Read the following questions, mediate upon them , pray about them and answer them to the best of your understanding.
Wives
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What is the relationship between "submission" and "obedience"? (1Pet 3:5,6)
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What are some examples of how we practice submission to the Lord?
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What are some examples of a wife submitting to her husband?
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What conflicts do you see between this passage and today's society?
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For example, is the role of a husband a recognized authority figure in today's society?
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Is "submission" of a wife considered a virtue in today's society?
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For woman who are married or considering marriage,under what conditions would you be willing to obey your husband? (Probably good to clarify this before you get married!)
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For men considering marriage, what characteristics might you look for in a woman which may indicate that she would recognize and submit to your authority over her as her husband?
Husbands
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From vs 25-27, how did Christ express His love for the church?
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How might this concept of love differ from the world's concept of love?
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How might husbands be involved in the process of making their wives holy and blameless?
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vs 29 if we really love our own body, wouldn't it be best to do for it whatever it wants us to do?
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How did Jesus treat His body? (and I really mean his physical body)
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With Control: Matt 4:2-4 (Fasting)
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With Purpose: John 6:51-56 (My flesh I give for the life of the world)
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With Honor: John 2:19-21 (God's Temple)
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Similarly, how has He historically treated His Church?
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For example, consider how he speaks to the Ephesian church in Rev 2:1-7.
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Would it ever by appropriate for husbands to speak to their wives in a similar manner? (Similarly you might consider how He spoke to other churches in Rev 2,3 in deriving applications based on the priniciples revealed in this section)
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vs 31-32 What is the purpose of marriage?
Comments
Categorical Submission
Eph 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
One way in which we can express our reverence for Christ is by submitting to the authorities under which he has placed us. "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted" Rom 13:1-2a One way to measure one's reverence for Christ is by their attitude towards and the degree to which they properly submit to the human authorities God has established in their life.
To submit to one another of course does not mean that every individual submits to every other individual (which is a sort of egalitarian interpretation). For in that case there would be no recognized authority to begin with. Rather this verse means for the one under authority to submit to the one who is in authority over them. In Ephesians 5 and 6 Paul categorizes who are those in authority and their subordinates and speaks about the role relationships between the two.
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Eph 5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
In this modern age of feminism this is perhaps one of the most contemptible verses in the Bible to the modern feminist, and as such it is one of the ways in which Christian women can be outstanding in the practice of their faith. As it is Western feminist society doesn't even recognize the role of husband as one having a legitimate God given role of authority over his wife. In fact much of modern society can be characterized as God had spoken in Isaiah, "Their children are rebellious and women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path." Isaiah 3:12 But as for Christians, "do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will." Rom 12:2
The manner in which wives submit to their husbands is a reflection of the manner in which they submit to the Lord. Being submissive to the Lordship of Christ will be reflected in your marriage. Indeed women who have embraced their role of service and subordination to the Lord will find taking on the role of submission and subordination to their husband to be natural, and indeed even a way in which to influence others for Christ, even if their husband is an unbeliever. A women's submission to her husband is a beautiful thing.
"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands" 1Peter 3:1-5
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Husband head of the wife
Eph 5:23,24 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
The husband is head of his wife in a similar manner in which Christ is head of the church. So in considering what constitutes submission in a marriage relationship we can draw upon what the Bible says of the subordinate role of the church to Christ. Would the relationship between the church and Christ be characterized as egalitarian? Certainly not. While modern evangelical feminists may claim that the "authority" which passage seems to indicate that the husband has over his wife does not incorporate "power or control", only responsibility, I would say it would follow that neither would Christ's authority over His church incorporate "power or control", but only responsibility, which is not the case. Treating the authority of husbands with such contempt is to likewise treat the authority of Christ with contempt, which is not something Christians would do.
How does the church submit to Christ? It first of all takes on an attitude of subordination and embraces the intention to do what he said. And as such it seeks to find out what the Lord has commanded explicitly and implicitly and what are his intentions concerning the purpose and role of the church so as to derive applications in accordance with his will. And secondly is the church's practice of verbally acknowledging the lordship of Christ. From this analogy wives can derive applications as to how they may treat their husbands appropriately.
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In Everything
Now as for the phrase "in everything", due to the infiltration of feminism into modern Christendom, and consequently the lack of education on the subject of submission, there seems to be a great deal of hostility and ignorance on the concepts of submission to human authority. So just to set the record straight, all human authority has only a limited realm of authority outside of which it cannot exercise legitimate authority. This is not to say, as some would prefer so as to excuse themselves from submission, that if one attempts to exercise authority outside of their legitimate realm of authority they lose authority altogether. That is not the case. For example Christians were commanded to submit to civil authority even though at times civil authority would overstep their bound. Consequently many early Christians were killed by civil authority because they refused to worship Caesar, a command given by Caesar outside of his legitimate realm of authority. And yet they continued to obey with regards to other civil regulations. Likewise for wives. "In everything" is referring to everything which is within their husband's legitimate realm of authority.
If for example a husband were to instruct his wife to violate civil regulations, that is not within his realm of authority (unless perhaps if the civil authorities had overstepped their own boundary). Likewise if a huband commands his wife to do something God indicates is sin. That's not within his legitimate realm of authority and as such the wife should disregard such a command. But that does not then invalidate the commands he has given which were within his legitimate realm of authority.
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Husbands love your wives
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Notice that while wives were instructed to obey their husands, the husband is instructed to love his wife. This is the language of love in any vertical relationship. The one under authority expresses love for the authority through obedience and consequently respect. Those in authority are to love by seeking to meet the real needs of those under authority, even sacrificially so.
Consider the humilation it may take to be such a husband. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Php 2:5-8
A husband's role is reflect in that of Christ.
Some Aspects of the role of Husband:
To Provide
2Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness"
To Instruct
1Cor 14:35a "If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home"
To Discipline
Rev 3:19 "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent."
To Reconcile
Jer 3:12-14 "’Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,’" declares the LORD. "Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband."
Col 1:22 "But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—"
To Encourage
2Th 2:16,17 "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."
And with regards to the exercise of authority, consider the kinds and purpose of his commands to his church. He had commands concerning their own sanctification, the preparation of then next generation, and concerning influencing those in the world to be reconciled to God.
Sanctify your Wife
Eph 5:26,27 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Jesus' priority with regards to the church is to make her holy and blameless. What is the implications Paul wants us to infer concerning the husband's role? The implication appears to be to nurture the wife in such a way as to make her attractive to oneself. Now as the values of a Christian husband are aligned with Christ, it would appear the process and goals would be similar. That is, a woman is only so attractive as she is godly. Teach her through the Word of God, deal with issues of sin with her edification in mind. And as Peter wrote, to develop in her "the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." 1Peter 3:4 And of course, just as with Christ and his church, cooperation is required.
Of course husbands are to be considerate in this process, as is Christ. Peter mentions, "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." 1Peter 3:7
Your Wife Your Body
Eph 5:28-32 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) This is a profound mystery— but I am talking about Christ and the church.
Paul mentions, "The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife." 1Cor 7:4 Thus in contrast to pro-abortion feminists who say, "It's my body and can do what I damn well please with it", Christian women are to recognize that their body is not solely their property. Likewise concerning Christ and the church it is written, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1Cor 12:27 and "he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."2Cor 5:15
What is the mystery of marriage? Marriage was designed to be an analogy of the relationship between Christ and the church. The Christian's objective in marriage is to try to conform to that design. Thus by understanding the intended relationship between Christ and the church we can learn more about God's intentions concerning the marriage relationship. And conversely, by understanding and experiencing marriage, we can further our understanding of the relationship intended between Christ and the church.
Huband Loves, Wife Respects
Eph 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
A marriage cannot be considered "working" unless these elements are present. Namely the husband loves his wife appropriately, and the wife respects her husband. Just to mention one other thing, it is counterproductive for the wife to say that I won't respect him until he loves me as I expect, or for the husband to say that I won't love her until she respects me as I expect. Each is responsible to carry out their own role, though just as with Christ and the church, how you carry it out will be affected by your relationship with your spouse.
Wife submit to your husband
"Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."Col 3:18,19
![However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. Ephesians 5:33](http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u159/ladolcevitabacon/blogs/Challenge.jpg)
