The WIFE

The WIFE

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Ephesians 5:22–24

This passage contains some of the clearest biblical teachings on the duties of wives.

Firstly, the passage talks about authority.

Over the past few decades have seen huge effort to overturn the meaning of this text and the authority. Some people reject it entirely.

We as believers cannot be picky about a few verses, rather understand that all Scriptures, including those written by Paul are God-breathed, authoritative, and sufficient (2 Tim 3:16–17).

We must note that Husbands and wives are to serve one another according to the principle of mutual Christian service, but the form this service takes is gender specific.

Thus, Ephesians 5:21 cannot be used to deny male headship and authority at home.

Wives serve their husbands by submitting to them (Eph 5:22-24).

Husbands serve their wives not by submitting to them but by leading them and by loving them with a sacrificial love in imitation of the way that Christ loves the church (Eph 5: 25–33).

Since Ephesians 5:22–24 does not call for mutual submission but instructs wives to submit to their own husbands, husbands are given a leadership role in their homes.

But note that a wife is to submit to her own husband (5: 22).

This means that wives are not commanded to submit to all men but only to their husbands and any other figure who holds a lawful place of authority in the church or in the world.

In this second kind of submission, they are no different from their husbands, who must also submit to lawful authorities.

 Wifely submission is a particular submission, one in which she obeys the Christian obligation to serve within the parameters of the marital covenant.

Wives must follow the leading of their husbands, not every man in this world.

A husband’s authority is not absolute.

The wife submits to her husband “as to the Lord” (Eph 5:22); thus, she follows his direction unless he does not ask her to sin.

There are innumerable applications that flow from this call to wise submission.

Within the family structure, husbands are accountable to the Lord because they lead their homes, and wives are accountable to God for submitting to their husbands’ authority.

Husbands should not be concerned primarily with the duties of their wives, and wives should not be attentive chiefly to the demands the Lord gives to their husbands.

They should rather focus on their own responsibilities and seek to be faithful in them.

Let us Pray:

Heavenly Father, we submit ourselves as husbands and wives to the headship of the lord Jesus Christ. Help us to understand the role ad appreciate each other. In Jesus Name. Amen. 

Blessings & Prayers 

Pastor. Bobby Leonard