THERE ARE FOUR ideas arranged in parallel pairs in Ephesians 5:19a, 19b, 20 and 21. Verses 19a and 21 are linked together. You miss the point of verse 21 if you don't see the linkage with 19a. People see three verse numbers inserted into the text and think there are just three ideas in Ephesians 5:19-21. As a result they misinterpret the passage. Pay attention to what the four parts are on this episode of The Eden Podcast based o the book, Beyond Eden Ephesians 5:15-6:9 by Bruce C. E. Fleming.
The main ideas in this section of Ephesians are in 5:18, 5:21 and 5:32. Have you seen how the Spirit-filled life is described in FOUR Steps in 5:19a-21? In 5:19a Paul uses ONE word (speaking) but in the parallel verse of Colossians 3:16 he uses TWO (teaching and admonishing). THEN Paul links the horizontal and reciprocal mutual submitting of believers with these two ideas from 5:19a. The teaching point: Spirit-filled believers submit to the teaching and corrections they give and receive from one another.
GO DEEPER? Get a copy of the book Beyond Eden, the Great Mystery Revealed: Mutually Submitting in Christ. https://amzn.to/4aEBA7V