, and grace, and beauty, and tenderness, and gentleness, she is far his superior; but these are not the qualities adapted for government. Their place is in another sphere; and there, man should be as cautious about invading her prerogative, or abridging her liberty, as she should be about invading the prerogative that belongs to him.
Ephesians 6:1 KJ21 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”
Ephesians 6:1 Clear Word “Children, obey your parents unless it goes against God’s commands, because that’s the right thing to do.”
Ephesians 6:1-4 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY Many set their children against religion; but this does not excuse the children's disobedience, though it may be awfully occasion it. God alone can change the heart, yet he gives his blessing to the good lessons and examples of parents, and answers their prayers. But those, whose chief anxiety is that their children should be rich and accomplished, whatever becomes of their souls, must not look for the blessing of God.
Ephesians 6:5 KJ21 “Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ,”
Ephesians 6:5 Clear Word “Servants, obey your masters with respect and singleness of hear just as you would obey Christ.”
Ephesians 6:5 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY Servants are to reverence those over them. They are to be sincere; not pretending obedience when they mean to disobey, but serving faithfully. And they must serve their masters not only when their master's eye is upon them; but must be strict in the discharge of their duty, when he is absent and out of the way. Steady regard to the Lord Jesus Christ will make men faithful and sincere in every station, not grudgingly or by constraint, but from a principle of love to the masters and their concerns.
Genesis 1:26-27 KJ21 “26 ¶ And God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”
Acts 17:26 ESV “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,”
Galatians 3:28 ESV “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 3:6 ASV “[to wit], that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,”

Tuesday, December 6 Husbands and Wives
Ephesians 5:22-25 NRSV “22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”
Ephesians 5:22-25 Clear Word “22 Wives should respect and honor their husbands according to the rule of Christ. 23 Husbands are the sustainers and protectors of their wives, honoring them as Christ honors the church and is her Savior. 24 As the church seek to please Christ in everything, so should wives seek to please their husbands. 25 Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for her.”
Romans 5:8 NRSV “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”
1 John 4:10-11 NRSV “10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”
Jude 21 “keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”

Wednesday, December 7 Children and Parents
Exodus 20:12 NKJV “"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Ephesians 6:1-4 God’s Word to the Nations “1 ¶ Children, obey your parents because you are Christians. This is the right thing to do. 2 "Honor your father and mother 3 that everything may go well for you, and you may have a long life on earth." This is an important commandment with a promise. 4 Fathers, don’t make your children bitter about life. Instead, bring them up in Christian discipline and instruction.”
Ephesians 6:1-4 Clear Word “1 Children obey your parents unless it goes against God’s commands, because that’s the right thing to do. 2 Respect your parents, whether they love the Lord or not, because that’s the commandment to which God has attached a special promise. 3 Life will be better for your and you’ll even live longer. 4 Fathers, don’t mistreat your children or make them angry, but love them as members of God’s family. Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, training them to serve others.”
Ephesians 5:22 God’s Word to the Nations “Wives, place yourselves under your husbands’ authority as you have placed yourselves under the Lord’s authority.”
Colossians 3:18 ASV “Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Thursday, December 8 Slaves and Masters
Ephesians 6:5-9 MKJV “5 Slaves, obey [your] masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from [the] heart, 7 with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men 8 (knowing that whatever good thing he does, he shall receive the same from the Lord, whether [he is] a slave or a freeman). 9 And masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your Master also is in Heaven. There is no respect of persons with Him.”
Ephesians 6:5-9 Clear Word “5 Servants, obey your masters with respect and singleness of heart just as you would obey Christ. 6 Don’t do your job only when someone’s watching you. You’re not out to please men but to please God, so work from the heart as unto the Lord. 7 Work diligently cheerfully as if you were working for the Lord, not men. 8 Whatever you do, do it for the Lord, and God Himself will reward you. 9 Masters, have the same attitude toward yours servants as if they were your brothers. Don’t threaten them. You, too, have a Master who treats you kindly and with affection as He does everyone else.”
Ephesians 6:9 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKITT Here note, That the greatest masters, yea, the greatest prince and potentate upon earth, lie under obligations, in point of duty, to their servants and inferiors; and it ought to be as much their care to discharge their duty sincerely, cheerfully, with good-will, and eyeing their great Master in heaven, as it concerns the poorest sinner to obey them in and after the same manner; Ye masters, do the same things unto them. Next follow the particular directions given to masters; namely, to forbear threatenings; that is, let them not exercise their authority over them imperiously, and with rigour, but mildly, and with gentleness: rule them not tyrannically, but govern with moderation and temper.
Ephesians 6:9 PEOPLE’S NT COMMENTARY The Roman law allowed masters to treat their slaves as brute beasts, to abuse and even to murder them. But Christianity at once put Christian masters under restraint. Ephesians 6:9 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Threatening implies fear and force, whereas the way of the gospel is the way of love. Threatening is usually the beginning of cruelty and must be entirely eliminated. It is a tremendous challenge to any administrator to exercise his authority in love rather than through power and force. It does not mean that he should not expect just service, but his warnings and discipline must be exercised with self-control and Christian charity. Respect for the personalities of others is one of the first evidences of the converted life.
Matthew 22:39 NIV “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Mark 10:44 NIV “and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”
Luke 6:31 NIV “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Romans 12:10 NIV “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Philippines 2:3 20th Century NT “Nothing should be done in a factious spirit or from vanity, but each of you should with all humility regard others as of more account than himself,”
1 John 4:11 20th Century NT “Dear friends, since God loved us thus, we, surely, ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:11 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY It is a mutual love to which we are called, and shared love increases steadily as each brother seeks to aid the other. The nearer we come to preferring one another in honor (Rom. 12:10), to laying down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16), the more like God we become and the more like His is our love.